Acts of Defiance
by Agnes Robinson
Summary: 1921 to 1923 Tom travels to Scotland to retrieve the troublesome Lady Rose MacClare. Book Two, Facing Change 1929 - 1936 The Great Depression arrives with the Crash of '29 and changes the lives of those in Downton forever. Book Three, 1936 - 1949 A new home, new job and a family coming of age as talk of War is in the air.
1. Part I

Acts of Defiance - Part I - The Prequel

Opposite Sides

"_Three hours by train to Edinburgh and three hours back. Really it wasn't such a bad way to spend the day,"_ Tom Branson thought to himself as he waited to board the train at the Downton station. The household was reeling from the shock of Matthew's death and someone had to go to retrieve Lady Rose MacClare from Edinburgh. Her father had contacted Lord Grantham two days ago. He was being sent to India early. The staff who weren't staying on at Dunneagle Castle had already left and no one trusted Rose to travel on her own. She needed someone to escort her to Downton.

Tom had volunteered to see to the task. Miss O'Brien, the old scab, had already left to join Lady Flintshire as her lady's maid and was on the way with her new mistress to India. Tom shivered when he thought of the woman. He was rather glad he wasn't sharing the ride to Scotland with her. He may be bringing Lady Rose MacClare, the spoiled, giddy daughter of Marquess "Shrimpy" Flintshire home with him, but for this part of the trip he would ride north in blissful anonymity in third class. The one and only time Tom had any dealings with Rose had been painful in the extreme. Lady Grantham had seated the young woman next to him at dinner. The experience had made Tom grind his teeth. He had politely asked her what she planned to do with her time once she reached Scotland later that summer. Rose had fluttered her lashes and made some inane comment about some ball or another and then proceeded to giggle and simper. He had kept his eyes firmly locked on his plate for the rest of the meal, only glancing up now and then if a comment was directed his way. He had heard all about her escapades in London from Matthew Crawley when he had returned.

Volunteering to go escort Rose to Downton Abbey was as much for his own benefit as those living at the house. Everyone was in a state of shock from Matthew's death and no one in the family was in any shape to make the trip. Truth be told he wanted a day away from all the grief that had been his lot in life for almost two years even for just a few hours. First he had grieved the loss of his homeland through his own actions and then he had grieved the loss of his wife. The loss of his only real friend on the estate had been another blow. Even a day away from it all watching the hills and trees pass by was better than staying in the pit of despair that seemed to hang in the air at the Abbey.

Tom sat back and closed his eyes. He took a long slow breath. _"Freedom,"_ he thought. _"I had forgotten what freedom smells like." _ It wasn't freedom from his daughter he craved, far from it. He would do anything for her and bore the responsibility gladly. It was freedom from all the rules and structure of his new life. He lived in a house that wasn't his own with no say in who stepped through the front door or even the back for that matter. He had the final say when it came to his daughter but even then the afternoon viewings and having his daughter addressed as Miss Sybil even though she was just a baby were all part of the trappings of the aristocracy and a lifestyle where he never felt like he belonged.

The rocking of the train lulled him to sleep. He didn't wake again until the conductor passed by announcing the stop in Edinburgh. He left the station and hailed a cab to take him to the Balmoral Hotel where he was supposed to meet Rose. As the hotel came in sight, Tom couldn't help thinking to himself, _"How could I have thought I would find Rose in anything other than a hotel that looked like a castle complete with clock tower._ _Even when these people are broke they still think they need to do everything in style." _He paid the fare when the cab came to a stop and went inside to inquire after his charge at the desk. He was half way to the desk when he spotted Rose sitting on an elaborate divan in the lobby waiting for him. As he approached he noticed an older man standing close to her with a ramrod straight back and expression that reminded him of a carbon copy of Mr. Carson.

"Tom, how nice of you to make the trip up to collect me," Rose greeted him with a flutter of her lashes over her large brown eyes.

"Think nothing of it," he replied with a slight smile. "Are you all ready for the trip?"

"Why yes, just about," Rose replied. She stood up. It was then Tom realized she was wearing the shortest skirt he had ever seen on a woman. He did a bit of a double take. "I'll just say my goodbyes with Mr. McCree." Rose turned to the butler from Dunneagle. Her expression turned serious. "Goodbye, Mr. McCree. Thank you for everything."

"Goodbye, Lady Rose," the older man said. "Take care of yourself and be happy."

"You, too," Rose replied before she kissed him on the cheek in parting. She turned back to Tom with a dazzling smile. "We have plenty of time. How about some lunch? There's a lovely restaurant here in the hotel."

Tom groaned a bit inwardly. He would have liked to pick up lunch at a pub or small restaurant where the napkins hadn't been starched to attention.

"If you like," he replied. "Where are your coat and bags?"

"The porter has them. No need to fret over the details. They take care of you wonderfully here," Rose said taking his arm and steering him towards the dining room.

"_I just bet they do, with a price tag to go along with it,"_ Tom thought.

Rose had left Dunneagle that morning with a heavy heart. It had been her home in a way the house in London never had. Here she had spent the summers of her childhood learning the country-dances with the other children of noble birth in the area once a week. She had ridden her pony across the hills with her hair unrestrained and flying behind her, much to her governess' disgust and most of important of all Dunneagle was where she had spent time with her father. At Dunneagle away from the demands of his job with the foreign office he had the time to lavish the attention on her that her young heart craved and she never received from her mother.

She hadn't been particularly happy when she heard Tom Branson was coming to act as her escort to the Abbey. She had only met him the once. He had griped about playing cricket and other than one brief exchange at dinner, he had spent his meals staring at his plate not saying a word and left the drawing room after dinner almost as quickly as he had entered it after a few words with Cousin Matthew. She had wondered at the time if there was a duller man on the face of the earth. He certainly would be nice looking if he ever smiled, but so far she hadn't seen him smile once. Whatever Cousin Sybil had seen in the man was a mystery to her.

She had bid goodbye to her parents two days previously and watched the servants leave one after the other to their new posts. Mr. McCree the butler was on his way to a new post as well. He had agreed to stay the extra two days and get her to Edinburgh. He had always been a soft touch where Rose was concerned. When Rose was little and her governess was angry and wanted to punish her, she had run to the protection of Mr. McCree until her governess had settled down. Of course the woman had never let on a thing was amiss in front of Mr. McCree. Rose would stay with him for the day in hopes of avoiding the slap she knew was in store for her if she was anywhere near the woman for the next few hours.

The hotel had seemed like a good place to meet Tom. It was centrally located and with every item she owned on the face of the earth packed for the move to Downton there had been a fair pile of luggage to send by wagonette to the hotel. Here there were more than enough porters and staff to see to them until it was time to head out on the train. Rose really didn't see why she needed an escort. The bags could have been taken directly to the train in her opinion and it wasn't like she was going to go running to Terrance. She had a note from one of her friends. He'd already taken up with someone else and his wife was due back from the continent any day and they were throwing a lavish party for their friends. So much for his declarations of undying love and wanting a divorce, she had been played for a fool.

Here she was, with only a small allowance to her name, walking on the arm of a man she didn't really care for to the restaurant of a hotel she would probably never see again in her entire life. It was a goodbye of sorts and a hello of another into a world where she was no longer wealthy or privileged. She was dreading the step and in another welcoming the new experiences it would bring.

"Table for two, Sir," the headwaiter inquired when they entered the dining room.

"Yes," Tom replied. The room was decked out in every bit of finery Tom had expected. Large glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The tables were covered in crisp white linens, shining silver ware and sparkling crystal. Sure enough the napkins were starched and folded into an elaborate shape at ever spot.

A few minutes later they were seated and looking over the menu. Tom could feel himself sweating slightly. He had brought along enough cash for two first class tickets to Downton, a modest lunch and a bit for a small gift for Sybie. With these prices he would be lucky to have enough left for the cab fare to the station, a tip for the porter and their fare.

"I just adore the food here," Rose said with a flutter. "It's simply nummy."

"I don't doubt that it is," Tom replied. "What are you having?"

"I think I'll have the duck," Rose said.

Tom's eyes went to the listing for duck. _"There went the gift for Sybie,"_ he thought. _"He would be lucky to have a slice of bread and a glass of water for his lunch."_ I think "I'll have the clubhouse sandwich," he said in hopes of swaying Rose. "I've heard of it but never had one."

"Likewise," Rose replied. "They're the latest thing at luncheons. Apparently they're popular in America. I might try one as well."

"_Thank heavens,"_ Tom thought.

The waiter approached to take their order.

"Two club house sandwiches," Tom said.

"And a bottle of champagne," Rose added.

"Don't you think it's a bit early in the day?" Tom asked her.

"It's my last day in Scotland. I might never return to my homeland. I want to toast my new adventure," Rose replied with her best come hither flutter.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Tom addressed the waiter. He waited until the man had stepped back. He leaned forward a bit and lowered his voice. "Rose, I didn't bring enough cash for a bottle of champagne or even a glass at these prices. If you order that I'll have to carry your bags myself and we'll be traveling by third class."

"But I want to celebrate the start of something new," Rose said with a bit of a pout.

"You drink your champagne, carry your own bags and ride for three hours on a wooden bench, or you drink a cup of tea with your lunch like the majority of other people and ride to your new home in style," he stated with finality.

"Oh, very well," Rose replied with a huff. Tom signaled the waiter.

"The lady has changed her mind. We'll have two cups of tea with our sandwiches," he said.

"Excellent choice, Sir," the waiter replied with a slight smile at Tom. He collected the menus and went for their sandwiches.

"You are absolutely no fun at all," Rose stated glaring at Tom.

"You'll find fun and the Abbey don't exactly go together at the moment," Tom replied through gritted teeth. "Everyone there is greatly upset. They don't need you adding to it with your high jinks."

"I'm quite aware of things," Rose replied sticking her nose in the air. "I was very sorry to hear of Cousin Matthew's death."

"The rest of us are a bit more than sorry," Tom informed her.

They traded glares until their tea arrived followed shortly by their sandwiches. They didn't speak another word to each other or even look each other's way during the entire meal.

"We best get on to the station," Tom said. They had just over an hour to get to the train station. It had only been a ten minute or so cab ride, so they should have plenty of time to collect Rose's cases and get their tickets. Tom went to pay the bill while Rose went to the powder room. He asked a passing bellman to bring Lady Rose MacClare's bags and coat to the front door. A few minutes later Tom was speechless when he spotted two bellmen pushing a cart piled high with bags towards the front doors followed by another carrying three bags that wouldn't fit on the cart and a third carrying Rose's coat.

Tom looked over to see Rose coming across the lobby towards him. He couldn't believe his eyes. Her short skirt was flipping up and showing the tops of her stockings and a hint of her milky white legs above where her stockings had been rolled down and secured with satin bows. Rose was a beautiful girl by any stretch of the imagination and the display she was making of herself was attracting every male eye in the place including his. He grabbed her coat from the bellman that was clearly leering at his charge and held it for her to put on.

"It's rather a warm day," Rose said. "I don't think I need my coat."

"Best not be taking any chances," Tom said with his face slightly flushed. "We're going to need two cabs with this lot. Did you pack the entire castle?"

"Everything I own in the world including the silverware with the family crest. We wouldn't want the creditors getting their hands on it after five hundred years," Rose replied. She was only joking but from the grimace she got in return from Tom her joke had fallen flat.

"We had best not be getting arrested," he said with a glare.

"Can't you take a joke?" Rose replied in disgust.

"Har, Har," he replied then turned to the doorman to ask him to summon two cabs.

Tom breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally seated on the train and headed out of Edinburgh. He didn't have hardly a cent left. After he had tipped everyone dealing with the mountain of luggage, paid for the lunch and cabs, it had taken all of the money he had with but the few coins he had left in his pocket to get them this far. He had drawn what he thought was a substantial allowance from the estate for the trip, but Lord Grantham had been distracted with his grief and Tom hadn't wanted to bother him to inquire if it was enough. Tom was thanking providence the car from the house would be meeting them at the station and they had their own staff to deal with the luggage. They could easily send a wagon from the house to pick it all up.

He glanced over at Rose. She had taken her coat off and was staring out the window with a sad expression. Her short skirt was riding up and he could see the white of her thighs above her stockings from his vantage point across from her. Despite the fact that he didn't like her that much his libido went crazy. He had been a long time without a woman in his life. He hadn't made love to his late wife after her seventh month of pregnancy when things had gotten too uncomfortable for her. The kiss he had exchanged with Edna earlier that summer had started his mind down that track again. His body was telling him it was more than time to move on and the sight across from him was making his pulse race.

Tom diverted his eyes and squeezed them shut. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. _"Think of shoveling cow shyt,"_ he told himself. _"No, good." _Thinking about working in a barn, made him think about a dairy and with that dairymaids bent forward showing their cleavage when milking the cows. He snuck one eye open. Rose's skirt had inched up even higher. _"Thank God there isn't anyone else in this coach,"_ he thought. _"I would have to beat them off with a stick." _He closed his eyes again. _"Old lady Grantham taking a bath,"_ he thought then shivered. _"That did it finally."_ He could feel his pulse start to slow and things starting to calm down.

"Would you mind pulling your skirt down a bit," he asked Rose when he opened his eyes again.

"My dress is modern, like me," she informed him making no move to adjust her hem. "It's called a flapper."

"Whatever it's called, I can see you knickers," he said bluntly. He couldn't really but another inch or so and he was sure he would be able to see them.

"Very well, then," Rose said shifting slightly with a stain of color coming to her cheeks and smoothing her skirt. "Better?"

"Much, thank you," he replied.

"You don't like me much do you?" Rose questioned him. She turned a sharp stare on him.

"It's not my place to like you or dislike you," Tom replied evenly not taking the bait.

"Anything new at the Abbey?" Rose asked.

"Other than Miss O'Brien leaving to work for your mother not much," Tom replied. "You'll find the house quite different than when you were last there. The place is quiet. Almost too much so despite the young children living there."

"Hmm," Rose replied thoughtfully then turned her attention back out the window. Tom closed his eyes again. He hadn't this much chance to sit and do absolutely nothing since he didn't know when. He opened his eyes again when he heard Rose rustling around in her handbag. She had a pack of cigarettes out with one between her lips she had just pulled out a lighter and was about to light the cigarette when Tom reached across grabbed the pack of cigarettes and the unlit cigarette from her lips, opened the window and threw them out.

"That will be enough of that," he said settling back on his seat.

Rose's mouth was open in shock.

"How dare you? You…you…oaf," she stormed at last.

"If you want to puff smoke and look like a trollop you can do it on your own time, not when I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you," Tom stated. "Doesn't matter now. You'll have to wait until we're home before you can get any more."

"Errr," Rose growled. "I'm going to the ladies." She got up and stormed into the passageway slamming the door of their compartment behind her. She slammed it so hard, Tom was surprised the door frame didn't splinter. _"That was rather fun," _he chuckled to himself. It was true though. There was modern and there was ridiculous and so far for all Rose was supposed to be so modern all he could see was a young girl jumping headlong into whatever latest fad came along without one thought for where she was going and if she was inconveniencing others. She was ridiculous in the extreme like the majority of the aristocracy he had met so far.

It was quite a while before Rose came back and sat down. He could smell the unmistakable odor of cigarettes on her. She gave him a sniff and stuck her nose in the air. She had obviously found someone to sponge a cigarette from. Tom excused himself and headed for the men's loo. The less time he spent with her the better. He dawdled in the loo washing his face and hands, smoothing his shirt and straightening his tie before he went back to his seat. He went back to the compartment to find Rose laying across the bench on her side of the coach with her head propped on one hand reading a circular she must have had in her handbag.

His libido went crazy again. He couldn't stand the woman and at the same time the sight of her in such close proximity and in such a suggestive pose did things to him in a way he hadn't felt in a longtime. He adverted his gaze and took his seat quickly.

"Another hour," Rose mumbled.

"Yes," Tom replied. His voice had raised an ocatave. He stuck a finger into his collar to loosen it. He stared out the window until he got his body under control again. "Are you usually like this?" he asked after a few moments.

"Like what," Rose asked not bothering to look up.

"So unrestrained."

"Usually, when Mummy isn't around to scold me," she replied. "Would you prefer I pretend to be the perfect drawing room society girl for the next hour until we arrive?"

"No, no, suit yourself," Tom replied still looking out the window.

"Don't you ever smile?" Rose inquired looking at him from her spot on the bench.

"When I'm enjoying myself," Tom replied.

"You're not enjoying escorting me back?"

"Not particularly," he said.

"The feeling is quite mutual," Rose replied tossing her circular towards her handbag and sitting up. "We do have to get along though. We'll be living in the same house from now on."

"You won't see much of me," Tom said. "I'm usually busy with work. I'm really not at the house that much and when I am, I'm occupied."

"With what?"

"With my daughter and estate business."

"Don't you have a nanny to care for your daughter or a governess?"

"I do," Tom replied. "But I like to do it myself when I'm not occupied with affairs on the estate."

"What manner of affairs?"

"Is that any of your concern?"

"You're impossible," Rose replied with a frown stuffing the circular into her handbag.

"I could say the same about you," Tom replied. "We're almost there."

"Fifteen minutes more is not almost anything," Rose stated just to be contrary.

Tom gritted his teeth and didn't reply. He couldn't have been more relieved when the train pulled into the station at Downton and he spotted Lady Grantham dressed in mourning waiting for them on the platform with the chauffeur a few steps behind her.

"Rose, welcome to Downton," Cora said taking Rose's hands and kissing her on the cheek. "I hope you had a good trip without any problems."

"I had an uneventful trip, Cousin Cora," Rose gushed. "If the company was somewhat lacking."

"I'll just speak to the chauffeur about having Rose's bags collected Lady Grantham, then walk back," Tom said with a tight smile. "There were a few tenants in the village I had planned to speak with in the next few days. Now seems like a perfect opportunity." _"The perfect opportunity to put some distance between myself and Rose," _he added silently.

"Of course, Tom," Cora replied. "Will we see you at dinner?"

"Certainly, Lady Grantham," Tom replied with a slight bow before he went to speak with the chauffeur.

"I hope Tom treated you well," Cora said to Rose as way of inquiry once Tom had left on his business and they were seated in the back of the car on their way to the Abbey.

"He was the perfect gentleman, Cousin Cora. We just don't seem to see eye to eye," Rose replied.

"He has a way of growing on you," Cora said with a small smile and patting Rose's hand.

"Somehow I highly doubt that," Rose replied with a bit of sour expression. Her countenance quickly changed as soon as she smiled. "Now tell me all about baby George. I'm simply dying to see him and what about this upcoming party I've heard so much about."


	2. Part II

Acts of Defiance - Part II - Chapter 1 through 4

Chapter One – Babysitting

"What are we going to do with Rose tomorrow?" Cora, the Countess of Grantham asked her husband one afternoon in early summer of 1922.

"It wouldn't do to take Rose to Lady Westland's for shooting and dinner tomorrow. Lady Westland is close to ninety and all of her acquaintances are at least our age or older. Mama is going along as well. She'll have to stay here with Tom," Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham replied.

"Rose is certainly turning out to be a handful," Cora commented. "I'm just not comfortable leaving her on her own, but she and Tom just don't get along. If he said the sky was blue she would say it was green just to be contrary and he is no better."

Rose was Robert's distant cousin on his mother's side and had come to stay with them while her parents were in India. Rose and her mother weren't getting along and they wanted a break from each other. They had known Rose had a wild streak but they weren't prepared for the merry chase she was leading all of them and that included Robert's mother the Dowager Countess. Rose had a penchant for wearing clothing that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable. Cora had gone through her daughter Sybil's rebellious phase and thought she could cope with Rose's ideas. She had been in for a surprise when Rose had come downstairs for riding in a pair of tight pants and informed them she planned to ride astride. Clothes were the least of the problems as they had caught her smoking more than once and her ideas on the opposite sex were even more alarming. For some reason Cora's son-in-law rubbed Rose the wrong way and vice versa.

"It's only a few hours. They might kill each other by the time we get back and all our problems would be over," Robert replied with a chuckle. Tom had settled in and was working as the Estate Agent and doing a good job, but Robert still didn't fully trust him not to go back to his rebel ways. "They'll be fine. I'll check with him this evening to see what he has on his schedule."

"If you can catch him before he is out the door," Cora said with a smile. "I think he's avoiding her."

"Or perhaps he is just busy. With Matthew gone his workload has increased tremendously. I would rather think he's avoiding me if anyone after the blow up we had the other day about him wanting to buy a motorcycle to get around the estate on."

"Robert, he's barely here for meals now and when he is he leaves as quickly as he can to spend time with Sybie. He won't like playing nursemaid."

"That is just too bad," Robert replied. "If he wants to be part of the family he is going to have to take what comes with it. He doesn't think he needs to keep up appearances and use the town car to get around. When I told him he would be the topic of gossip on a motorbike and it wasn't suited to his position of Estate Agent, he informed me it was what he was going to do and he would use the town car if and when appropriate." Robert sighed. "Mary and Edith are both in London. We're going to Lady Westland's and Isobel has gone to Manchester for the week. There isn't anyone else to keep an eye on her and I'm not comfortable leaving her to her own devices. Goodness only knows what she would get up to on her own, although you never know with Tom in the picture."

"I spoke with Lady Elaine Crowsby the other day. She has a daughter going through this flapper business as well. Some of what she told me is alarming to say the least. Apparently the young people are having smoking parties and something called a petting party although I don't know if Rose has been to those or not," Cora relayed.

"We've already caught her twice in inappropriate situations with young men. Thank goodness we caught them before anything serious happened," Robert said. "With Edith living with a married man, I don't think we needed that on top of things."

"Rose is young and not thinking of the consequences," Cora replied with a small frown.

"For tomorrow, she'll be out of trouble, although Tom and our daughter could find trouble when they were together, let us just hope and pray we don't have a repeat performance."

"Robert that was years ago," Cora scolded. "I hardly think estate business includes attending political rallies and he is managing things well. The estate broke even last year. We might even see a profit in the near future."

"I realize that," Robert sighed. "Let's just hope Tom is capable of reigning Rose in for at least one day and keeping them both out of the line of gossip."

"Have a little faith," Cora said with a smile.

-0-

"What? You can't mean for me to spend the day with him!" Rose stated at dinner that evening. Tom was sitting next to her at the end of the table. His face had turned white at the prospect of spending an entire day in Rose's company.

"Lord Grantham, I have a full schedule tomorrow. I have to attend to the tenants that are behind on their rent. It's hardly the place for Rose and nothing she would find interesting," Tom said ignoring Rose's comment. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his day in the company of a silly girl who in his opinion didn't have the sense God gave a gnat.

"We're all going out and it can't be helped. Unless of course you would like to come along to Lady Westland's, Rose," Robert replied.

"Why can't I just stay on my own?" Rose questioned.

"After the last time, I should think you have your own answer," Robert replied sternly. He and Cora had returned home to find Rose smoking one of his best cigars in the library. The girl could be gay and charming when she put a mind to it and she could be the very devil at the same time.

"It wasn't like I was running off with a groom," Rose stated. "I can't see why women aren't allowed to do exactly the same things men are."

"For one thing men don't smoke cigars in the middle of the afternoon, Rose," Cora admonished.

"What am I going to do all day with him?" Rose questioned again.

"Bring a book and keep yourself amused and out of trouble," Tom informed her irritably. "If you don't I'll turn you over my knee. I'm busy I don't have time to put up with any of your nonsense."

"You never know Rose, you might find the workings of the estate interesting," Cora coaxed.

Rose looked at Tom with a frown. The man reminded her of her mother. He always seemed to gaze at her with a disapproving look that said, _"Whatever you are doing you are doing it wrong." _Otherwise he barely spoke to her. Everyone said he was such a rebel but from what she had seen so far he was boring as dust. He never did anything but work or spend time with his daughter and Mary's son. He might as well be the one who was well over seventy instead of Great Aunt Violet. He certainly acted like an old man in Rose's eyes.

Tom glanced at Rose with a frown of his own when he felt her staring at him. _"Was there a more annoying woman on the face of the earth?"_ he questioned. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. She was pretty enough and charming when she wanted to be. She had some idea that being modern equated with being irresponsible. Everyone said she liked to dance. He liked to dance himself and he was interested in new ways of doing things, but she was not his cup of tea. She wanted to be modern but the way she went about things set his teeth on edge. Rose was forever doing things like snogging some young man that had been invited over for dinner in the back seat of the town car or being caught puffing on one of Robert's cigars. The other day she had guzzled down almost an entire bottle of champagne at one dinner party single handedly.

Last week there had been a great deal of discussion about something called a smoking party that someone in Rose's old crowd in London had thrown. Everyone had been so busy scolding Rose for attending such a thing when she had admitted to attending one, no one had noticed when he gave his excuses and made a quick exit. He found the idea of sitting around smoking cigarettes and doing little else repugnant. Didn't they have a brain in their head amongst them? He had never seen the girl read a paper or a book since she had arrived over six months ago.

"Very well, then," Tom said at least. "Be ready for eight tomorrow morning, I should leave by six, but I'll make some adjustments. We should be back to the house between five and six tomorrow evening."

"I don't get up until nine," Rose informed him.

"Isn't that just too bad," Tom replied. "Either you get up and get yourself ready to go by eight or I'll throw you in the back of the car in your night clothes."

"Tom!" Cora admonished.

"I'm sorry, Lady Grantham. I have a great deal of work scheduled for tomorrow. Rose will have to deal with it."

"Rose you will behave yourself when you're with Tom and accommodate his schedule won't you?" Cora questioned in a way that made it an order.

"Yes, of course, Cousin Cora," Rose replied with a smile.

"And the pair of you try to get along," Cora said.

"Of course, Lady Grantham," Tom said. He could see the footmen smirking at the side of the room at his expense. Tomorrow was going to be a long day if he didn't miss his guess.

-0-

Tom groaned the next morning when he arrived in the great hall promptly at eight a.m. to find Rose wearing a dress suited for a garden party complete with parasol.

"We're not going to a party," he informed her.

"I don't want to get too hot," Rose replied sticking her nose in the air. "I ordered a picnic lunch to take along."

"That may be the first sensible thing I've ever heard you say," Tom replied. "We'll pick it up on the way to the garage." He motioned for Rose to precede him down the servant's stair. He had to hide a smirk of the sight of her in all her finery looking completely out of place in the servant's hall while he stopped by the kitchen to pick up the basket. Goodness only knew how she intended to keep all that lace and white fabric clean on the tour of working farms and tenant yards he had lined up for the day, but it was up to her.

Tom was thanking providence Rose had decided to stay in the car at the first few stops of the day. She pulled a novel out of her handbag and read while he discussed work schedules with the supervisors at two parts of the farming operations. The third stop was at a tenant's cottage that had not paid the rent for the last two months. Today's visit was more of an inquiry as to the reasons behind the lapse in rent. This was Tom's least favorite part of his job. He hated to evict tenants but in some cases it had to be done.

"This next stop could go well, or it could get nasty," Tom said as he turned onto the lane that lead to the cottage. "It might be best if you stayed in the car."

"It's getting a trifle warm in here," Rose replied uncooperatively.

"We'll take a break after this," Tom said with a sigh. "Just stay put. I don't want you getting hurt."

"What do you care?" Rose retorted glaring at him.

"You're welfare is my responsibility. I care quite a lot," Tom replied. A flush of irritation was spreading up his cheeks making him look cross. He was worried about the stop at the tenants and he didn't want Rose getting in the way.

Rose regarded him with surprise.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

"Checking as to why they haven't paid their rent in two months," Tom said.

"Can't you just evict them?"

"I don't run things like that and Lord Grantham doesn't agree with it either. There are some cases where people need a little charity and others where they need to be put out on their ear. I first have to find out why they haven't paid their rent. If they are good tenants that have fallen on bad luck we help them out if we can."

"Yes, fine, I'll stay put," Rose said after a moment.

Rose watched Tom knock at the door repeatedly until the door to the cottage opened and he disappeared inside. She spotted two rather pathetic looking children peeking at her from around the corner of the building. She got out of the car and looked in the picnic basket in the back seat. She pulled out two strawberry tarts and headed towards the children.

"It's alright," she coaxed. "I don't bite. Would you like a tart?"

"We aren't supposed to take food from strangers," the little boy of about five said.

"My name is Lady Rose, who are you?" Rose asked.

"I'm Tom Beecher and that's my sister Gwen," the little boy said. Rose could see their eyes devouring the tarts in her hand.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," Rose said extending her right hand to the little boy to shake. "Now that we are properly introduced, I think you may take the tarts."

The boy nodded and both children dashed forward to accept the tarts. They promptly stuffed them in their mouths and ate them as quickly as possible.

"It is customary to say thank you," Rose scolded softly.

"Thank you, Lady Rose," Gwen said.

"Where are your parents?"

"Dad is inside, he is sick," Tom replied. "Our Mum went to work as a washer woman over in York. She'll be back on Sunday."

"May I ask who is taking care of you?"

"I do," Tom said. "Dad can't get up much. He's too sick."

"Have you had breakfast?"

Rose received a headshake, No.

"Well come along then and let's see what else is in the picnic basket you might like," she said.

Tom returned to the car to see the two children eating a scone each and Rose handing them the cold fried chicken that was meant as their lunch tied in a cloth napkin. The children shrunk back a bit when they saw Tom.

"Are you the Agent?" the boy asked fearfully.

"I am," Tom said. "You go in now and see your Da. Make sure you give him a piece of that chicken too."

"Alright, Mister. Thank you, Lady Rose," the little boy said.

"Goodbye Tom and Gwen. Good luck," Rose replied smiling at the children.

"I thought I told you to stay put," Tom said to Rose as they got back into the front seat.

"They were hungry. I'm afraid I gave away most of our lunch."

"They are hungry," Tom said with a sigh. "It was lucky for both of us this wasn't a stop with any violence. You need to be more careful."

"I wasn't in any danger from two hungry children," Rose replied getting annoyed.

"No, there wasn't any danger _this time_," Tom replied with a frown. "Lord Grantham couldn't have picked a worse day to send you along with me. I don't think the next two stops are going to be like that." Tom paused. "Did you give away the drinks as well?"

"Just the food."

Tom nodded then stopped the car by the side of the road near a stand of trees. He grabbed the blanket and two bottles of ginger beer from the back seat.

"We'll walk a bit. There's a nice spot not far," Tom said. He offered Rose his hand to help her across a rough patch of ground near the road. She pointedly ignored him. After a few moments they broke through the trees to a small knoll overlooking the pastures below.

"Oh, how lovely," Rose gasped forgetting her earlier irritation with Tom.

"I used to stop here on my half day in the summers when I was a chauffeur," he said. He spread the blanket on the grass then handed Rose her drink once she had seated herself. He took off his jacket and loosened his tie before he sat on the blanket as well.

"Are you going to evict that family?" Rose asked after a moment.

"No, I'll make arrangements to have a hamper sent over. The father will be up and around again in a few weeks. His wife has gone out to work in York to try to feed them," Tom said. "I am concerned for the next stop though. You have to stay in the car. I've heard rumors the man is drinking heavily. It could get nasty."

Rose nodded her acceptance. They sat in silence for a bit.

"I've been told you like to dance," Tom commented slowly.

"I do," Rose said. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing. I just thought if you like to dance I might take you sometime," Tom said.

"You want to take me dancing?" Rose asked ruefully.

Tom shrugged. "Why not? I'm stuck living in a house with people who could be my parents. Edith and Mary are both off to London most of the time now. It can't be any easier for you. Lord and Lady Grantham should agree if you're with me."

"It's better than living with Aunt Agatha," Rose said rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'd be happy to accept, but I don't know why you're doing this."

"A peace offering," Tom replied.

"You know we probably won't like each other any better even if we go dancing," Rose said.

"Probably not," he said with a grin.

Chapter Two – A Dose of Honesty

"_What an odd man,"_ Rose thought that evening while she was getting ready for bed. She had spent most of the day waiting for Tom in the car or watching him work. They had stopped at one work site where the machinery had broken down. He had rolled up his sleeves and worked with the hands to fix it after making sure she had a place to sit on the blanket under some trees. The entire day had been one of extremes. At one point she had been frightened when they went to a tenant's cottage where the man of the house had been drinking and took a swing at Tom. Tom had easily side stepped him then spoken to the wife and referred her to a lawyer in Ripon. He had given her two weeks to get her husband's affairs in order before he began eviction proceedings. The woman had been belligerent and not much better than her husband. Rose had been glad she was in the car with the windows almost up and the doors locked. At other points in the day Tom Branson had seemed like any other working class man and then he would shift again to someone who could have been born to life in the nobility.

When they had gotten home he had ordered a plate for each of them in the dining room and told her not to bother changing for dinner. As soon as he was done eating he had headed for the nursery. She had decided to tag along and find out what he was up to every day when he disappeared. There wasn't much else to do with her time with everyone else out. Her eyes had opened wide in amazement when Tom gave the nanny most of the rest of the evening to herself. He spent a good two hours on his hands and knees crawling around the carpet in the nursery pretending to be a horse with one of the two children clinging to his back or sitting at a small table with his daughter while she put beads around his neck and an old hat on his head. After it all he bathed both children and got them into bed for a story. Rose couldn't believe her eyes during the time with the children. She could never remember her father doing such a thing and her mother certainly never had the time to play any games with her let alone take on bath or bed time. Tom acted if it was the most natural thing in the world. She had found herself relaxing and smiling in the company of the children as she played one childhood game or another with them. In the nursery there were no rules of society she had to adhere to or wanted to break. Tom had been so preoccupied with the children he seemed to forget to look at her disapprovingly.

When Rose had said her good nights and headed to her own room she had found herself thinking how hard Mary's son would find it if Mary married the man she was now seeing and the boy had to accept another man as his father. Could another man accept and treat the boy as his own the way Tom seemed to do? Rose shook her head slightly. It wasn't her concern, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy. During her brief time in the nursery with the enigma that was Tom Branson she had felt more a part of a family than she had in years. She still had no idea why he had asked her to go out dancing. She pushed the thought from her mind as she clicked out the light and slid between the sheets. One day she would find out, but for today it just wasn't important.

Tom lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe he'd opened his stupid mouth and asked Rose to go out dancing with him. Why had he done it? He couldn't lie to himself. Rose's small act of compassion towards those children had touched him deeply and he wanted to repay her kindness. For a brief second in the yard in front of the cottage it had been him and Kieran standing there cold and hungry with not enough to eat. After Tom's father had died there hadn't always been enough until Kieran was old enough to go out and earn a few shillings here and there to make ends meet. Before today Tom would have bet a good sum Rose would disregard someone in need and look the other way. She had surprised him. In a way it had been charming the way she wrapped up their lunch and sent the children on their way with it. In her experience there would always be more to replace it. She had no real knowledge of doing without. There was another reason he had asked her if he was really being honest with himself.

He rolled over and punched the pillow next to him into an odd shape as he tried to get comfortable. He was lonely and miserable living in this vast house. Now that Matthew was gone he had no real friends here. Mary was off almost half the time with her new beau, Lord Anthony Gillingham. The only thing they really had in common was their interest in their children and even then they each had radically different ideas on child rearing. Edith was living with Michael Gregson in London. Tom had liked Michael when he met him but at the moment with all the disruption in the family over the couple the last thing Tom wanted to do was to get in the middle of it. The majority of the time when the family was home he pretty much kept his mouth shut. Politics was a definitely taboo subject where he was concerned and more than once he had tried to comment on some subject only to be cut off by Lord or old Lady Grantham. As far as friends in the village he had none. He was the Estate Agent, the boss to some and the landlord's representative to the others. Most of the local gentry still gossiped about him as the servant that had run off with the Earl's daughter. Even amongst his old friends he was now labeled as a turncoat. Someone who had given up on the rebellion in Ireland and sold out to the wealthy elite. The worst of it was he had become the target for gold diggers and social climbers like Edna the year before.

He knew what it was all for. She was up in the nursery and the picture of her mother. He would do anything for his daughter, no matter how much personal grief it brought upon him, but there were odd times like today when the loneliness hit him like a wave. There were times it was all he could do not to pack his daughter's and his bags and catch the first train out of this mausoleum that masqueraded as a house and head straight for his brother's. He was so desperately lonely it was better to go out with a woman who obviously didn't like him and he didn't particularly care for than spend another Saturday evening alone.

-0-

"Lord Grantham telephoned this morning, Mr. Branson," Mr. Carson said when Tom came into the dining room for breakfast the next morning. "They have decided to extend their stay at Lady Westland's an extra night. The party will return home tomorrow after luncheon."

"Very well, Mr. Carson," Tom replied. He set his plate of eggs and sausage at his spot at the table. "Could you have one of the maids go up and let Lady Rose know I will be going out on horseback this morning if she cares to join me. We'll be back in time for luncheon."

"Does she have a choice, Sir?" Mr. Carson asked raising his bushy eyebrows.

"Not really," Tom replied with a small smile.

Forty minutes later, Rose showed up in the morning room where Tom was going over some papers dressed and ready to go. The look on her face said she was ready to do battle over her attire.

"I see you're ready," Tom said. "Let's get to it. I'd like to get back before luncheon so we're not out in the heat of the afternoon."

"As if it ever gets really hot in Yorkshire," Rose replied.

"Warm enough," Tom said.

They had just left the stables when Rose finally spoke up.

"You have nothing to say about what I'm wearing?" she questioned.

"No, why would I? I've always thought women riding side saddle was ludicrous in the extreme."

"Cousin Cora and Robert wouldn't agree with you," Rose said.

"You'll find your Cousin Robert disagrees with most of my opinions on what is appropriate for young women," Tom replied non-committedly.

"So exactly what do you think is appropriate?" Rose questioned sticking out her chin.

"Education, finding a career you find fulfilling, dressing in a way that suits your lifestyle and not taking foolish risks," Tom replied. He attention was quickly diverted to a fence that was in poor repair. He reigned in, took some notes in a small note book he pulled out of his saddle bag and replaced it before they moved on.

"Are you saying I'm foolish?" Rose demanded.

"I never said that," Tom replied with a sigh.

"But you were thinking it."

"What if I was? Why would you care?"

"I don't know. Yes, I do. You remind me of my mother. She never approves of anything I do."

"So that is why you dislike me so much?"

"Mostly," Rose replied.

"I wholeheartedly approved when you informed Lord Grantham you were riding astride. I wanted to cheer, but I couldn't," Tom said. "He tolerates my presence for the sake of my daughter, but I have little say as to what goes on in that house."

"So you actually agreed with something I did? I'm surprised," Rose admitted.

"I don't agree with everything you do," Tom said. "But what does that matter?"

"What is it you don't agree with?" Rose asked.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"I don't agree with doing things that could come back to hurt you just because you think it is the thing to do," Tom said. "Can you really tell me you liked smoking that cigar? I can't stand the damn things."

"It did make me feel sick to my stomach," Rose said with a slight laugh. "What else?"

"The only other woman I know who smokes is well, a scab," Tom said.

"Who would that be?"

"Miss O'Brien."

Rose wrinkled her nose at the thought of being equated with Miss O'Brien.

"What else?"

"You really want to hear this?"

"I do. I want to hear it all."

"You won't like it," Tom said reigning in and looking her straight in the eye.

"I can take it."

"Fine. We'll stop over there and I'll tell you the truth," Tom said setting his jaw.

They rode over to an area of pasture near the side of the lake and dismounted.

"The truth is I think the smoking parties and kissing parties and whatever else you got into with your friends in London is a complete waste of time," he said. "Don't you ever read a book or a newspaper? Haven't you got anything better to do with your time?"

"I wasn't wasting my time," Rose said stamping her foot. "I was trying new things."

"New things like having an affair with a married man? You were playing with fire. I can think of a hell of a lot better things to try than that."

"Name one," Rose retorted angrily.

"Learning to drive a motorbike or a car or trying swimming or looking into a career or actually handling money which I wouldn't doubt your parents ever let you do."

"They'd never let me drive a motorbike," Rose replied scornfully.

"I'm going to look at one this afternoon. Lord Grantham threw a fit when he found out I wanted to buy one. He thinks it isn't appropriate for someone in my position. It's cheaper to run than a car and perfect for getting about from farm to farm but he doesn't see it. If I buy it, I'll teach you to drive it and take you out on it. No one needs to know except us."

"Why would you do that for me?"

"Because I would," Tom scowled. "Do you want to go out on Saturday?"

"You're hiding something," Rose said narrowing her eyes at him speculatively.

"Do you want to go or not?" Tom said flushing slightly.

"Yes. What dances do you know?"

"Foxtrot, polka, two step, waltz and a bunch of Irish country dances. I don't know any of the newer ones. I haven't been dancing since before my late wife got pregnant," Tom replied shuffling his feet slightly and playing with the reins he was holding.

"I'll teach you the tango and the Charleston this afternoon," Rose said. "There was more to my relationship with Terrance than just trying something new." She informed him.

"I just think you should be more selective about the men you kiss or get involved with," Tom admitted. "No decent man kisses every girl he comes across or goes around bragging about it."

"Lot's do."

"Many don't."

"He lied to me, you know. He said he was getting a divorce," Rose said looking down and blushing. She didn't know why she was telling Tom Branson of all people something she had never admitted to anyone else.

"Just be more careful." Tom moved to boost Rose back onto her mount.

"I'll consider it," Rose said. "Are you coming to my debut?"

"No. I wouldn't go to one of those ridiculous things if my very life depended on it," Tom replied after he had mounted.

"I wanted a jazz party but the family is insisting on a formal ball," Rose said rolling her eyes.

"They're not coming back until tomorrow," Tom said with a grin. "Neither is Mary. Do you want to try driving the town car this evening? It's light out late these days."

"Tom, are you a bit of a bad boy?" Rose asked him with a small smile.

"A little more than a bit," he replied with a laugh before he kicked his horse into a canter.

For the rest of the morning and through lunch Rose thought over what Tom had said. He was right. Some of the things he had said stung because they were the truth. She had been so busy pushing back against her mother's over bearing attitude and looking for a good time she hadn't really stopped to think about what she was doing to herself. Learning to drive a car would be fun and a motorcycle even more so. Her parents and the Crawley's would have a fit if they ever found out about the motorcycle, but it sounded like fun and it definitely was something new. If she really thought about it there were many things she would like to try but had been told no so many times she had given up.

Whatever was eating Tom was a mystery. The man was definitely hiding something. He seemed almost desperate to go out dancing and find small ways to help her usurp the authority around the estate. In his own way he was staging his own rebellion but in a way that was harmless. The only thing in danger was his relationship with her Cousin Robert and it was already tenuous at best.

Chapter Three - Lessons and Photographs

"Is this modern and daring enough for you?" Tom asked Rose the next morning when they headed down to the garage to go for a ride on his new motorbike that he had purchased the afternoon before. He had bought one with a passenger seat on purpose incase he had to give one of the farm hands a lift here or there when he was out on his rounds. He was considering a sidecar the following year so he would have a way to take his daughter with him as well.

"Definitely modern and something that wouldn't be approved of," Rose replied.

"Something like me," Tom said with a grin. "I've wanted one of these for years. Never could afford it before. The fact that Lord Grantham doesn't approve makes it ever so much more appealing."

They both laughed as Tom got on and started the motorbike up. He pointed out to Rose where to put her feet and instructed her to hold onto him tight around his middle. He was glad she'd had sense enough to wear her trousers and riding boots for their excursion. He spotted one of the grooms gawking at them as they roared past. Thank God the chauffeur wasn't around. He was as old fashioned as Mr. Carson and would have tried to stop them before they even made it out of the yard. Tom did a circle around the grounds at a slower speed so Rose could get the feel of it before they went out on the rougher roads at a higher speed.

"What do you think?" he yelled back over his shoulder after they had circled the grounds.

"It's fun," Rose yelled.

"Hold on tight. I'm going to open her up," Tom yelled back. He felt Rose tighten her grip on him before he opened up the throttle and pushed the bike up into the next gear. The rapid acceleration was faster than a car. The fences and fields were flying past at a terrific clip with the wind blowing in their hair and the wind stinging their eyes slightly.

Rose yelled something that Tom couldn't hear. He slowed the bike to what seemed like almost a crawl even thought they were still going twenty miles an hour.

"What?" he yelled.

"I love it," Rose yelled back.

Tom nodded and smiled before he gunned the engine again and sent them even further afield on the estate. After over an hour of zipping around curves and trying out the feel of different maneuvers, Tom stopped at the crest of a hill for a break.

"When are you going to teach me to drive the motorbike?" Rose asked before she had even gotten off.

"You need to learn to drive a car first. Once you're sorted out on that, I'll teach you to drive the motorbike. It might not be until next summer. There are a few extra things you need to learn on the motorbike to make it safer."

"Like what?" Rose asked.

"Like not leaning into the other side of the road when you go around a turn and things to avoid," Tom replied. "You obviously are enjoying yourself. Is the motorbike more exciting than a smoking party." He rolled his eyes slightly.

"I hate to admit it, but you were right," Rose replied with a sheepish smile. "This is much more fun and I adored driving the car last night."

"We'll head back and get in another dance lesson before the family returns and spoils our fun shall we?" Tom asked with a crooked grin.

"Definitely," Rose replied with a smile.

On the drive back to the Abbey Rose relaxed into the drive a bit. This was definitely fun and exciting. She shifted slightly to look over Tom's shoulder when the thought suddenly occurred to her that he was definitely not flabby and soft the way Terrance had been. Tom had a natural grace, a developed body and was good looking enough to turn heads wherever he went. Combined with the wild streak he kept well hidden she found him appealing in a way until a few days ago she would have never thought possible.

-0-

"Cousin Robert, I was wondering if I might have a few driving lessons," Rose asked over dinner the first night the Crawley family were home. She didn't add that Tom had already given her a first lesson the previous evening and she had enjoyed it tremendously.

"I don't think that is such a good idea," Robert replied. "You know how Matthew met his end."

Mary got a pinched look on her face and Cora pressed her lips together.

"I would give Rose lessons myself," Tom said. "There is considerable difference between teaching yourself and learning under the supervision of someone who has worked as a professional driver. I can assure you, I would teach Rose all the pitfalls to avoid." He didn't add that he had volunteered on more than one occasion to give Matthew a few lessons and been turned down. The truth was Matthew hadn't been a very good driver and was driving much too fast and from the skid marks had been on the wrong side of the road when his fatal accident had occurred.

"What did you two get up to while we were gone?" Robert inquired narrowing his eyes at Tom.

"What makes you immediately think we would be up to something?" Tom inquired innocently.

"You certainly are getting along much better than before we left," Cora commented.

"Forced proximity. It was either learn to get along or fight constantly," Rose replied. "I really would like to learn, Cousin Robert."

"Rose is not making an unrealistic request, Robert," Cora pointed out. _"Thank goodness,"_ she added silently.

"Do you have time for this?" Robert asked Tom.

"It's light out late into the evening. There is more than enough time to give Rose some lessons," Tom replied.

"Very well, just stay out of trouble," Robert replied.

"Thank you, Cousin Robert," Rose said. She gave Tom a small smile before she went back to her meal.

The next morning Cora caught Tom before he was headed out the door.

"Tom I wanted to speak to you for a moment if you have time," Cora said.

"Of course, Lady Grantham," he replied.

"How was Rose while we were gone, really?" she inquired.

"She didn't get up to anything I would consider particularly harmful," Tom replied. "She went out on estate business with me and I kept her occupied spending time with the children and thinking about learning to drive."

"No smoking or anything scandalous?" Cora asked.

"No smoking that I noticed," Tom replied. He didn't add that he had broken out into a slight sweat and his eyes had almost bugged out of his head when Rose had decided to teach him some of the more complicated moves in the Tango. He had a bit of a shock when he had held her in the dance position and realized she wasn't wearing a corset. When she had explained the dip and wound a leg around him for a turn he had almost dropped her in shock the first time. He considered dancing as a harmless enough pass time, but he would lay money that dance would raise more than a few eyebrows in this house.

"Thank goodness for small miracles," Cora said. "Maybe she is starting to grow up a bit."

"Perhaps, Lady Grantham," Tom said. "Now I really have to get to my first appointment of the day."

"Of course, Tom," Cora said.

Tom headed down to the garage and took his new motorbike out along the back road to the house so as not to attract too much attention. He got a wicked grin on his face as he roared out the back gates. _"Nothing scandalous if you didn't count the two of them zipping around the back roads of the estate on his new motorcycle that very morning,"_ he thought.

-0-

By Saturday evening Tom was fit to be tied and couldn't wait to be out the door with Rose for their dinner and dancing outing. Lord Anthony had decided to come for the weekend at the last moment and Cora was throwing a dinner party for him. Luckily she had agreed to Rose and Tom going out dancing earlier in the week, Tom thought. They had been practicing the new dances Rose had taught him at odd times when no one was about in the drawing room. Rose must have sensed his discomfort and done some wheedling to get Cora to allow her to go instead of fulfilling the family obligations.

The man Mary was seeing was a Larry Grey and Sir Richard Carlisle rolled into one in Tom's opinion. He couldn't stand the man. From the second Lord Anthony Gillingham showed up Robert Crawley seemed to hang on his every word. Of course the man had an opinion on everything from Irish politics to the eviction of tenants who hadn't paid their rent. Rose had tried to point out eviction of tenants wasn't a black and white issue and been thoroughly shut out of the conversation. She had given Tom a slight eye roll and then made the quick excuse of asking Tom if she could have a quick driving lesson as a way to extricate the pair of them from having to sit through tea with the man.

"He's dreadful," Rose complained as they walked to the garage. "What does Mary see in him?"

"What did you see in those boys you were caught kissing?" Tom inquired. "It really isn't any of our business."

"They were an experiment," Rose stated bluntly. "I suppose you're right. It is her business. You do have to admit you don't like him either."

"How long is he staying?" Tom asked ruefully.

"Ten days. Until we leave for the London season."

"Daily driving lessons then," Tom said with a smirk. "Would you care to accompany me on a few runs around the estate over the next week?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Rose replied with a sigh of relief.

-0-

"Now that we're here, what's the real reason you asked me to go out dancing?" Rose asked Tom once they had ordered their meal at the nightclub they had gone to in York. They had come in the chauffeur driven Renault so there wouldn't be any issues with driving after a night of dancing and drinks.

"Can't you just accept, I've asked you out for a nice evening and leave it at that," Tom said in exasperation.

"No. You're hiding something. I've noticed it repeatedly all week," Rose said looking at him directly.

"Alright the real reason," Tom said fiddling with his napkin where it was on the table, "was because I was very touched when you gave those hungry children our lunch and I wanted to do something nice for you in return."

"That's nice of you to say," Rose replied. "What's the other reason?"

"Who says there is another reason?" Tom replied evasively.

"Let's see volunteering to teach me to drive a car and a motorcycle, learning new dances, inviting me to go out on your work runs with you around the estate. There is something you're not saying. You don't even like me that much."

"I like you, most of the time," Tom replied looking away.

"Tom Branson, this time it's me who should be threatening to put you over my knee," Rose said irritably.

"I'm lonely and I like to go out dancing," Tom replied at last.

"How can you possibly be? You're surrounded by people all day?"

"Have you noticed one person who came to the door of the Abbey to visit me personally? How about anyone who made a point to seek me out when they see me out during the day? Has anyone stopped just to say hello? The truth is I'm unhappy at the Abbey. I don't fit in anywhere anymore and I'm sick of having no voice in that house and having absolutely no one to talk to other than a two year old and a one year old."

"So why are you staying?"

"For my daughter. Everything is for her now."

"You can't stay somewhere you're unhappy just for your daughter. She'll get older and she'll know."

"I'll stay until she's at least in school," Tom replied. "By then I'll have enough put aside we won't have to worry. Maybe I'll finally be able to rebuild some kind of life for myself then."

"You don't consider your life at the estate as a life for yourself?"

"No, not really. I'm a confessed rebel, Rose. Not someone anyone of your rank takes seriously. I don't take myself seriously anymore. Why would anyone else?"

"You're a mess."

"Don't remind me. Let's take a turn around the floor while we're waiting for our meal."

"Thank you for finally being honest," Rose said.

"I'm sorry for being such a damper on the evening," Tom replied.

"Forget the Abbey for a few hours," Rose said as she moved into his arms for their first Foxtrot of the evening. "I certainly intend to."

"I think, I'll take your advice," Tom replied.

They were well into their third drink of the evening when the tango was played. Tom had lost just enough of his inhibitions to dance the number with Rose. He didn't realize until the music stopped and they received applause that the crowd had stood back and watched them. He was slightly embarrassed as they made their way back to their table and ordered another drink.

"That was more fun than I thought it would be when we were practicing," he said.

"It is fun," Rose replied. She quickly tossed back her drink when it arrived and drug him back onto the dance floor. The dances were getting wilder with the women gyrating against the men. Tom wasn't prepared when Rose leapt into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist then twisted her torso around this way and that in time with the music. He was feeling no pain and threw back his head and laughed while he held onto her. Tonight he wasn't worrying about what anyone would think or what kind of reputation he would have. They were having fun and that was all that mattered. The pair of them stumbled out to the car at one o'clock for the hour and a half drive home.

"Rose, what are you doing returning home at this late hour," Rose imitated Robert on the drive back. "Are you corrupting our chauffeur turned Estate Agent?"

"Did Rose behave herself?" Tom said in an imitation of the Dowager. "I certainly hope she acted in a manner suitable to her rank. It would never do to be dancing with a man while not wearing a corset."

Rose doubled over laughing half because it was true and the other half because she was feeling no pain after five cocktails.

"You rode on the back of a motorcycle with a man? What would Aunt Agatha say? What will everyone at the embassy say? How could you do such a thing?" Rose said imitating her mother.

"You had a good time, then?" Tom asked when he had finally stopped laughing.

"I did," Rose replied. "We have to keep practicing the tango. We were good." She poked Tom in the chest with her finger.

"One day we'll do it at one of those boring parties and sit back and watch the roof fly off the house," Tom said with a smirk.

"I know just the day," Rose said suddenly sitting up straight before she collapsed back against the seat.

"Not too bad for a grubby little chauffeur?" Tom asked her.

"Not bad at all," Rose replied curling up beside Tom to sleep the rest of the way back to the Abbey.

-0-

"Good God," Robert bellowed the next morning when he spotted an article and photograph front and center of the society page of the York Herald. "Unknown Couple Create Dance Sensation at Local Nightclub," the headline read. There underneath the headline was a picture of Tom with Rose bent over his bended knee in a suggestive pose.

"Would you care to explain this?" Robert demanded thrusting the paper at Tom.

Tom took the paper and opened his bloodshot eyes wider so he could see the article.

"I guess we were more popular than I thought at the time," he replied setting the paper down calmly.

Rose looked at the picture questioningly. "It's just a dance, Cousin Robert," she said.

"It's indecent," Robert blustered.

Mary and Lord Anthony were across the table from Tom.

"I say good show, old boy," Lord Anthony said getting a wide grin at the sight of the photograph.

"Tom, how could you?" Mary said slightly shocked.

"Honestly. It was just a dance. We're both fully clothed," Tom said calmly. "It's not like we were snogging in public or anything."

"I trusted you to take care of Rose and now this!" Robert stated still angry.

"Look," Tom replied starting to get mad. "We went out, ate dinner, danced and that's it. There wasn't anything inappropriate involved, no smoking, kissing or nudity and definitely no hanky-panky. If you're not happy with that, I give up." Tom stood up and threw his napkin on the table.

"Where are you going?" Robert demanded. "I'm not finished with you."

"Well, I'm finished with you," Tom snapped back. "I'm taking my daughter to my brother's for a few days. I'll be back on Wednesday since I have an eviction to see to on Thursday. Have a good few days without me in your hair." He walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Robert demanded of Rose.

"I think Tom about said it," Rose replied getting up to follow. "I'll just go say goodbye to Sybie before they leave."

"What do you make of all this, Carson?" Robert asked holding the newspaper out to the butler.

Carson's eyebrows shot up when he saw the picture in the paper.

"I'm speechless, Lord Grantham," Mr. Carson replied.

"Just wait until my mother finds out," Robert grumbled. "Bloody Branson."

"Papa, it is a bit shocking at first but it is modern in the extreme and harmless enough," Mary said.

"Now even you're on Branson's side?" Robert inquired.

"I don't think there is a side, Papa," Mary replied. "You asked Tom to keep Rose out of trouble. He's been doing that. From what Mama says you haven't had one bit of trouble this last while."

"Fine, I'll go and talk to him calmly before he goes to see that brother of his," Robert replied with a grimace.

Robert found Tom in the great hall making arrangements with Mrs. Hughes to take along one of the younger maids on the trip to act as a temporary nanny for Sybie.

"Tom, I'm glad I've caught you," Robert said.

"Lord Grantham, I haven't taken any time off since I started. I'll only be gone three nights," Tom said. "I'll be back in plenty of time to handle the estate affairs on Thursday and for the cricket match on Saturday.

"Yes, well, you're not a prisoner here," Robert replied. "I just wanted to say, that I do appreciate the time you've been spending with Rose and how you've been keeping her out of trouble."

"I do sincerely think there are worse things she could get into than a new dance the older generation probably won't approve of," Tom replied.

"You knew I wouldn't approve and you went ahead anyway?"

"For God's sake it's just a dance," Tom replied. His hangover was starting to clear slightly but he still had a slight headache.

"Perhaps you could demonstrate this dance?" Robert inquired.

"Fine, whatever. I'm not leaving until the three o'clock train. We can demonstrate after luncheon."

"Yes, well, until then," Robert huffed.

Chapter Four – On Display

Word had spread like wildfire through the servants about the newspaper article and the expected dance demonstration after lunch to the point where Mr. Carson had thrown up his hands in surrender and given permission for the staff to go up stairs to watch as long as they stood well back and out of sight. Tom had withstood a barrage of questions from Cora as to the reason for his sudden decision to go for a visit to his brother's.

"Lady Cora, once you all leave for London next week, I will have to stay here and keep an eye on things," Tom said in an attempt to cover his real reasons for going. His own grief had slowly lessened over the last two years and he was feeling the restraints of living in the Abbey and the life he was now leading to the point where he wanted to scream. Going out with Rose the night before had given him a taste of the freedom he had given up. When Lord Grantham had blown up at him this morning at breakfast he'd had enough. What he really wanted to do was hand in his resignation, take his daughter and never look back, but what he was doing was taking a short break in hopes it would improve his disposition. "It is only for three nights."

"In other words you'd like a short break from the family?" she inquired gently.

"Yes," Tom said with a sigh. "I don't take much time off and my brother is my own family."

"I can understand that," Cora replied a bit wistfully. There had been many times over the years when she missed her own family in America and would have liked to go for a visit even for just a few days. "What is this article that was in the paper all about? Did you know you had been photographed?"

"No, we didn't know. There were photographers taking pictures of people at their tables for a fee. I guess one of them snapped a picture for the paper. The dance is a bit over the top but I thought it was harmless compared to what Rose could be getting into."

"I can't argue with that," Cora replied. "Mama will have something to say about it I'm sure. Rose is rather a handful I must admit, but things could be worse."

"Much worse," Tom agreed.

"So tell me about this dance demonstration you're going to do," Cora said. "I've already heard about it from my ladies maid and one of the footmen."

-0-

"Are you all packed for the trip, Ivy?" Mrs. Hughes asked during the servants' lunch.

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes," Ivy replied.

"Mr. Branson says there is a spare bedroom at his brother's that you will have. If it isn't suitable he will find you a small hotel to stay at. You won't have Miss Sybil all the time, just when Mr. Branson goes out with his brother or if they are at the other Mr. Branson's place of work. There may be some tidying up to do and a bit of cooking as well. I've put out a stack of fresh linens in a case as well, just incase you need them. You never know when you're visiting a bachelor."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. I'm sure I'll be fine," Ivy replied.

"I wish I was as sure," Mrs. Hughes said as she went back to her meal.

Ivy was so distracted by the prospect of watching the tango demonstration and the trip to Liverpool she could feel her heart beating in her chest in anticipation. Jimmy and Alfred had shown her the picture of Mr. Branson and Lady Rose in the newspaper. It all looked very daring and modern to her and just ever so on the brink of scandalous. When she'd gotten the news she was going along on the trip Mrs. Hughes had given her the rest of the morning to get packed and take a bath. Now at lunch, she was scrubbed and polished and wearing her best dress in anticipation of the trip this afternoon.

"They are almost ready to begin," Mr. Carson grumbled as he entered the room. "Lord Grantham has said those of you who wish to watch this _display_ may do so. Just stay well back and out of the way."

Most of the room was on their feet and up the stairs like a shot.

"You don't look like you approve," Mrs. Hughes commented to him.

"Whether I approve or not of these modern goings on is a moot point," Mr. Carson replied. "Those two will make this house the talk of the area yet again."

"Cheer up. You never know it might be fun to watch," Mrs. Hughes said with a small grin as she headed for the stairs and her own vantage point.

-0-

"Must we have an audience?" Tom grumbled when he saw the crowd assembled in the great hall to watch his and Rose's demonstration of the tango.

"You've said it's harmless enough," Robert replied.

Sir Anthony was standing beside Robert grinning like a fool. He had seen the tango in London more than once. Depending on how well rehearsed they were, he knew it could be quite a show. His girlfriend's family was going to be in for quite a shock. Even old Lady Grantham had arrived to see the show when she found out Rose and Tom had made the papers.

Tom glanced over to see Rose coming down the stairs in one of her club dresses that was relatively short with her hair covered with a beaded cap. There was no way she could perform the dance in a long restrictive skirt. When they had practiced on their own she had always worn trousers in order to move more freely.

"All set?" Rose asked as she arrived at his side.

"Just about. We've certainly made a splash and we haven't even done anything yet," Tom said as he removed his jacket and laid it over the back of a chair. He took off his tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves.

"It's new. They're just curious," Rose replied. She smiled at the people standing around the room. "We are going to perform the tango. It is a more advanced version than what you might have come across previously. Mr. Branson has been practicing for just over a week and has learned most of the moves quite well. He is a very good dancer as I'm sure most of you know."

Tom blushed a bit at Rose's praise. He was sure most of them had no idea he knew how to dance or that he was any good at it as he was the last person most of the women wanted to dance with at the Servants' Ball. He took Rose's hand and lead her out into the middle of the room. "You may all want to stand back a bit and I don't know all the moves yet," he said to the people standing around the room. Once Rose was positioned behind him and they were ready to begin he nodded to Thomas Barrow to start the record on Victrola. As the music began Rose reached around his chest and ran her hand slowly down his bicep. As they moved through the movements of the dance Tom forgot about their audience. He drew Rose close and concentrated on the music and the more intricate movements. He did register a collective gasp when he maneuvered Rose so that her back was to him with her arms raised. He ran his hands down her arms and then spun her out and back. Through the lifts, turns, drags and foot work patterns that made up the sensual version of the tango he kept his gaze firmly riveted on her until the last bar of the music when he bent Rose backwards over one knee and they finished with a flourish.

"We still need to practice the drag more. You're rushing it," Rose commented before Tom helped her up. They stood up to look around to a room full of open mouths. Thomas Barrow was so shocked he hadn't taken the needle of the record and it was making a loud ticking sound as the record still spun.

"Mr. Barrow, the recording," Tom reminded him. There was a round of applause once everyone recovered slightly from the shock.

"That must have taken..," Cora stated then paused and cleared her throat, "a great deal of practice." She was trying her best to hide her astonishment. The way the two of them had swayed their hips and danced with their mouths only an inch or so apart was nothing like she had ever witnessed before.

"It does. We usually practice daily, Cousin Cora, for at least half an hour," Rose replied happily.

"You call that harmless?" Robert demanded with a growl. "You were holding her thigh when her skirt rode up.

Tom was rolling down his sleeves and replacing his tie.

"I do think it's harmless and it is part of the dance. Rose usually wears trousers when we practice. The tango is modern, entertaining, rather fun to dance and nothing that could bring dire consequences down upon anyone's heads," Tom replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to collect my daughter and her temporary nanny and head to the train station."

The room erupted into a din of voices once Tom reached the top of the stairs and disappeared.

"Robert, you can't mean to allow them to continue making a lewd display of themselves," the Dowager Countess demanded tapping her cane. Rose had already disappeared upstairs to get changed. "That was beyond scandalous. They were practically performing an obscene act in the middle of the great hall."

"Granny, Tom does have a point. There was nothing in what they were doing that could have dire consequences," Mary said.

"She'll ruin her reputation," Violet warned.

"I hardly think a dance will ruin Rose's reputation, Mama," Cora said.

"Where would he get the idea I would agree to something like that?" Robert fumed.

"We did ask Tom to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble," Cora reminded him. "He's been so quiet and withdrawn since he's been a widower I think we all forget he can be just as modern and wild as Rose when he puts his mind to it, just in a different way."

"The two of them are quite good together," Sir Anthony commented. "I've seen professionals in London that don't display the skill the pair of them do." Mary elbowed him in the ribs.

"You've seen this before?" Robert inquired.

"Oh yes. It's all the rage. They had a contest at the last party I attended at Sandringham House with the Prince of Wales. Those two could have won hands down."

"Well, there you go Robert. Even the royals are taking part in this," Cora said.

"I see I don't have a leg to stand on," Robert said somewhat deflated.

"Tom did point out that there was nothing immoral involved, Papa," Mary said. "Really there wasn't once you get over the initial shock."

"Humpf," was all Robert replied before he took his dog out for her afternoon walk.

-0-

"Who would've thought he had that in him?" Jimmy said to Alfred once they were back down stairs. "That was fancier than any dance I've ever seen and more provocative."

"Where would we go to dance like that?" Alfred said. "Although I wish I could dance half as well. He could get any girl he wanted with those moves."

"Hey, have you ever seen Mr. Branson dance before?" Jimmy asked Daisy as she came into the hall.

"I don't think so," Daisy said wrinkling her brow. "I don't remember him ever dancing at the Servants' Ball. Most of the maids wouldn't dance with him anyways."

"Why not?" Alfred queried.

"Because he's Irish and a rebel," Daisy hissed in a whisper.

"What's that got to do with it?" Jimmy asked puzzled. "He's a better dancer than the lot of us put together."

"You don't understand anything," Daisy retorted.

"Mr. Carson has gone to lie down," Mrs. Hughes stated as she came into the servants' hall. "Alfred, go up and see to the bags for Mr. Branson and Ivy."

"What's wrong with Mr. Carson?" Jimmy asked.

"Lady Rose and Mr. Branson's display almost gave him a heart seizure," Mrs. Hughes said with a slight smirk. "I thought it was nice to see something young and modern around here for a change."

"It was certainly interesting," Jimmy commented.

"Don't you have some work to attend to?" Mrs. Hughes asked to hurry Jimmy and Daisy back to their chores.

Daisy nodded and headed off to the kitchen.

"_If that was an incomplete dance with moves Mr. Branson hadn't learned yet I wonder what what the other moves are,"_ Jimmy thought with a grin as he headed up to the butler's pantry to layout the silver for the evening meal.

-0-

"Kieran, couldn't you have tidied up a bit before we got here?" Tom said when he walked in and saw Kieran's flat.

"I did and since I only got your cable two hours ago, you're lucky I cleaned up this much," Kieran retorted. He walked over and dumped the two bags he was carrying on the sofa with a poof of dust billowing into the air.

Ivy peeked around Mr. Branson's shoulder and cringed. There was dust a half-inch think on every surface and at least three stacks of newspapers that had been tossed on the floor and left.

"Let's see where you have for Ivy to rest. If it's a mess I'll have to find her a hotel," Tom said.

"Over there," Kieran said waving a hand at a door. "Mam had it set up when she came to visit for a few. I haven't been in there since."

Tom opened the door and clicked on the light to reveal a neat and tidy room that only need a quick dusting and sweep of the floor.

"Right, Ivy you'll be in here," Tom said as he came back into the main sitting room. "You might want to open the windows and air it out a bit."

"Yes, Mr. Branson," Ivy said. She took her bag and went in to check her room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it. It was a much nicer room than her one at the Abbey and definitely set up with a woman in mind. Mr. Branson's brother had Sybie out of her stroller and was busy bouncing her on his hip.

"So what brings you for this sudden visit?" Kieran asked. Tom had gone to the sink to fill a kettle for some tea and for some badly needed dish washing water.

"Feeling like I wanted to cut and run," Tom said. "I needed to get out of there for a bit."

"I don't know how you stand it," Kieran replied.

"Most of the time they leave me alone, then something happens as usual when I can't do anything right."

Tom went and collected all of the newspapers while he was waiting for the kettle to boil and put them in the box by the hearth. He picked up the rest of the dirty glasses from around the apartment and took them back to the sink.

"What was it this time?" Kieran asked.

"Stupid really," Tom replied, he was digging around in the cupboard for some soap flakes. When he finally found some he got a bit of hot water, washed out the sink then added the warm water and refilled the kettle to make the tea. "I went out dancing with Rose."

"So, what's the harm in that? Isn't she the trouble maker they have staying there?"

"That's the one. She's a tad on the wild side."

"That makes two of you," Kieran said.

"You're a fine one to talk," Tom said grinning at him. "There was a photographer at the nightclub. Our picture wound up in the paper and I got it in the neck. They make me so angry at times. They asked me to control her a bit. I tried my best. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it, then they have a fit over nothing." Tom had the first bunch of dishes washed and moved to wipe the top of the range. "You got anything to eat in this place or do we have to go out?"

"I was going to go for fish and chips and a pint," Kieran replied.

"I can't feed Sybie fish and chips and I am not taking my daughter to a pub."

"You're the one who knows how to cook. You figure something out," Kieran said.

Tom looked in the icebox and cupboards.

"You've got enough for potato soup. I'll make it when I have the washing up done," he said.

"Mustn't have been nothing if they had a fit," Kieran said. Ivy had come back into the main room.

"Ivy could you cut up these onions and peel that bunch of potatoes?" Tom asked.

Ivy just nodded and moved to do what Tom had asked. The kettle started whistling again. Tom made tea in the pot he had just washed and set out three now clean mugs.

"You haven't answered me," Kieran reminded his brother.

"I learned this new dance. It's well, rather on the risqué side if you must know," Tom said.

Ivy had to choke back a giggle.

"Don't you repeat a word of what you hear when you get back to the big house. You got that?" Tom said sternly addressing Ivy.

"Yes Mr. Branson."

"I've been practicing some new dances with Rose, teaching her to drive and taking her out on my motorbike. It keeps the girl busy and out of trouble but of course they don't think so."

"Must be some dance," Kieran said.

"It is," Tom replied with a groan.

"It was a tango," Ivy said excitedly then bit lips together.

"Sounds interesting," Kieran commented with a grin.

Tom took out a pot out of the cupboard, regarded the inside, then washed it before he set it on the stove. "Don't you ever wash anything?"

"Clothes, towels, sheets and cars. The rest of it takes care of itself," Kieran replied.

Tom only rolled his eyes in response.

"Why the hell are you staying there? You don't like it. You've said so often enough in your letters," Kieran questioned.

"I like the farming but not living at the house," Tom replied.

"Move out."

"I think I just might. Will you come and visit if I do?"

"You know I won't visit you at that castle with all those stuffed shirts," Kieran replied.

"It's a house not a castle," Tom said. "Cup of tea and then I'll make dinner." He got a glass of milk out of the icebox for Sybie after he had checked to make sure the milk was still good. "Three days of cleaning up after you will make me appreciate that house full of stuffed shirts," Tom said with a slight chuckle.

"I'm not that bad. Am I Miss Ivy?" Kieran asked with a wink.

Ivy's only reply was a giggle.


	3. Part III

Acts of Defiance – Part III – Chapters 5 through 8

_I have to admit, I have been very hesitant to publish this story after the hate mail I received from the last one. I finally decided to put it out there for those of you who are my regular readers and those who just like a fun read once in a while. It is after all just a work of fiction inspired by another work of fiction. This story has quite a bit of sex in it for me, but still has a core story about Tom's rebellious nature and him balking at the restraints he now finds himself under. I just felt like writing a story that had more sex as one of my many experiments in creative writing. I don't care for language that is suited to porn magazines, so I try to stick to an erotic description rather than a graphic one. Whatever happens in S4 Tom Branson is a big part of the show and we get to watch AL look as handsome as ever. _

Chapter Five – Brothers

By the second day of the visit to Liverpool Ivy hadn't known what to make of the two brothers. Away from the Abbey Mr. Branson was a completely different person. Here he was relaxed, telling jokes and thinking up all sorts of practical jokes to play on his brother. One brother was as fastidious as the other was messy. For all Mr. Branson scolded his brother about the mess, his brother Kieran would laugh and make fun of him for being a mother hen. The two men had a running rivalry of one-up-man-ship of silly jokes they played on each other. Her time her was spent taking Miss Sybil to the park down the street to feed the ducks and play on the swings, tidying up around the flat, doing some much needed cleaning and going to the grocers with the money Mr. Branson had given her to see to the meals. As yet she hadn't had to wash one dish as Mr. Branson did them all and insisted his brother help him. The first night Mr. Branson had scrubbed out the bathroom and then changed the sheets on his brother's bed with the linens Mrs. Hughes had sent along. Ivy had gotten an inkling of the high jinks between the two brothers when she had heard cursing through the wall when Kieran had found out his brother had folded the sheets so there weren't any on his side of the bed.

"God damn it, Tommy. First you take over my bed and then you take all the sheets," Kieran had shouted. The only answer had been a great deal of laughter.

The next morning it was Kieran's turn to have the last laugh when he put a thick layer of lard on the top of his brother's shaving cream. Mr. Branson had come out of the washroom with the shiny goo stuck all over his face and gotten out a pot to boil his shaving brush. Kieran had laughed at him all the way through breakfast until Mr. Branson threw a slice of toast at him.

Ivy was excited for the next two evenings. Tonight there was a concert at a local park and the two Mr. Bransons were taking her and Miss Sybil along. Kieran had told her there was dancing sometimes at the concerts, although they didn't run too late as it was a working night. Tomorrow they were all going to a party at some friends of Kieran's who were also from Ireland. He had told her his friends would think it was odd if they didn't bring the entire household. She would have lots of opportunity to dance and the reels were easy enough to catch onto if she was game to try.

"The place is looking good under your care, Miss Ivy," Kieran commented that evening when the two men had returned from the car garage downstairs. Mr. Branson was busy loading their plates with the pork chops, carrots and boiled potatoes Ivy had started a bit earlier.

"Thank you, Mr. Branson," Ivy replied. He had told her to call him Kieran repeatedly but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Kieran grimaced.

"For Christ's sake stop calling me that," he said.

"Kieran don't swear at my Nanny," Tom scolded.

"My friends will think you're odd if you call us both Mr. Branson. I'm Kieran and he's Tommy at least while you're under my roof," Kieran informed her.

Tom nodded when he plunked the plates of food on the table.

"The longer I'm away from that place the less like a Mr. I feel," Tom commented with a devilish grin.

"You going to take a turn around the park with me?" Kieran asked Ivy.

"Kieran behave yourself," Tom admonished.

"You're no damn fun at all."

"That's not what you would say if you saw him dance with Lady Rose, Mr… Kieran," Ivy said then blushed.

"The infamous dance," Kieran said glancing sideways at his brother with a twinkle in his eye. "You know he was a dancing fool when we were younger. He would rather dance than eat."

"Kieran," Tom said with color coming to his cheeks. "I was not and you were no better."

"Much," Kieran said with a snort.

"Unco Kieran, dance," Sybie said from where she was sitting on her father's lap having food off her his plate shoveled into her mouth.

"You just bet we will," Kieran said tickling his niece's stomach.

Kieran was good to his word and asked Ivy to dance at the concert that evening where there was a group of people dancing on a floor that had been set up near the bandstand. After a few dances Tommy as Kieran had instructed her to call his brother cut in, handing his brother a sleeping Sybie. Ivy was surprised. Kieran had been a good dancer but his brother was even better.

"You aren't have a difficult time here are you, Ivy?" Tom inquired. "My brother and his mess aren't too much for you?"

"I'm having a nice time, Mr. Branson. I mean Tommy. You pretty well cleaned away the mess the first day. I'm just doing a bit extra."

"Kieran's a good man. He just needs someone to keep him straightened up," Tom commented. "Just wait until he goes for his tooth powder tonight. I put corn meal in it." Tom had a silly smirk on his face.

Ivy couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you think you might like to work for me as Sybie's Nanny?" Tom asked her. "Mary is spending more time in London. She'll be taking George with her more and taking the nanny along with her. Besides I'm thinking about moving out of the Abbey."

"Why Mr. Branson!" Ivy stammered. She missed a step in the dance. "I'm sorry. Yes, I'd like to be a Nanny very much."

"Good. I'll speak to Mrs. Hughes when we get back about moving you upstairs full-time," Tom said. The bandmaster announced they would play a tango next. "No time like the present to try it," Tom commented as Ivy tried to pull away to move off the dance floor. "Nothing too fancy. I promise."

Ivy's eyes grew round in fear. She had nothing to worry about as Tom stuck to the basic steps with only a few twirls here and there. As soon as the dance finished his brother was back to claim her for another dance.

"My turn," Kieran declared.

"Kieran you need a wife. Then you'd have someone to dance with."

"And miss all the pretty girls?" Kieran replied with a wink in Ivy's direction.

Tom could only roll his eyes as he took Sybie in his arms and rocked her. His brother was incorrigible.

-0-

Ivy was in for a surprise the next evening when they went to Kieran's friends for what he called a small get together. Everyone at the party was Irish as far as Ivy could tell except her and the place was packed. There were a number of young children and babies in attendance. As soon as they were in the house Sybie was passed off to one person or another and a glass of ale was pressed into her hand. People had brought instruments and the furniture was pushed out of the way for dancing.

"Who might you be?" one of the women asked.

"I'm Miss Sybil's nanny," Ivy replied.

"What?" the woman asked wrinkling her nose.

"I'm the girl Tommy brought along to care for his daughter," Ivy corrected.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" the woman said. "Come and meet the other girls. You look like you could use a bite to eat."

Ivy's eyes were huge when there were a number of toasts to kicking the King in the arse and freedom for Ireland. As soon as the musicians started getting ready to play Kieran was back to drag her onto the floor. Ivy couldn't help but have a good time when a number of young men in the crowd asked her to dance. She spotted Mr. Branson dancing with his daughter in his arms and looking happier than she had ever seen him. Her attention was quickly diverted by a young man who had asked her to dance a number of times inquiring her if she would like to go out with him on the weekend.

"I'm sorry. I'm only here a few days to visit Kieran," Ivy replied.

"Where do you live then?" he asked.

"Downton, Yorkshire. I work at a grand house," Ivy said with a slight flush.

"Then you won't mind if I come down for a visit? It's only a short train ride."

"I.. I," Ivy stammered in shock.

"Johnny what are you saying to the girl?" Tom asked showing up at the younger man's elbow. "She's my employee."

"I fancy her. She says she's leaving tomorrow. I was thinking I'd come down and see her sometime. How about it, Ivy?"

"Only if she wants you to and you stay at the pub," Tom informed him before he drifted back off into the crowd.

"We could write," Ivy said blushing profusely. She was sick of Jimmy's wishy-washy attentions. She didn't really fancy Alfred that much. Here was a young man who was every bit as nice looking as Jimmy or Mr. Branson who actually wanted to see her. Letters couldn't hurt, she thought.

"Sounds fine to me. Come and meet my Mam," Johnny said before she could change her mind.

-0-

"Remember not a word to anyone at the Abbey as to what I discussed with my brother," Tom warned Ivy sternly when they got on the train to head back.

"No, Mr. Branson. I won't say anything," Ivy said. The man who sat across from her on the train holding his daughter on his knee was nothing like the man she had come to expect over the last three days. Mr. Branson's joking demeanor was completely gone. He was back to the usual quiet withdrawn man she had seen from time to time at the Abbey. The only time he smiled now was when he talked to his daughter. Sybie was occupied at the moment, so Ivy turned her attention to the scenery passing by outside the window and let her thoughts drift back to Johnny. He had gotten an hour off work and showed up to see her off on the train this afternoon. _"A letter or two couldn't hurt at all,"_ Ivy thought with a smile.

-0-

"How was the trip?" Mrs. Hughes asked Ivy. "Did you have a suitable room?"

"The trip was very nice Mrs. Hughes. I had Mr. Branson's mother's room to myself. Mr. Branson made a bed for Miss Sybil on the sofa," Ivy replied.

"Mr. Branson has spoken to me about you moving upstairs full-time. Lady Mary is thinking of taking Master George to London with her on Monday. That would leave Miss Sybil without a Nanny. Do you think you would like the position?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes, I would very much," Ivy replied with a flush of excitement. They were in Mrs. Hughes sitting room with the door closed. Mrs. Hughes wanted to ask Ivy in private if the men had minded their manners.

"So everything in Liverpool went well. There wasn't any funny business?"

"Nothing untoward, Mrs. Hughes. I took Miss Sybil to the park and to the grocers. Mr. Branson and the little girl's uncle took care of her when they weren't at the garage. I only had a half-day of heavier housework to do and Mr. Branson took Miss Sybil with him for the morning so I wouldn't have to watch her at the same time."

"You're looking excited about something," Mrs. Hughes said as way of inquiry.

"I met someone, the son of a friend of Mr. Branson's brother. We've agreed to write."

"And might I ask what this young man does for a living?" Mrs. Hughes said. One could never be too careful lines weren't being crossed and Ivy's mother wouldn't like her daughter being the object of inappropriate attention.

"He's a welder at the shipyards in Liverpool," Ivy said. "He's my own age."

"So a working lad then. Was he respectful?"

"Yes, Mr. Branson told him to mind his manners and Johnny introduced me to his mother," Ivy said with a slight blush.

"Very well, then," Mrs. Hughes said with relief. Things seemed to be respectful enough. "I'll discuss you moving upstairs with Lady Grantham and let you know before bedtime where you will be working in the morning. I'm relieved to know everything went well."

-0-

"Well, how was it?" Daisy asked that night when the girls where in their room.

"It was ever so nice being Miss Sybil's Nanny," Ivy said. "I had hardly any work since the other Mr. Branson lives in a two bedroom flat. I had his mother's room when she comes to visit. There was a bathtub in the washroom. I heated the water and took a bath both afternoons while Miss Sybil was down for her nap."

"No," Daisy replied wide-eyed. "Weren't you afraid you'd get caught."

"They didn't care," Ivy said. "They went to a concert in the park and took me along so I could take Miss Sybil to the potty and we danced. They took me with them to a party at the other Mr. Branson's friends' home, too. I met a boy. We're going to write."

"Does Mrs. Hughes know?"

"She asked me about it, but she didn't mind. Mr. Kieran Branson is nothing like the upstairs. Remember when he was here for the christening? I wasn't allowed to call either of them Mr. Branson when I was at his friends'. The people there didn't even understand what a nanny was. I had to say I was a hired girl to take care of the little girl and do housework."

"So what's the new boy like and what about Jimmy?"

"What about Jimmy. I'm not waiting for him to make up his mind anymore," Ivy said with a sniff. "I met someone every bit as nice looking as him who wants to see me again. I even met his mother."

"That was quick," Daisy said.

"Johnny is nice and polite and Jimmy can go jump off a bridge," Ivy said with finality.

"I think you're getting modern ideas from Mr. Branson and Lady Rose," Daisy said.

"Maybe modern ideas are just what I need," Ivy said before she pulled up the covers and forced herself to go to sleep.

Chapter Six – Getting Back to It

Tom groaned a bit at the prospect of breakfast the next morning in the company of Sir Anthony Gillingham. He had felt relaxed and ready to get back to things until they had sat down to dinner. Sir Anthony's steady tirade of blabbering endlessly about nothing had made Tom wish he could have spent the week in Liverpool, but he really did have work to get back to. The Crawleys had invited company over and the table was full but it did little to take the edge of the yammering. Even Rose who was usually bright and talkative when there was a crowd over had seemed worn out from it.

"What have you got planned for today, Tom?" Rose asked over breakfast.

"Catching up on the correspondence this morning. After luncheon I plan to go and check on the farm that was served with an eviction notice. The deadline for the man to be out was midnight last night. I'm hoping he's packed and left and I don't have to summon the constable," Tom replied. "I have a few other things to check on as well. I don't expect to be back until dinner. I might eat out if things run late."

"Would you mind if I came along?" Rose asked. "I'd like to practice driving for a bit this afternoon if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all," Tom said with a small smile.

"I thought you didn't believe in evictions," Sir Anthony piped up.

"As a general rule, No," Tom replied calmly. "This case was different. The man was a pack rat. He had so much trash and broken bits of machinery piled up it was contaminating the stream that ran through the tenancy. In turn it was making the livestock on the next two farms downstream sick. The man was given verbal and written warnings to clean it up, when he didn't I had a formal eviction served."

"Wasn't he paying his rent?" Sir Anthony inquired.

"Yes, he was," Tom replied calmly.

"Then I don't see what the issue is," Sir Anthony said in puzzlement.

"I agree with Tom in this case," Robert contributed from behind his paper. "Damaging the other farms business is not acceptable. In turn it damages the business in the village and our tenants ability to make a living. When that happens the estate fails when our tenants can't make their rent."

"Hm. It still seems a great deal of fuss and trouble for one or two tenant farms," Sir Anthony commented.

"Are you taking that motorbike of yours?" Robert asked. "I don't want Rose running around on that thing."

"The town car today. This calls for a more formal approach if he hasn't vacated the premises," Tom replied ignoring Sir Anthony. "I have one or two other tenants I've been working with to straighten out their problems with rent to check back on as well. I expect this to be a long afternoon. Are you sure you're up for this, Rose?"

"I won't have any chance to practice driving during the season in London," Rose commented. "If I drive for a bit, I'll feel like I'm contributing at least a little to things around here."

"As you wish," Tom replied. "Do you mind ordering us some food to take along from the kitchens? There is no telling where we'll get to by tea time."

"Certainly," Rose replied. "I'll go take care of it."

-0-

"It felt like forever waiting for you to get back this week," Rose said once they were in the town car that afternoon and headed off on Tom's list of stops.

"Sir Anthony a little hard to take?" Tom asked with a grin.

"He never shuts up and they've been nagging about the tango. Great Aunt Violet has been on about it every day," Rose said with an eye roll then a laugh. "Sir Anthony has actually been supportive on that point."

"Wonders never cease," Tom replied with a chuckle.

"What did you do in Liverpool?"

"Not much. I visited with my brother, worked on cars and cleaned up his place. He is a hardened bachelor and his place shows it," Tom replied. "We went to a party with some of his friends. That was a good time."

"Was it a dinner party?" Rose asked innocently.

"Rose, my brother is a mechanic and all his friends are working class. We drank a little and did some Irish country dances," Tom said with a huge grin.

"Anything like Scottish country dancing? I miss the Ghyllies Ball at Duneagle. It was always so much fun. I can't say I miss being woken up by the piper every morning though."

"I've never done any Scottish country dances. I wouldn't know."

"I should ask Cousin Robert if we could have a Scottish country dance. It's terribly fun. How far out is this farm?"

"It's quite a ways," Tom replied. "Would you like to drive the rest of the way there?"

Rose nodded. Tom pulled over so they could switch spots. Rose wasn't doing too bad for only a few lessons and she was managing to do a reasonable speed most of the time so they wouldn't be held up too much. It was a good half hour before Rose maneuvered the car into the farmyard and switched it off.

"He's obviously gone," Tom commented with a sigh. There were still piles of debris all over the farmyard, but no sign of any people. He was dreading what he was going to find when he inspected the buildings.

"What are you going to do with this mess?" Rose asked wrinkling her nose.

"Get a crew out here and get to work on cleaning it up. The scrappers should be able to take a few loads once everything is sorted out," Tom replied. "You can stay in the car if you like."

"I'll come and look around with you," Rose replied.

Tom went to check the barns first. It wasn't uncommon for poor tenants to walk out and leave their animals behind. He was relieved to find that wasn't the case. From the amount of pure trash in the barns it was a wonder if any animals had been able to be housed there for years. There were a row of cottages that were all in a state of disrepair and every last one was as stuffed with junk as the barn.

"I almost hate to look in the farm house," Tom said ruefully.

"No wonder you evicted the man," Rose said.

"Apparently he was a good tenant until he lost his wife fifteen years or so ago. Then he got progressively worse. It's a shame, but it happens."

They approached the house and paused before they entered.

"Here goes," Tom said as he pushed the door open. There were papers everywhere and an old sofa sitting in what had been the sitting room. From the amount of holes in the sofa it looked as though the mice had been living in it for years. One bedroom was so full of newspapers Tom could barely get the door open. The other rooms had bits of broken furniture and crockery and more old discarded paper strewn about.

"I'll have to get a crew in here to burn all this before I can even determine if the house is worth saving," Tom said.

"At least we didn't find anything alarming," Rose commented. "I almost half expected to find a dead body amongst it all. It was rather spooky." She shivered.

"Nothing quite that bad," Tom replied. "You can drive to the next place. It's on the far side of the estate from the Abbey. It looks like it's going to rain but it should hold off for a bit yet. If the weather turns bad we can switch around."

"Alright," Rose agreed.

They stopped at the next house that Rose recognized as the drunken tenant she had gone to with Tom when she first went out on his calls with him. By the time they left there the rain had started to fall and Tom had taken back over driving.

"The clouds are getting darker," Rose commented about fifteen minutes after they had left the drunkard's cottage.

"We'll make for our next stop. It's a farm we took over as part of the modernization. There are building improvements being done so we can rent out the cottages and house. I was planning to check on the progress. At least the house will be clean and dry if not furnished. We can wait the storm out a bit there."

Rose nodded. She jumped at the first clap of thunder.

"Lovely," she grumbled under her breath as the hail started to fall as they were pulling through the farm gate. By the time Tom stopped in front of the door of the house, the hail was coming down in droves and already starting to form an icy layer on the ground.

"There should be an umbrella under the seat," Tom said. He reached under the seat and felt around until he found it. Then reached into the back seat for the picnic box they had brought. "I can't get it," he said. "I'll get you in then come back."

"No, I'll hold the umbrella while you get the things from the back," Rose said. Right then an even harder wave of hail pounded the car. "Tom, I'm a bit frightened."

"Nothing to be frightened about. We have food and shelter a few feet away. We might get a bit damp."

Rose nodded. When the last wave of hail finally let up a bit she opened the door and stepped out. It was all she could do to hold the umbrella against the onslaught. Tom was right behind her and reached immediately into the back for the basket and two heavy woolen blankets that were stored under the seats for winter. It was only a few seconds by the time he had the key out and the door opened but it seemed like forever. Just as they were about to step inside the gutter gave way dousing Rose in a shower of mud and ice cold water. She let out a screech before Tom yanked her inside and closed the door.

"I guess they haven't fixed the gutters yet," Tom said trying to lighten the situation.

Rose's only response was to give him a swat.

"Look at me, I'm soaked and I'm freezing," she complained.

"I'll see if I can find something to use for a fire," Tom said. "You'll have to take off those wet things. Here's my coat and the blankets. You can wrap up in those."

"I can't strip with you here," Rose retorted. "I'm soaked to the skin." She was already starting to shiver.

"You're going to have to. This isn't going to let up anytime soon and you're freezing. I'll go see what I can find for the fire. Hopefully, Mrs. Patmore packed a flask of tea. It will help you warm up."

Rose nodded dumbly. Her blouse, skirt, stockings and shoes were soaked and the water had seeped right through her underclothes. She looked around the room to see if there was anything she could go behind only to find there wasn't a stick of furniture in the place. She got her wet things off as quickly as her already numb fingers would allow and put on Tom's coat. It was much too big for her and barely covered her chest. She did the buttons up as best she could then wrapped one of the blankets around her for a skirt and the second one for a shawl.

"Sorry not a piece of waste wood or a drop of coal in the place," Tom said when he got back. "Let's hope this doesn't keep up too long and we can get on our way."

Rose just nodded. She was starting to warm up slightly but she was still cold.

Tom retrieved the hamper and opened it to reveal a lunch with no tea. It was the middle of summer and Mrs. Patmore had packed two bottles of ginger beer and another two of ale.

"Sorry no tea," Tom said. "But there is a cloth to spread on the floor."

"We'll just have to make believe it's a lovely banquet with a roaring blaze in the hearth," Rose said as she sat on the floor on the side of the cloth. She pulled the blankets around her as best she could.

"Are you warm enough?" Tom asked.

"I'm still cold. Maybe something to eat will help."

"If this doesn't let up enough to drive after we have a bite, I'll go out and try to find something for the hearth in one of the out buildings," Tom said.

They were half way through their picnic meal when the wind suddenly picked up and rattled the panes of glass in the windows through the closed shutters.

"Jesus," Tom swore under his breath. He could hear the rain pelting the side of the farmhouse. "I can't drive back in this. I could drive right off the road and not even know it."

"As you pointed out we do have shelter," Rose replied.

"I'll go see what I can find." Tom picked up the umbrella and headed out the door. When he got outside he could barely make out the barn and the row of vacant cottages across the yard. He went to the first out building to find it completely empty. He tried the barn and found a small pile of old firewood inside the door. He hunted around until he found a wheelbarrow and some of the workers tools that were left in the barn. He loaded the wheelbarrow with all the wood he could find and ball of twine before he headed back to the house. From the looks of things the workers had done a good job of cleaning up, almost too good. He headed straight back inside with the wheelbarrow parking it to one side of the fireplace.

"I didn't find much," he said.

"Tom, you're soaked," Rose said with concern.

"It will dry," he replied. He set about making a fire. Luckily there was a tin can on the mantle with a pack of matches. "I found a ball of twine. I thought we could make a bit of a clothesline to hang your wet things.

Rose went to get the string to tie it across the room and hang up her ruined clothes. She was having a devil of a time moving around and keeping her blanket skirt in place. _"So much for being a highland girl,"_ she thought. _"I can't even keep my kilt in place." _The thought made her laugh.

"What's so funny?" Tom asked.

"What I'm wearing," Rose replied. "I was just thinking what a lousy kilt this blanket makes."

"I can see the headline now," Tom said. "Lady Rose MacClare Looses Kilt at Her Debut."

"That would be ghastly," Rose said with a chuckle as she padded back over to sit in front of the fire. "Tom at least take that vest off. It's so wet it's steaming where it's near the fire."

"Yes, all right," he replied. He took it off and hung it on the line then went back to sit by their fire. "There's not much wood. It won't last more than an hour or two."

"Let's hope we can leave before then." Rose's optimism was misplaced, as the storm was getting progressively worse.

"Damn it's cold in here," Tom said after a bit. Even with the fire the sudden temperature drop outside was making things even colder in the room. "We need to move around a bit to get warmed up."

"We could practice the tango if I had something to wear," Rose said.

"You're wearing the only dry piece of clothing in the room."

"And it barely covers anything."

"Well, I'm going to move around a bit," Tom said. He got up and started to pace.

"Let's play a game. It will make the time go faster."

"We don't have any cards."

"Not that kind of game. A parlor game."

Rose reached over and grabbed her purse. She got out a small notebook and fountain pen.

"We each write five questions then put them in a pile. You take turns pulling the questions and you have to tell the truth when you answer. If you don't want to answer the question the other person thinks up something silly for you to do."

"Sounds silly."

"It is and it's fun. Come on don't be such a spoil sport."

"Fine. What kind of questions?"

"Anything. Like what is your favorite food or something you want to know about the other person but are afraid to ask."

"Ok, let's do it." Despite moving around and the fire Tom was starting to shiver. He rubbed his hands on his arms to try to warm them.

"Are you getting cold?"

"Yes."

"You're going to have to take off your wet things."

"And what am I supposed to wear?"

"Here," Rose said holding out one of the blankets. "I'm not as cold as I was." She pulled the neck of the jacket a little tighter with the other hand so her bare chest wouldn't show.

Tom took the blanket then took off his shirt and added it to their makeshift clothesline. It was no use his trousers were a soaking mess as well. He wrapped the blanket as best he could around his lower half and took off the rest of his clothes.

Rose had her pile of questions ready when Tom came back to sit down by the fire. She pushed in a few more pieces of wood on the fire while he wrote out his questions. She mixed up the pile. Then pulled out one of the small pieces of paper.

"What is the most interesting book I've ever read?" she read out loud. "That's easy. Through the Looking Glass."

"That's a children's book," Tom said in disgust.

"It's still interesting that Louis Carroll had such a strange imagination. It's almost a metaphor for life isn't it? Think about it. One bite of a food makes you so big you won't fit in a room. The other makes you small. It's like being the center of attention one moment and completely ignored the next."

"The Cheshire cat?"

"The ridiculous pomp and nonsense that goes with the life in an embassy."

"You may have a point," Tom said with a chuckle.

"Your turn."

"What is the wildest adventure you've ever had?" he read. "My brother and I went swimming in the nude at our grandparent's farm when we were boys. I was about twelve at the time. Kieran was planning to go to work that fall so he would have been around fifteen. Some local girls came by and took our clothes. We thought they would leave them when they were finally finished taunting us. They didn't. We had to make it back to the farmhouse naked as a pair of jaybirds. I've never run so fast in my life," Tom said chuckling at the memory.

"That's not that wild," Rose said laughing with him.

"Swimming in the buff is something you do all the time?"

"I've never been swimming period."

"It's fun. You should put it on your list of things to try."

"In the buff?"

"No, in a bathing costume, although the other way does have it's appeals," Tom said was a raised eyebrow.

They continued to play laughing at the answers to the questions they had asked until Tom pulled a slip of paper from the pile and read the question. He balled it up and threw it in the fire.

"Rose what kind of question is that?" he said darkly. He looked away from her and stared at the small pile of burning wood.

She reached over and turned his face back towards her with a light touch.

"One I would very much like to know the answer to," she replied seriously.

Chapter Seven – In the Dark and Cold

"Robert stop worrying. Tom knows the countryside like the back of his hand. They're probably holed up at one of the smaller farms that doesn't have a telephone. He wouldn't try to drive in these conditions," Cora said.

"I can help but worry. It's getting dark and they've been gone for hours," Robert Crawley replied.

"It's hailed three times already and with this wind and rain you can barely see outside. Tom has more sense than to try to drive in this. He never did when he was a chauffeur if you remember," Cora reminded him.

"You're right," Robert said sitting down at last from his pacing. "For all his rebellious ways and all the rest, he is the best driver I've ever seen. He never takes unnecessary risks on the road."

"They'll show up when the storm is over or when it lets up enough for them to make it back."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right," Robert said reaching for Cora's hand.

-0-

"Rose, I'm not a boy and not some London fop who goes around trying to lure young girls into my bed for a lark," Tom said.

"I never thought you were," Rose replied looking down. "So the answer is no?"

"I didn't say that. One of these days you're going to ask the wrong man something like that and get more than you bargained for."

"Perhaps it's a case of asking the right man, the right question," she said quietly.

Tom shifted his gaze back to the dying coals in the grate.

"You best pass over the rest of the wood," he said. "The fire will go out otherwise."

"We're going to freeze to death."

"Don't exaggerate. We're inside, we'll survive if I have to pull the cupboard doors off and burn them as a last resort."

"It's already dark out and it's still early."

"It's the storm clouds. They're blotting out everything," Tom replied with a sigh as he fed the fire the last of the meager wood supply.

"You still haven't answered the question."

"It's not a game Rose."

She picked up the last of the pieces of paper on the floor and handed him her last question. He looked at it before he took the rest of the papers and threw them into the fire as well.

"Yes to the first one," Tom said with a slight frown. "It's not any easy thing to admit."

"You would have never said anything would you, if I didn't ask?" Rose said. She reached out and touched his cheek.

"No."

"Why not?"

"The title and all the things that go with it and the age difference. I don't know if I want to go through a repeat performance especially with someone who does things for a lark and I have a child to consider."

"I don't do everything for a lark and you're not that much older than me," Rose replied. "There are times when I'm dead serious."

"And this happens to be one of them?"

"Yes," she replied barely above a whisper.

Tom reached over and took her hand to draw her to her feet. The only light in the room was the glow from the fire. The corners of the room had deep shadows making the sitting room of the house resemble a cave. Her reached over and undid the buttons of his jacket and pushed it off her shoulders.

"The answer to your other question is yes, I very much want to dance with you by firelight, especially like this," he said with his gaze locked on hers. "Come and show me the last few moves."

Rose swallowed as she looked into his eyes. Tom was definitely no boy and he was no soft playboy who wanted her to suck on his private part every chance he got. Tom was raw passion and pure masculinity topped off with a sensual grace that made her pulse skip and her heart go into her mouth whenever she danced with him.

"There's this one," Rose said suddenly feeling shy and exposed. She went into a low step that had her with one bent knee with the other leg stretched out behind. Her face was turned away over her shoulder. "The man mirrors the woman but looks towards her. You go into it slowly and come out of it slowly."

"Like this?" Tom guided her through the move.

Rose nodded. She was suddenly feeling very shy and nervous. Her former bravado was gone. She had though of being with him in a more intimate way so many times. Now that it was finally happening she was completely unsettled.

"There's another where I hook my leg behind yours then pose with my back arched and my other leg extended while you do a turn."

"Fast or slow?"

"Slow turn."

Tom guided her through a few basic steps until they had completed the lift and turn.

"Beautiful," he murmured. "You're like liquid silver when you move like that."

"When we dance it reminds me of poetry," Rose replied. "It feels like words and movements are all fitting together in harmony. Maybe that sounds silly. I only know one other move."

"Show me," he said in a hushed tone.

Rose showed him the last move she knew. Tom pulled her back into his arms and then repeated the other two moves she had shown him.

"Is that enough for now?" Rose questioned. She couldn't look at anything but the cleft in his chin. She could feel the heat radiating off his body but she couldn't bring herself to look down.

"No, I'll never have enough and I don't like to share what's mine," he said quietly.

"You won't have to share. I won't dance like this with anyone else."

"From the beginning but with a different start." He took his hand and ran it down her arm until he drew it up in his. Their movements were slow and languid. The lack of clothes was making Rose's skin crawl with desire at every touch and brush of their bodies against each other. This time when they would normally bring their faces close but not kiss Tom didn't stop short. He kissed her as they moved. Rose gasped as their lips came apart and Tom moved her into another position where he stoked part of her body with the back of his hand. Finally when she was so dizzy with passion she could barely stand he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. Her hands went into his hair and her senses were alive with the brush of every inch of skin and the feel of his chest hair against her bare breasts. She barely registered them moving to lay on one of the blankets in front of the fire while Tom pulled the other blanket over them. She opened her eyes and looked into his face to smile at the passion drugged look she saw there. His mouth slowly reclaimed hers with his tongue stroking hers and his hands sending shivers through her as he cupped her breasts and played with her nipples. He took his time trailing kisses down her neck then teased her nipple with his tongue before he pulled it into his mouth.

Tom had been shocked when he read the question, do you care for me enough to sleep with me, written on the slip of paper. She was playing with him was the first thought that had leapt into his mind. She was a girl. She didn't understand that he was a man who had been without a woman for well over two years. His body yearned for her when he held her when they danced together. There were times when she went out with him when it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and make love to her on the spot. Other times when she did something foolish, he wanted to wring her neck. When he had read that slip of paper he knew he wanted to make love to her and damn the consequences. He wanted to feel alive again, not mired in a world of grief.

He shifted his attention to her other breast and smiled slightly at the sound of her whimper when he did something she liked. He glided his one hand lower making small circles on her abdomen until his finger went between her thighs. As he moved his attention back to her mouth her fingers closed over his erection. Her other hand was roaming over his chest and back trying to pull him closer. It had been too long. He moved so he could enter her and slid himself inside her in one full stroke burying himself fully. His eyes opened wide as he felt something pop and she cried out in pain.

"Rose, holy Christ, you should have told me," he said placing his hands on either side of her face and looking into her eyes.

"I didn't know it would hurt," she said squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip.

The pain will go in a minute. Just don't move," Tom said quietly stroking her hair back from her face. "I thought you had done this before."

"Not like this," she replied burying her face into his shoulder.

"You should have told me. I would have gone slower so it wouldn't hurt so much. I'll make things nice for you. I promise."

She nodded her understanding against him and put her arms around him. Tom waited until he felt her body relax before he allowed himself to move. He slid back out of her and kissed and touched her until her passion was back to a fever pitch. This time he took her slowly and waited until she was crying out to sheath himself inside her all the way. It was all he could do to hold back until he felt her body spasm. He finally let go and poured himself into her.

The fire was dying down as Tom rolled onto his back and pulled Rose close against him.

"The storm outside is still horrible," Rose said quietly.

"I'll fix the fire in a moment," Tom replied. "Rose, I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I should have told you. People think I had an affair but I didn't really. He used me. He had me do things to him. I thought I was being daring at the time. He told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. It was all lies."

"I won't lie to you and I will never hurt you like that again. I can promise you that."

"It was all lovely except for that part. Does it hurt every time?"

"No, only the first time. If you do it right the first time doesn't hurt hardly at all, then afterwards it just feels good."

"You'll show me?"

"Yes, I'll show you. I'll teach you how to drive a car and ride a motorcycle and how to swim and I'll teach you about making love. When you're older and have decided I'm truly what you want we'll talk about making things permanent."

"I know one thing I want right now."

"What's that?"

"I want you to fix the fire. I'm cold."

"One cupboard door fire coming for milady momentarily," Tom quipped. It wasn't long and he was back with four cupboard doors. He stuffed two into the fire. He grabbed a bottle of ale out of the picnic basket and lay back down beside Rose under the blanket. She turned so her back was against him and her head was on her bent arm. Tom took a drink from the bottle then gave it to Rose to take a drink. She went to hand the bottle back to him then set it on the floor when she felt Tom kissing the back of her neck. His hands were running over her breasts and waist in a way that was making her excited all over again.

"So soon?" she gasped out.

"You'll find I'm a very demanding lover and it's been a long while," he murmured as he rolled her onto her back and took her lips with his.

"Mmm. Good," Rose responded as she raised her arms over her head and stretched. She touched and kissed his body in places she wanted to explore. She quickly found out there was a place just below his ear he liked her to kiss and another on his neck. Tom flipped her over and kissed his way down her spine before she couldn't take anymore and rolled back to wrap her arms around him. This time there wasn't any pain, only the touch of his hands and lips to the point where she thought she would go insane if something didn't happen soon. When his erection entered her this time she wanted to push herself onto him as hard as she could. He held her at bay and tortured her senses with a slow sensual assault. By the time her orgasm over took her she was calling his name and clinging to him with her legs and arms wrapped around him. She was barely conscious of the last movements of his body. She opened her eyes to see a look of pure pleasure on his face followed by him smiling down at her.

"We are beautiful together, aren't we?" she asked.

"Gorgeous, my Scottish lass. Hush now, go to sleep," he said stroking the hair back from her face.

Rose closed her eyes as he reached to feed the fire again. She felt warm and secure even if the floor was hard. Nothing would harm her when she was with him. She was sure of it. She woke again through the night. The wind had died down but there was still the steady beat of the rain against the walls of the house. Tom must have been up again as the fire was blazing merrily with another pair of doors waiting to go on the fire. She rolled towards him and snuggled herself against his chest. _"He is so handsome,"_ she thought. _"I could lay and stare at a different spot on his body all day for weeks and never get tired of it."_ Tom slowly opened his eyes and kissed her. His arm was around her back and he pulled her close against him.

"We'll go when it gets light out. The roads will be a mess after the storm," he said quietly.

"I'm in no rush," Rose replied against him. She placed a kiss on his chest and then another. This time their passion blazed like a struck match between them. Rose was gasping and tearing at the flesh of his chest and back. Tom allowed his own passion to take over burying himself in her body and moving at a rapid pace. When he felt her reach her climax, she called his name and convulsed so hard she almost threw him off of her if he hadn't been holding on to her and twitching threw his own orgasm.

Tom lay back with Rose asleep half on top of him afterwards. Thoughts kept trying to push their way into his mind, but he firmly pushed them back out. For tonight he just wanted to feel. Tomorrow would be soon enough to face the cold light of day and the reality of what they had done.

Chapter 8 – Daylight

Rose woke when Tom shook her shoulder. There was a faint grey light coming in around the shutters. She could hear the steady pit pat of rain but the wind and the pounding torrent was done.

"Rose, it's time to get going," he said quietly. He was already dressed in his still damp clothes.

Rose pushed herself up and pulled the blanket covering her tight in embarrassment. Tom reached for the bottom of the blanket and moved to pull it back. Rose moved her hand to stop him.

"It's alright love, I wet my undershirt to use as a washcloth. You need to get cleaned up a bit."

"Tom, I…"

"Hush now, it's alright. There is nothing to be embarrassed about," he said. He pushed back the blanket and started wiping the top of one thigh. He moved to wipe the other one. Rose was watching his face as he worked. He folded the cloth over and wiped her vagina as well. _"He could have been cleaning a baby,"_ she thought. _"His touch is so gentle." _

"Rose there's something I want you to promise me," he said. "He put the cloth to the side and took her hand.

She looked into his face and noticed how serious he was.

"What is it?"

"If you're going to have a baby, you tell me right away. Don't do anything foolish," he said.

Rose gasped. She had never even thought about the possibility.

"Tom, I don't think I'm pregnant, but I would tell you," she said quietly.

"There is no way to know at this point," he reminded her. "You very well could be. You have to take care of yourself. No drinking until we know for sure."

"You're a very good father," Rose replied. "Even to a child that is only a faint possibility."

Tom drew her forward and kissed her on the forehead then held her close for a moment.

"It's more than a faint possibility, darlin'" he said quietly.

"Everything is going to be alright isn't it?" she asked. "Us, when we get back, everything."

"It will all come right," Tom replied quietly. "I won't leave you or abandon you. You haven't promised me yet."

"I promise, no drinking until we know for sure," Rose said against him.

"Get dressed while I get the things back into the car." He stood to collect their things and start getting packed up.

"Tom, last night. It wasn't just a lark."

"I know that Rose. It wasn't a lark for me either," he replied before he set about his tasks.

Rose was cringing as she pulled on her blouse, skirt and drawers. Everything was still damp and felt horrible. She couldn't wait to get back to the house and into the bath. The downspout had left dirt in her hair and her scalp itched. Tom had the picnic basket stowed and returned for the blankets just as she was putting on her shoes.

"It's going to be a slow drive back. There is muck everywhere," he commented. Once everything was loaded and ready to go he held the umbrella for Rose while she got into the car then went around to start it. Rose could hear Tom cursing. After the third try when the car wouldn't start he opened the bonnet to see what was wrong. It was only a few seconds when he replaced it and came around to her side of the car and opened the door.

"It's no good. The magneto has decided to give out. That damn chauffeur should have changed it before now. We're going to have to walk."

"Oh no," Rose replied. "It's still raining. Can't we wait for the workers to show up?"

"The roads will be bad after the storm. They won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest. We're almost ten miles as the crow flies from the Abbey. They're going to be worried sick about us. Mason Farm is about a mile and a half away. It will be a nasty walk but it's a well-run farm. We'll find hospitality there and make arrangements to get back. They should be up for milking soon."

Rose got out of the car and squeezed under the umbrella with Tom.

"Let's get to it. The faster we get to civilization the faster I can have a bath," Rose stated with determination.

Walking a mile and a half on the mucky roads was proving a lot more difficult than it sounded, Rose thought to herself after they had been walking about half an hour. For every two steps forward it felt like they were sliding at least one back. The mud was clinging to her feet in thick clods making them feel like she was lifting bricks tied to her feet. She was so hot from the exertion she was sure the rain was sizzling when it hit her exposed skin. Tom wasn't saying much as he struggled through the quagmire at her side. They came to a large tree hanging over the road and stopped underneath for a short breather and to knock the mud from their shoes.

"How much further do you think?" Rose asked.

"I'd say we're about half way," he replied.

"The trip next week to London and getting back to the Abbey seems like it will never happen at this rate," Rose commented despondently.

"We'll make it. Next week you'll be having a good time in London and forget all about this."

"I won't forget you. I wish you would come to London if only for a little while."

"I'd just be in the way and out of place," Tom replied. "Besides for all I have a fancy job title, I'm just a glorified farmer. I need to be here during the harvest."

"You do a lot more around here than that," Rose stated. "I don't know if the family really appreciates how much you do."

"Some do, some don't. What are your plans for London?"

"The family has everything scheduled down to the minute. I don't really know why they think I need a debut. I used to live there. I know loads of people many of whom I don't care to associate with any longer and who won't be interested in me now that I don't have money. Besides it's my older brother who will carry on the traditions and title not me. Every one of my wishes for activities or the way I want things done has been overridden. I could not show up and I'm not sure if anyone would even notice."

"You make the season sound so glamorous and you wonder why I don't want to go," Tom said with a faint grin. "Mary has been talking of nothing else this last while."

They turned to start the forward journey. They were now on a down slope and had to keep fighting to stop from sliding all over as they descended.

"It's Mary's thing not mine," Rose replied. "What are you planning to do while we're gone?"

"I'm thinking about moving out," Tom said.

"You're not leaving!" Rose asked in alarm.

"Just down to the village, love. I told you I wouldn't leave you and I won't. I've had enough of the Abbey. If I'm on my own with a Nanny for my daughter and maybe a housekeeper, some of my family might come to visit. They won't come to such a grand house as the Abbey and I don't expect them to."

"But I'll never see you," Rose stated with a slight whine.

"You'll see me all the time," Tom replied. "I'll be over to talk to Lord Grantham constantly and you still need driving lessons."

"I don't want you to move out," Rose stated with a pout. The muck and the mud stuck all over her skirt, stockings and shoes was getting to be a bit much on top of everything else that had happened and it was still raining. She was soaked again.

"Rose, I don't know how much more of Sir Anthony I can take," Tom retorted. He was rapidly loosing patience as well. The bottom of the hill was a mire of mud. He collapsed the umbrella since they were both so wet it was pointless and offered Rose his hand to help her through the muck that was at least eight inches deep. The next thing he knew Rose was hoping on one foot as her shoe came off and got left in the mud.

Tom groaned as he turned back to pull Rose's shoe free.

"I don't know how much more of this walk, I can take," she griped.

"The farm should be just around the bend in the road," Tom reassured her.

Rose finally managed to get her shoe back on and they were just insight of the farm gate when exhaustion over came her and she slipped in the mud going down face first. She had ahold of Tom's hand. The weight of her spill and the unsteady footing pulled him over as well. He landed beside her showering her with even more mud. Rose pushed herself up on her hands. The sight of her face completely blacked out except for her eyes made Tom laugh.

"Don't laugh at me! This is all your fault for not holding onto me better," she griped angrily spitting out mud at the same time.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but this is funny," Tom retorted.

"I'll show you how funny it is," Rose retorted angrily. She threw a ball of mud at his head.

"Hey," he exclaimed when it hit him in the side of the face.

"You look funny now too," Rose said pushing her self up and trying to scrub the mud off her face with the back of her sleeve. She suddenly started to laugh. "No one in London is ever going to believe this adventure. I can just picture the look on Great Aunt Violet's face if she could see me like this."

"You look adorable," Tom said as he got up and pulled her up as well.

"I look a fright and don't tell me anything different," Rose retorted.

They finally made it into the farmyard. Morning milking time and chores were in full swing when one of the workers going through the yard spotted the pair of them.

"What happened to the likes of you?" the man asked as he came over to investigate.

"Could you kindly summon Mr. Mason?" Tom said. "This is Lady Rose MacClare and I'm Tom Branson the Estate Agent. We had a bit of car trouble at Croft Farm next door. We've had to walk out."

"How do you do, milady?" the man said touching his cap.

"Horrible," Rose replied trying to straighten her back. A blob of mud trickled down and dropped off a curl of hair. "Could you please summon the tenant farmer quickly? I would like to get out of this rain."

"Of course milady, right this way," the man replied. He turned around and got a large grin on his face. He was going to have a great yarn to tell the lads at the pub his next time into the village.

-0-

"Oh you poor dear," Mr. Mason's housekeeper said the moment she saw Rose. She was a middle aged woman of slight build, not much bigger than Rose.

"Martha, this is Lady Rose from the big house," Mr. Mason said. "Can you get her cleaned up and sort something out for her to wear."

"My goodness Lady Rose, this is an honor," Martha said.

"The honor is all mine to finally be somewhere habitable," Rose replied.

"Now you men out of the kitchen and tell the men they'll have to wait for their breakfast," Martha instructed. "I'll send a bucket of warm water through for the other one in a moment." Martha eyed Tom. She wasn't sure who the man was but he was dripping dirty muck all over her clean floors. She wanted the pair of them cleaned up as quickly as possible.

"Come along then, Mr. Branson," Mr. Mason said. "We had best leave the women folk to it."

"Milady, I'll get the bathtub and find you something to wear. I'm sorry we don't have anything grand."

"Thank you Martha," Rose said. "At the moment I could wear a sack as long as it was free of mud. Could you direct me to the washroom where the bath is?"

"Milady, this is a working farm. We take a bath in the kitchen."

"Oh, I see," Rose said ruefully.

"Now don't be alarmed. The men will keep their distance. I'll see to it. You start getting your things off and I'll be right back with the tub. We'll put you nice and close to the stove where it's warm. It's a good thing I was in the middle of making breakfast. I've got two extra kettles of hot water plus the heater on the stove."

"Thank you, Martha," Rose replied. She started peeling off the layers of mud soaked fabric. There was no saving anything she was wearing. She dumped the soggy ball of clothing into the wood box for lack of anywhere else to put it. Martha was back in a moment with the tub and filling it with hot water. She brought two large towels as well, then went off in search of a bar of soap that would at least resemble something suitable for a highborn lady's bath. Rose got into the large round washtub and squiggled around until she was laying in it with her legs sticking over the side. She sighed in the comfortable warmth. _"This was certainly turning into an interesting two days of firsts," _she thought. _"My first bath in a kitchen, my first time walking a mile and a half in pure mud and my first time with a man."_

She was thinking about her relationship with Tom when Martha came back and started scrubbing her back for her and then helped her wash her hair. Rose was thinking about how impetuous she had been and yes, if she thought about it foolish as Tom was always scolding her for. Her first time with a man had been a lot different than what she had expected. He hadn't said he loved her, but he had promised never to leave her. He had talked about making things permanent when she was older and sure she wanted him. Of course she wanted him as a husband. He didn't realize that in the aristocracy she was considered worthless the moment her father had lost everything. In her experience people married for convenience, money and position, seldom for love, love was a bonus if you found it. The way Tom touched her and protected her made her feel loved and wanted. She knew she had given her heart to him, but she had no idea what he expected of her or if she had won his heart in return.

"If you don't mind me asking milady, how did you come to be stranded way out here?" Martha asked snapping Rose out of her daydreaming. "The road between here and the village is washed out and the phone lines are all down."

"We got stranded yesterday by the storm," Rose replied. "We spent the night trying to keep warm at Croft Farm. Then the automobile wouldn't start. I've had a thoroughly miserable night of it."

"You poor thing. We'll you're safe and warm here. We don't have anything fancy but the house is clean and warm and there is plenty to eat."

"Thank you Martha," Rose replied with her stomach growling. "Elegant surroundings are the least of my worries at the moment. I'm just happy to be back where it's warm."

"Of course you are," Martha clucked.

Laying about in the bath wasn't a luxury in the kitchen of a working farm, Rose discovered quickly. As soon as she was cleaned up and had stepped out into the towel Martha had held for her, the woman was hauling the water out of the tub with buckets and dragging the tub back to the laundry room. She had sent a bucket of warm water out to Tom earlier once she had more heated. By the time Martha let the men in for their breakfast, Lady Rose was curled up asleep in an armchair in the sitting room near the fire wearing Martha's best Sunday dress with a half drunk cup of tea on the table beside her.

-0-

"They're at Mason Farm," Robert told the assembled group in the drawing room after he got off the phone at about nine that morning. Telephone service had just been restored.

"Thank heavens," Cora said. They had all had a rough night of it with flash backs to Matthew's accident when they had been waiting for him to arrive but he never had.

"And they're both fine?" Mary asked worriedly.

"Yes, they were stranded by the storm and the car broke down. They made it to Mason Farm at first light," Robert said. "The road is washed out. I'll send the car for them when the road is passable. It should be later today or into tomorrow. Mason sent one of his hands on to the next farm to try and get a message through to the house."

"Goodness Robert, this is going to be the talk of the village," Cora commented.

"At least they're alive and well, Mama," Mary said.

"Of course Mary. I trusted Tom to have enough sense to take shelter rather than try to drive in that dreadful weather. They must have had an awful night of it," Cora said.

"_Or a very pleasant one,"_ Sir Anthony thought.

-0-

"I'm glad to hear Bennett is off Westhills Farm," Mr. Mason commented to Tom that afternoon while they were having a cup of tea and a scone in the sitting room of the farmhouse. It was still raining and there was little going on around the farm other than mending tack and catching up on chores inside the barns and sheds for the farm hands. "That was a good piece of land once, until he started collecting that load of trash."

"It's going to take a bit to clean it up. I'll put a crew on it after the harvest. I should be able to keep a few of the seasonal men on to help out with it. It's going to take months to sort out all that rabble and get the farm into shape again. There's trash in the fields as well as the farm yard."

"I never knew you were a farmer when you worked with my William," Mr. Mason commented.

Rose raised her eyebrows questioningly at Tom.

"I worked with Mr. Mason's son William before he was killed in the war, Rose," Tom said. "He was a good lad."

"Aye that he was," Mr. Mason agreed.

"I always liked farming, but then I had to go to work to help the family like so many others," Tom said.

"Aye, isn't that the half of it. You've got a knack. It's not every agent that would put Bennett off the land for damaging the water supply. They wouldn't see the importance."

"The tenants will come and go as will the gentry, but the land remains," Tom said. "The estate has to support the tenants and vice versa. If we don't everyone will fail and they'll be nothing left."

"That's true," Mr. Mason replied. "It's not the old way of thinking."

"The war swept a great deal of the old out the door," Tom commented. Rose nodded her agreement.

"And a great deal of the young people along with it," Mr. Mason said with a sigh.


	4. Part IV

Acts of Rebellion – Part IV - Chapters 9 through 12

_I changed a setting so reviews should show up right away now. Some of my stories I have chosen not to allow anonymous reviews as I had people getting into arguments in the review section. This story I am allowing reviews to be published unless they have profanity. I accidentally deleted an entire chapter later in the story that I was reworking so I spent yesterday rewriting it. Still lots to come._

Chapter 9 – Fairy Stories

It was the next morning before the road was open again and the chauffeur driven car arrived with Lord Grantham in the back to retrieve them. The experience at the farm had been an eye opener for Rose. Tom had gone out to help with the chores the previous evening and then proceeded to help with the washing up after the evening meal. She had been given Mr. Mason's son's old bedroom while Tom had gone to bunk in with Mr. Mason. Rose had been so tired she hadn't cared about the rough sheets or creaky bedframe. She was fast asleep as soon as she lay down while wearing one of Martha's nightdresses.

She thanked Martha for all her help before she left and made a mental note to send the woman a nice dress and pair of shoes to replace the ones Rose suspected where her best.

"What's happened with the cricket match?" Tom inquired once they were all in the car and on the way back to the Abbey.

"The pitch is in a state. We'll have to postpone until next Saturday. We can leave for London a week later than planned," Robert replied. "How did you two come to be stranded at Croft Farm?"

"We were just about there when the hail started," Tom replied. "I'm afraid there's not a door left on the cabinetry in the house. I burned the lot trying to keep us warm. The magneto in the town car couldn't have picked a more opportune time to go. I'll go back with a replacement part and fix it later today or tomorrow."

"There's no rush. Sybie's been asking for you," Robert commented. "How did you make it all the way to Mason's? Did he stop by and find you?"

"We walked, Cousin Robert," Rose said.

"In the rain?" Robert asked in shock.

"Rain and mud. It was horrible," Rose replied. "Our clothes were completely ruined."

"It certainly was a memorable adventure," Tom said. He winked at Rose who was seated across from him and Robert Crawley but kept his face impassive. Rose got a small smile on her face.

"Now that it is over, I'll have a tale to tell, no one will believe, Cousin Robert," Rose commented.

"Let's just hope they don't and your reputation remains intact," Robert said sternly.

-0-

Tom didn't see Rose again until the next day. As soon as they had walked in the door at the Abbey, Cora and Mary had descended on her in a flurry of female clucking. Despite Rose's assurance that she was fine and well rested, Cora insisted she have her dinner in bed and rest until the next day. Sybie was clingy as she had picked up on the adults' stress and had missed the time she usually spent with her father on a daily basis.

Sunday afternoon, Sybie was down for her nap. Tom had decided to go to retrieve the car on Monday once the roads were a bit more dried out. He went in search of his mother-in-law and found her in the drawing room in the company of Rose, Mary and the Dowager Countess. Mary's beau had left for London earlier in the day.

"All rested from your adventure?" Violet asked Tom when he entered the drawing room.

"Yes, quite rested, Lady Grantham, thank you," Tom replied.

"My maid tells me the condition the pair of you were discovered in is the talk of the village," Violet said.

"It was a cold, soggy experience Great Aunt Violet and there was a great deal of mud," Rose commented.

"We're fortunate there hasn't been any scandal yet," Violet stated.

"Mama, I hardly think trying to keep warm and finding shelter or slogging through miles of mud, would lead to scandal," Cora commented.

"It was fortunate the car didn't break down miles from shelter. Things could have been worse," Tom said. "I didn't come down to talk about the storm though. I wanted to tell you I've been thinking about moving to my own place down in the village."

"Why Tom, aren't you happy hear?" Cora asked in alarm.

"What's brought this on suddenly?" Violet inquired.

"It's not a sudden decision, Lady Grantham. I've been thinking about it for some time. I'd like to be able to have my family come to visit and bring Sybie up in a simpler way."

"You're family is always welcome to stay here," Mary commented.

"My mother wouldn't be comfortable in such a grand house and my brother won't come again until I move out." Tom replied.

"He certainly enjoyed the wine cellar on his last visit," Violet commented imperiously.

"My brother isn't a bad man, Lady Grantham. He simply doesn't fit in here."

"I'll miss you both terribly if you move out," Cora coaxed.

"I'll have Sybie's nanny bring her over at least twice a week to visit and I'm sure I'll be over regularly," Tom said.

"It feels like you're running away from us," Rose said finally. She hadn't commented on the conversation so far. She was missing Tom already and he hadn't stepped foot out the door.

"I'm not running anywhere, Rose," Tom said reassuringly. "I'll still be over to collect you for driving lessons and on estate business regularly. Besides, who else would I dance with?"

Rose smiled and looked down at her teacup.

"When were you thinking of moving?" Mary asked.

"I'm not sure, soon though. I need to collect the town car tomorrow. That will take most of the day. I'll look through the houses that are open in the village. Mr. Jarvis's old place is rented. Depending if the house needs paint or work will determine when I move," Tom said.

"Let me know when you have the house picked out," Mary said. "Perhaps I could help with paint colors and getting together whatever furniture you may need."

"I would help as well," Rose commented.

"That would be kind," Tom said with a smile.

"Tom if you're not busy would you like to practice a few dance steps?" Rose asked him.

"Of course," he replied still smiling.

-0-

Rose went to the Victorla in the main hall and looked through the selection of recordings. Tom came up close beside her.

"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

Rose looked up at him with flushed cheeks and smiled. They were virtually alone in the hall but there were still servants and family members moving about in the house. It wouldn't do to be too open about their relationship.

"You're looking quiet lovely yourself," Rose whispered back. It was Tom's turn to flush. He took off his jacket and tie and put them on a chair.

She selected a quick fox trot so they could work on some more advanced moves. Tom stole a quick kiss when he didn't spot anyone about.

"We should take a few lessons," Rose commented.

"Lessons?"

"Dance lessons. We could enter a few contests if we got even better. They're all the rage at the dinner parties in London. The family can't argue with that."

"A little hard to do when you'll be there and I'll be here," Tom said. He picked out another recording and started it on the Victorla.

"You could lighten up a little and come to London for a few days here and there. I'd like to show off my dance partner," Rose said.

"Would you now?" Tom said with a teasing demeanor.

"You know it," Rose said with a slight laugh. Her expression changed from one of light sexual banter to a more serious one the minute she spotted the drawing room door open and her Great Aunt come into the room.

"Don't mind me. I've just come to watch," Violet said.

"Nothing unusual, Lady Grantham," Tom said. "Rose was just saying I should come down to London for a few days here and there. We might take a few dance lessons and enter some contests."

"Rose that is entirely unsuitable," Violet stated.

"It's the latest thing at all the dinner parties, Great Aunt Violet. Even the royals are doing it."

"David is not know for being the most proper young man," Violet commented.

"He's going to be the next king," Rose pointed out. "The parties at Sandringham set the trends and the rules."

"You're not taking me there," Tom stated with a wary sideways glance.

"No, but there are lots of other parties with people you might enjoy," Rose said. "Let's get back to it."

She restarted the recording. They danced another two numbers before they took a break for a glass of water.

"We still have time before the dressing gong," Rose said. "Do you want to try the newer moves we went over the other day in the tango?"

"If you like," Tom said coloring slightly. He was very conscious of old Lady Grantham watching them. "The lift with your leg hooked on mine is the hardest. We should practice that."

"On second thought my skirt isn't really suited to any of the lifts," Rose commented. "Perhaps footwork?"

Tom nodded. They did two or three sets that were mostly footwork and turns without the elaborate lifts. When they finished they spotted eyes peering at them from various corners around the room.

"_They're in for a disappointment when we're practicing basics,"_ Tom thought.

"That was certainly more restrained than the other day," Violet commented.

"We have to practice everything to get good, Great Aunt Violet," Rose commented. "I usually wear trousers to practice. I'm quite happy I've found someone to dance with. I quite enjoy it."

"How do you expect to continue with this if you move out?" Violet addressed Tom.

"Rose and I can always get together to practice," Tom replied calmly. "It might give us more reason to go out from time to time."

"Hopefully you'll find a young man during your debut and give up on this ridiculous nonsense," Violet said to Rose.

"I love to dance, Great Aunt Violet. I don't see it as ridiculous at all," Rose replied.

"It's almost time for dinner," Tom said collecting his jacket and tie. "I'll just go up and see my daughter for a bit."

"I'll come with you," Rose added.

-0-

"Rose, are you feeling alright?" Robert asked at dinner that evening. "Why aren't you having any wine?"

Rose didn't know quite how to explain the fact that she wasn't drinking when she usually drank wine with every course.

"We made a bet while we were stranded," Tom said thinking quickly. "Who ever takes a drink first looses the bet. As you can see Rose almost got me. I had completely forgotten about it."

"What are you betting on?" Robert asked.

"If Tom takes a drink first Cousin Robert, he has to come to my debut and spend a week in London," Rose replied.

"If Rose looses she has to take at least ten cooking lessons from Mrs. Patmore," Tom said.

"It doesn't sound like much of a bet to me," Mary said.

"I don't want to go to her debut," Tom replied.

"And I don't want to learn to cook," Rose said.

"I thought you two were getting along so much better," Cora said. "It seems as though you are still not agreeing on things."

"We are getting along much better than we were, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "Tom and I are a great deal more alike than either of us would care to admit."

"I hope that statement isn't a foreshadowing of things to come," Robert commented.

"Heaven forbid, not another rebel in the family," Violet stated.

"I'd prefer to think of our similarities as an adventurous spirit, Lady Grantham," Tom said calmly.

"Just not too many adventures like the last one, Tom," Cora said. "I don't think my heart or anyone else's could take it."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a motorcycle ride tomorrow. You could drive the town car back, Rose. I'd follow on the motorbike. You should be able to manage the car as long as you don't drive too fast."

"That sounds lovely," Rose replied.

"Good gracious," Violet said.

"Why are you taking Rose when the chauffeur could handle the repair? I would think you have better things to do," Robert stated.

"I never got a chance to do the inspection on Croft farm since the storm hit just as we were nearing the gate," Tom replied. "I can do the repair myself and take care of the work inspection at the same time. I can't really spare the time to give Rose a driving lesson tomorrow. Combining work with lessons and practice makes the most sense."

"That's reasonable. Don't you think, Robert," Cora said.

"Humpf. I don't really want Rose riding on that contraption, but I doubt anything I would say would stop you," Robert stated. _"At least Branson had gotten Rose to stop guzzling down the alcohol, but did it have to be something wild and unrestrained at every turn where the two of them could break their necks," _he thought with displeasure. _"Modern and barely restrained were the two things that described the pair of them. They really were a great deal alike, although he hated to admit it."_

-0-

"I've called you over today Cora, to talk about Rose and Branson," Violet stated as soon as her daughter-in-law was seated in the drawing room at the Dower house.

"What is it this time?" Cora asked.

"Haven't you noticed anything different about the two of them? I certainly have," Violet stated.

"They seem to be getting along better," Cora replied. "They weren't getting along at all until a few weeks ago."

"Foreplay," Violet stated.

"I beg your pardon," Cora said taken aback that her mother-in-law would use such a description.

"A form of flirting if you must," Violet said. "Haven't you noticed how she has calmed down and he is smiling more. He didn't used to smile at all. And shall I mention when they dance together. It's nothing short of scandalous. They don't even notice anyone else is in the room."

"Tom does seem happy and he is a good influence on Rose. She's stopped smoking completely and isn't taking a drop of alcohol these days. She hasn't shown a bit of interest in anything inappropriate with any of the young men who have been over."

"Could it be she has already found herself a man to be inappropriate with? One who is inappropriate in almost every sense of the word?"

"She did miss him terribly when he went to see his brother," Cora replied thoughtfully. "Although I don't think he is as inappropriate as he once was. He is a very devoted father and he is doing a good job running things on the estate."

"This nonsense about not drinking as a bet. There was only one time I stopped drinking wine with dinner," Violet said. "I seem to remember you were the same way."

"You don't think?" Cora gasped with her eyes widening.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Violet stated. "Young women getting involved with a man they aren't married to isn't anything new. The question is what are we going to do about it?"

"If they are involved and I'm not sure they are, they'll have to get married."

"Susan won't like it" Violet stated. "But she will have little choice in the matter."

"Reality remains. Rose has no fortune. It will be difficult to find anyone of higher rank to marry her. She's going to have to settle for someone middle class. He is upper middle class now," Cora said with a sigh. "I was hoping she would fall in love the usual way."

"There is no usual way for love, Cora," Violet stated. "Need I remind you of Mr. Pamuk and I don't think I need to mention Edith. I was hoping Rose wouldn't settle for a colonial or someone middle class, but she is strong minded like her mother."

"I'm not sure anything is going on. We'll have to keep a closer eye on things."

"What is Rose up to today?"

"They went gadding off on his motorcycle first thing this morning. Robert was fit to be tied, but that didn't stop them. They still weren't back when I left."

"And nothing is going on?" Violet arched an eyebrow at her. "Would you like to tell me another fairy story?"

Chapter 10 – Talking Things Over

It was ten miles as the crow flies to Croft Farm and quite a bit further by road. The weather had cleared up and the sun was out as Tom and Rose headed out of the gates of the Abbey and off to their destination. There wasn't a sole around and not a sign of another vehicle on the roads. Rose had to admit she enjoyed the feeling of freedom she experienced when riding on the motorcycle. She felt as free as a bird in the sky with the wind blowing in her hair and the ground speeding past her feet. After five miles or so, her wrists and arms above her gloves were starting to feel the chill of the morning air. She let go of Tom with one hand long enough to pull off one of her gloves with her teeth then shoved the glove in her pocket. She slid her hand under his jacket where it was warm as she put her arm around him and laid her cheek against his back. She liked the feel of his hard abdomen under her hand even if it was through his shirt.

Rose experimentally moved her hand around on his stomach and as far as she could reach on his chest. Tom let go one hand off the handlebars for a moment and pressed her hand against him before he replaced his grip. Rose suddenly had a daring thought and slid her hand lower into the waistband of his trousers. She slid her hand back out of Tom's waistband and let her other hand drop so she was caressing the length of his already hard penis through his trousers while holding onto him with the other arm. It was only a few seconds before Tom had maneuvered the motorbike off the road into a stand a trees. He stopped and switched the motorcycle off when they were shielded from the road and the surrounding countryside by the trees.

"What are you up to then?" he asked.

"Enjoying how you feel," Rose replied. She swung her leg off the motorcycle. Tom put an arm around her without dismounting and pulled her close for a long kiss. He pulled off his gloves then slid his hand under her jacket to cup one breast.

"You feel quite lovely as well," he said stroking her rock hard nipple through the fabric with his thumb. He kissed her again, then dropped the kickstand and got off the motorcycle. They were in each other's arms and kissing each other deeply the second he was off the bike. The attraction between them hadn't diminished one bit, if anything it had gotten stronger.

"I want you all the time," he mumbled as he shifted slightly and repositioned his mouth against hers. "It's driving me crazy."

"You're all I want now," she replied as he kissed her neck then worked his way back to her mouth. "I don't want anyone or anything else, ever."

"Rose, you have to be sure," Tom said. "We can't rush into things."

"Too late, we already have," Rose replied breathing heavily and undoing his belt and trousers. She slid her hand inside to rub him again.

"I can't think when you're doing that," he mumbled tugging at the buttons on her jacket then her blouse. He kissed the tops of her breasts above her bra.

"I don't want you to think at this moment," Rose said with her eyes half closed. She was marveling at the feel of him in her hand and the warmth of his body. Her other hand had opened his coat and snuck around him to his back to pull him closer.

Tom popped open the buttons on the waistband of her trousers and drawers then slid his hand down so he could caress her intimately. She was warm and moist and more than ready for him, but there was no way they could do much on the cold, wet morning ground. He rubbed her as best he could until he got frustrated with the confines of her trousers and slid them off her bottom with his other hand. Rose opened her legs slightly wider to allow him access. He caressed her, enjoying the feel of her moistness against his fingers and her hand gliding over tip of his penis and back down the length. He wanted more, but at the moment it would have to be enough. Their lips were devouring each other, with their free hands running everywhere and nowhere at once. He could feel Rose getting wetter and wetter as his erection got harder. She was groaning into his mouth. He had to put his free arm around her and hold her to him to keep her from falling. She threw back her head then curled against him and held on as sensation overtook her and her orgasm tore through her insides. He was so excited his own orgasm followed swiftly to shoot out and hit the ground harmlessly.

"That was nice," she said still curled against his shoulder.

"That was more than nice, it was bloody wonderful," he corrected. He kissed her on the mouth before he pulled up her trousers and drawers over her bare bottom. "Rose we can't go on like this," he said still holding her. "I know it's only been a few days, but we're going to have to tell the family or go out separate ways. I don't feel right about being with you without a proper commitment."

Rose tightened her grip on him. "I'm not leaving you."

"Are you ready to be a mother to my daughter and a wife to a man that has no title and no use for one? Seriously?"

"You pointed out before I might already be a mother. It might be a moot point."

Tom kissed her for reassurance.

"We'll discuss things while I work," he said. "I really do have a lot to do."

Rose pulled back slightly and stroked the side of his face.

"Tom, I love you."

"I love you too. I don't know when it happened it just snuck up and hit me, but I do love you. Now get yourself together and we'll get on with things."

Rose nodded then straightened her clothes. Tom was waiting for her to get back on the motorcycle by the time she had her gloves back on. She kissed him quickly before she swung her leg over the back and put her arms around him. She did love him. All the boys she had kissed seemed to fade away now into a void of oblivion. Her parents would have a fit at the idea of her with an Irish rebel, but she didn't care. She adored him, she loved him and all she wanted at the moment was to be with him and be a mother to his children.

-0-

"How do you see yourself as a mother?" Tom asked. He had just emerged from under the hood of the town car with the damaged part and was getting the new one out of the box along with the new bolts.

"I don't know. Different than my mother, I think. She barely looked at me when I was young. Then as I got older she just dictated orders. She never talked to me or asked my opinion. Things went from bad to worse. All she does now is criticize me."

"I would expect you to spend your days taking care of the children unless you're working or going to school. I don't agree with leaving them with a nanny to go running off to London or house parties on weekends. You can never get that time back."

"We would keep the nanny so I would have help and we could go out in the evenings when we liked?" she questioned.

"We'll still go out but no overnights without any children we have along. No ladies maid either and you would have to learn to cook so you can help with it. At least learn to make a cup of tea and a slice of toast. The nanny I have now is a fair cook but she can't do everything."

"I've always thought married women having breakfast in bed was rather silly. Would we have a housekeeper and a maid?"

"Depends on the size of the house I guess. I was planning on having a housekeeper come in twice a week to do the cleaning and wash. I was going to share the cooking and washing up with the nanny. I don't think a full time maid is necessary."

"It will be hard to learn everything at first. I might mess things up."

"But you're willing to try?"

"I'll try but I can't promise anything," Rose said. "I might be a total disaster at it all."

"We can always have the housekeeper full time if things are too much for you," Tom replied. "You might decide you want an education and a career."

"The answer has always been no for so long, I haven't given it much thought," Rose said. "I do like to dance and ride though." She came over to lean over and watch Tom work while he was buried under the bonnet of the car. "In some ways I feel odd. I don't have to push anymore when I'm with you. I can try new things and you don't take a fit over every last detail. Your so good with Sybie. Strict but lenient at the same time."

"You might be the same way when you have a child of your own," Tom said. "Sybie will probably be headstrong to a fault. She's a lot like her mother."

"And her father," Rose said.

Tom straightened up and dropped the wrench he had been using back into the tool kit for the car. He closed it up and then the bonnet as well. He wiped his hands then went to stand close to Rose and looked into her eyes.

"You'll be a kind mother?"

"I'll try my best."

"What do you expect of me?"

"To be on my side, back me up against my mother, don't lie to me or laugh at me and never, never cheat on me."

"I'm already on your side. I expect complete fidelity in return. I don't hold with how some of the aristocrats live with a wife and a mistress on the side or run from this bed to that."

"I won't cheat on you, no matter what," Rose replied.

"The family might not take to kindly to this when we tell them."

"They'll take things even worse if I find out I'm pregnant in a few days and we aren't at least engaged."

"When will we know?"

"I should know in a few days. If nothing happens by the end of the week, I'll have to go to the doctor."

"We'll finish up here and drop off the car. Then we can go and buy a ring and a marriage license this afternoon," Tom said stroking her hair. "We can swing by and talk to the priest as well. You're sure?"

"I couldn't be more sure of anything in my life," Rose replied. "I'm even willing to have a Catholic wedding."

-0-

"Are Rose and Tom back yet?" Cora asked Robert when she returned from her mother-in-law's.

"They dropped off the car and a claim chit for dry processing the blankets from the town car and tore off on that blasted machine of his again. They're going to break their necks," Robert gripped. He was busy with a stack of correspondence in the library.

"You're mother thinks they're a couple," Cora told him.

Robert set down the letters he had been going over and looked at Cora.

"The same thought had occurred to me," he said with a sigh. "They've gotten over their earlier animosity and they're always together now. He says jump and she asks how high. I feel responsible. I asked him to keep an eye on her. He obviously did. Maybe too good a one."

"Robert, what if they've been together?" Cora asked.

"Then he'll do right by her if I have to throttle him to get him to do it. One daughter living in sin is quite enough. I don't know how I would tell Shrimpy if Rose took a notion to as well. He trusted us with her welfare."

"If they haven't he'll be moving out soon."

"It can't be soon enough. He's chaffing at the life here. You can feel it. He doesn't care what I want most of the time when it doesn't have to do with estate business. Whatever he wants with Rose, he just goes ahead and does. I couldn't stop him with Sybil and it seems I can't with Rose either."

"We're going to have to keep a closer watch on things," Cora said.

"At least our granddaughter is under our roof for now," Robert replied.

"She's headstrong like her parents," Cora said with a slight laugh. "Just wait until she grows up. He is going to be paid back in spades."

"I just hope I'm alive to see the day," Robert said with a chuckle at the thought.

-0-

Robert, Cora and Mary were sitting outside with the children on a blanket at teatime having lemonade and sandwiches, when they heard laughter coming from the region of the garage. It was only a minute or two when they spotted Tom headed towards the house with Rose on his back piggyback style. The two of them were laughing and smiling. It struck Robert that he had never seen his son-in-law look younger or more carefree. Tom suddenly let go of Rose. She was clinging to him, laughing and refusing to get off. When the pair of them reached where the others were sitting, Rose dropped to the ground as Sybie dashed towards her father.

"Daddy, I wanna wide too," Sybie chirped.

"Of course my darling," Tom said. He was still smiling. Rose quickly dropped a kiss on Sybie's cheek before Tom lifted her up and plopped her on his shoulders. He kept ahold of her hands to stop her from grabbing his hair.

"You two seem very happy this afternoon," Cora commented.

"We are," Rose replied. "We've been shopping."

Tom pulled Sybie off his shoulders and twirled her around before he settled her on his hip. The footmen had just arrived with another two chairs and two glasses of lemonade.

"Rose you didn't go into town in your trousers," Cora admonished.

"Since we took Tom's motorcycle, I couldn't very well wear a dress, Cousin Cora," Rose replied.

Robert just rolled his eyes.

"We have some news we're hoping you'll be happy about," Tom said. He reached out and took Rose's hand with his free one. He couldn't help but smile at Rose. "We've decided to get married."

"When did this come about?" Robert asked.

"This morning," Rose replied happily. "We talked it over and decided not to delay any longer."

"It's all rather sudden, isn't it?" Cora asked. "There isn't another reason is there?"

"Everyone has pointed out how alike we are," Rose replied smiling up at Tom. "We both agree. We are alike and want to spend our lives together."

"But Rose, you're debut is in a few weeks," Mary commented.

"I've already met the man for me," Rose said. "I haven't been that interested in a debut all along. I'm already twenty, almost too old for one."

"Have you two considered this carefully?" Cora asked. "You will have quite a different life with Tom than what you have been raised with Rose."

"We've been talking things over, Lady Grantham," Tom said. "It will take some adjusting until we reach a balance that suits us both."

"I'm not wealthy anymore, Cousin Cora," Rose pointed out. "I'm going to have to make changes or live the rest of my life living on the charity of others. My allowance from my father isn't what it once was. I would have to make changes anyway. It will be an adventure learning new things."

"What about when this adventure is over?" Robert asked. "You seem to be rushing into things."

"I agree things are a bit rushed, Lord Grantham, but we don't feel the need to wait," Tom replied. "No one knows what the future will bring. We'll find our way together."

Rose moved to take a seat. She had removed her gloves. Mary spotted the ring on her hand.

"I see you've already bought a ring," Mary commented.

"And we've talked to the priest and bought a license," Rose said with a smile.

"Good Lord," Robert exclaimed.

Tom had taken the other seat. Sybie hopped off her father's knee and went back to play with her cousin.

"What plans have you made?" Cora asked.

"Not too many, Lady Grantham," Tom said. "I'm still behind on work. It will take all day tomorrow and the next to get caught up. Sometime later this week we'll pick out a house in the village. Beyond that we haven't really got things figured out. We've mostly discussed how we want to live and what we expect from each other."

"Rose you do realize Tom works a great deal," Mary said.

"I might know better than most what he does around here," Rose replied. "I've gone out with him often enough on his rounds."

"You'll be an instant mother," Cora pointed out.

"Hopefully, I'll be a better one than my own," Rose said.

"Rose, you're mother does care about you," Cora chided her.

"She has an odd way of showing it. From what I saw Miss O'Brien will be well suited to her as her ladies maid," Rose replied. Tom reached over and took her hand when he saw the unhappy expression on Rose's face when her mother was mentioned. "Cousin Cora, I love Tom. I do see that you are concerned, but we have thought things through."

"Then congratulations are in order," Mary said with a smile.

"Yes, well congratulations," Robert said as he rose to shake Tom's hand and kiss Rose on the cheek. "We'll have to change our plans yet again," he commented with a small smile.

"When were you thinking of getting married?" Cora asked. "A spring wedding would be nice."

"In a month or so," Tom replied. "Rose wanted to discuss the trip to London with you before we set a date."

"Good God," was all Robert had to say.

-0-

"I guess we have our answer as to whether or not something happened when Rose and Tom were stranded," Cora said to her husband as they were getting into bed that evening.

"At least we didn't have to force the issue and they've got enough sense to do the right thing on their own," Robert grumped. "Why do the girls always have to find scandal?"

"Because they're girls and he is not that bad a choice," Cora replied. "Rose does seem to throw caution to the wind. Trousers for shopping in Ripon, what next?"

"I almost said something when the two of them were walking across the grounds with her on his back. Could they possibly be more inappropriate?"

"They do look happy and in love," Cora replied wistfully.

"And scandalous," Robert replied with a chuckle before he shuffled down, turned out the light and gave Cora a long kiss goodnight.

Chapter 11 – Feeling Out of Sorts

"You seem different somehow, Tom. Happier than I've seen you in years," Mary said on Friday. Her parents were giving a small dinner party with fifteen guests to celebrate Tom and Rose's engagement.

"I do feel happy," Tom replied. "It's time to get on with life. I feel like I've finally thrown off the grief and have found a new direction."

Rose came over and handed Tom a glass of champagne she had taken from the tray Alfred was carrying around the room. She had another in her hand for herself.

"It's time to mutually loose our bet," she said. "Cooking lessons for me and a trip to London for you."

"All is well?" Tom asked.

"As of this afternoon it was," Rose replied. Tom got a slow smile on his face before he clinked his glass against hers. Their eyes locked on each other's.

"Until the next tango," he said as a toast. They each took a sip of champagne.

Mary looked at the pair of them and their odd exchange with an arched eyebrow.

"You know I think I might like that to be right now," Rose said as she set her glass to the side and took Tom by the hand. She went over to speak to the pianist who was playing dance music. At the moment half a dozen couples were dancing a number in the great hall. When the waltz was finished Tom lead her out into the middle of the room. Everyone stood back as word of the two of them dancing together had spread like wildfire in the county and more than one person had recognized them from their picture in the newspaper.

"The new move?" Tom asked before the music started.

Rose nodded her agreement.

There was more than one gasp in the room as the pair of them danced together. They didn't notice a thing as they moved through the sensual number. They kept their movements slow and sultry. The electricity between them was so strong Rose could feel the hair on her arms standing on end in sexual awareness. When she hooked her leg through Tom's and he lifted her, she could hear more than one woman in the crowd exclaim, "Oh my." As the music ended there were applause from the onlookers. Rose didn't register a thing as she kept looking into Tom's eyes. She didn't snap out of it until the music started again in a different dance tempo.

"After that is there any question as to the nature of their relationship?" Violet demanded of her son.

"Mother, they're getting married. Let's just leave it at that," Robert replied with a grimace.

"It all seems so rushed. Three weeks in London then back for a wedding," Violet said.

"Rose has decided she wants a small church affair, followed by a Scottish country dance," Robert said.

"That may be the first sensible thing she has said since she's arrived," Violet said with a sniff.

About half way through Tom and Rose's third dance of the evening, Jimmy interrupted them. Ivy had come down to speak to Tom. Sybie was up and Ivy just couldn't get her to settle. Tom headed up the stairs and came back down a few minutes later with his daughter in his arms.

"She heard the music and wants to dance with Daddy," he told Rose.

"Then she can dance with both of us," Rose said with a smile.

They went back to dancing with Sybie between them. The little girl was resting on her father's shoulder. By the second number she had reached out and put her arms around Rose's neck.

"Is this what you mean by we'll be taking the children with us?" Rose asked Tom.

"Pretty much," Tom replied with a grin. Rose just smiled and kissed Sybie on the cheek. Sybie's eyes were starting to close so Tom took her back then headed for the stairs when the music ended and his daughter was fast asleep again.

Rose went over to sit with her Great Aunt while she waited for Tom to come back down.

"Not the way things were done in my day, Rose," Violet scolded her.

"No Great Aunt Violet, but they will be the way they are done in mine," Rose replied. "I want to be a good mother."

"Children need structure," Violet stated.

"They also need love, Great Aunt Violet," Rose replied. "I'm hoping my future daughter will dance at my wedding and someday I at hers. There's Tom back. I'll go and join him now."

"Completely irreverent," Violet grumbled under her breath. "They couldn't be a better match."

-0-

"Are you sure you want blue on the walls in this room, Rose?" Mary asked. "It seems rather cold for a bedroom."

"I've always wanted a blue and white bedroom," Rose replied. "Of course Mummy made all the choices for me so it didn't matter what I wanted. I've chosen a nice yellow for Sybie's room. She loves anything yellow."

"You really are sure about this marriage?" Mary asked. They were walking through the house Tom would move into next week after they had left for London.

"Everyone keeps asking me that. Yes, I'm sure. I couldn't be more sure," Rose replied.

"I don't know if anyone ever told you, but I made a mistake years ago. It made me the center of gossip. I could have wound up trapped in a relationship that wasn't right for me," Mary said.

"I never heard anything about it," Rose replied. "What happened to the man? Did he run off?"

"Not exactly. He died in my bed," Mary confessed.

"Oh Mary, I'm so sorry," Rose said in shock. "I can honestly tell you, my relationship with Tom is not a mistake. Terrance was a mistake, a hard one. When I look at it now, I can see how he used my problems with my mother to take advantage of me. There's no comparison."

"Tom is a good person, if a trifle hard to understand at times," Mary said. "You may be in for a few surprises you don't care for. Everyone has one or two after the vows are said and done."

"Did you find out things you didn't care for with your late husband?"

"A few. Matthew was from a different background, as is Tom. It isn't always easy bringing the two worlds together. You've yet to meet his family. His brother is rather interesting, you might say."

"Just wait until Tom meets Annabelle," Rose said with a giggle.

"Are you planning to invite your sister to your wedding?"

"I don't want to but I'll have to and I am planning to invite yours."

"Rose, you're asking for trouble," Mary said.

"A wedding is as good a time as any to mend fences," Rose replied.

"Or to break a few more," Mary replied with a shake of her head before they moved on to their list of furniture and linens to scour the attics at the Abbey for.

-0-

"These social rules are enough to drive a man to distraction," Tom complained to Rose just after the family's return from London. "When we weren't engaged we were free to spend as much time together as we liked. The minute we are they won't leave us alone together."

"It doesn't help that you moved out," Rose replied. Tom had come over to bring Sybie to visit her grandparents and to give Rose a short driving lesson. Their wedding was in a week and Rose had a stack of things to attend to. Robert Crawley had made it quite clear they were not to be gone more than half an hour.

"It gets on my nerves being treated like a child, even though I know they are only doing it because they care about you and want things done right," Tom said with a sigh.

"How are you going to act when Sybie grows up and gets married?" Rose inquired.

"About the same," Tom said. "Maybe even worse. Did you invite many of your friends from London to the wedding?"

"One or two," Rose replied sadly.

London this year had been more difficult than she had thought it would be. When she had visited with her old friends their giddy chatter, smoking and frank talk about men and kissing had seemed hollow and contrived. Now that she knew what went on between a man and woman who cared about each other, she could spot many of her old friends bragging and brash talk for what it was, just talk. They really didn't know what they were talking about. As for the men she had met at the parties and soirees in London, they had seemed superficial in comparison to Tom. After a week of dress fittings and feeling disjointed with her friends, she had telephoned Tom and asked him to come to London for a few days.

He had come down for five days and brought Sybie with him. The two of them had taken Sybie on a few outings and taken some dance lessons at a studio. They had gone to a party where there was a dance competition and won it hands down. When Rose had introduced Tom to some of her old crowd the girls had gawked at his looks and clamored to dance with him. When Tom had ignored the passes some of the girls had made at him and only nodded politely at their silly chatter, they had moved on to more responsive men who didn't mind their shenanigans. He had felt bad for Rose, but moving on was part of growing up. He had gone through the same thing himself. His old friends around Downton that he had talked revolution and rebellion with now saw him as a sell out. He didn't have a thing in common with them other than to say hello on the street, he wouldn't have enough to talk to one of them about to fill five minutes. His life in Dublin and his friends there if he were ever able to return would be about the same. He doubted they would have anything left to talk about or if any of them would even want to associate with him.

"Rose, I don't want you to feel unhappy or isolated," Tom said as they reached the garage.

"I'm not unhappy and I'm not isolated," Rose replied looking at him directly. "My financial situation and what I want out of life has changed. My old friends don't seem to understand that. When I was in London it was like looking at a fishbowl where not a thing has changed in over a year while I have. I'll make friends in the area. You'll be so sick of my entertaining you'll beg me to stop."

"Hopefully I'll keep you entertained enough you won't need to fill up the house with strangers," Tom said suggestively into her ear once they were in the car.

"You're naughty," Rose replied with a laugh.

"I'm randy and you love it," Tom said with a chuckle.

"That I do," she said as she pulled the car out of the garage.

"Even without practice this last few weeks, you're doing well," Tom told her about ten minutes later. "The next time out we'll drive into Ripon and you can try parking and being in town. I think you're more than ready for it and your driver's permit."

Rose nodded and twisted her hands on the steering wheel. She turned onto a lane that ran along the fields nearest the house. She hadn't been saying much during the lesson.

"Rose what's the matter? You haven't changed your mind about the wedding have you?" he asked.

"No, I haven't changed my mind," Rose replied. "I love you and that isn't going to change. It's just…oh, I don't know how to say it."

"Whatever it is just say it."

"I felt out of place in London. I don't know how to describe it. It felt like I was watching the people there move about and I wasn't part of it. I want something more and I didn't know what it is," she said at last.

"Maybe you had better stop for a moment," Tom said with a sigh.

Rose pulled the car to a stop. Then turned to look at him.

"I want to be married, I know that. I'm certain of it, but the other, I can't put my finger on it. I just found the conversations and people didn't appeal to me anymore."

"What is it you think you want?"

"I don't know, an education maybe, but I don't think that is it. I'm always up for trying new things, but the things my old friends think are new and daring seem boring somehow," Rose said thoughtfully.

"Maybe you want something to occupy your time," Tom commented. "Why don't you look through some course descriptions? You don't have to go to school full time. A course here or there might help you decide."

"That could be it," Rose said. "I like to dance and this last while I've realized I like being around children."

"Since you're going to be a mother in a week, that is most likely for the best," Tom said with a chuckle. "You've got lots of time to think about it and the freedom to do as you like within reason. I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"Thank you. I knew you'd understand," she said with relief in her voice.

"I do understand. Try not to be so worred," Tom advised. "I know the wedding is taking its toll. It will soon be over and you'll have time to figure these things out."

"I am a little tense," Rose replied. She took the handbrake off, shifted the car into gear and headed along the road.

"Let's take the car back to the garage," Tom said thoughtfully. "I have an idea."

"What kind?" Rose inquired.

"You'll have to wait and see," he replied mischievously.

-0-

"Tom where are we going?" Rose asked as they walked through the gardens at a quick pace. She had never headed this way before.

"Did you know there is an old summer pavilion on the east side of the house?" he asked.

"I didn't know that," Rose replied.

"I'll show you. The gardeners set it up every year and air it out, but I don't think anyone comes out here much. I found it when I used to work as a chauffeur. I would go there once in a while in the summer to sleep when the nights were warm. No one ever noticed."

"It sounds romantic," Rose commented.

"A bit," Tom said.

"Did you take…?"

"No, I never took my first wife there when we were courting," he replied with a small smile. "Just you."

Rose nodded her understanding. They passed through a space in the hedges to see a small pavilion with climbing red and pink roses up one side and over half the roof. Three sides of the structure were trellised with a cot only barely able to be seen in the shade. It was quiet and secluded and couldn't be seen from the main garden. The area was surrounded by hedge. It must have been used years ago as a children's area.

"It's lovely," Rose said. "We should bring Sybie here to play."

"I thought we could play ourselves for a few minutes," Tom said.

"Tom, we'll be missed soon," Rose scolded him. "We only have to wait another week."

"Not quite what I had in mind," he said.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply once they were inside the shade of the pavilion. The cool of the pavilion after the warmth of the car made Rose shiver slightly. Tom maneuvered her so she sat on the cot, then took a seat beside her.

"Close your eyes," he said quietly.

"Tom what kind of game are you playing," Rose said with a smile curving her lips.

"One you might enjoy," he whispered in her ear. He pushed her back slightly into a lying position. She heard him move then felt his hands glide up her skirt as he pushed it up. The buttons on her drawers let go one by one. She was starting to breath faster and he hadn't really touched her yet. Tom undid her stockings as well pulled them down and off along with her drawers as she raised her hips slightly to accommodate him.

He nudged her legs apart then leaned forward to spread the lips of her vagina apart. "Lovely," he murmured as he took a moment to look at her in the light of day. "Just perfect."

Rose gasped as she felt his lips make contact with her. He ran his tongue along her, sucked softly on her nub then proceeded to explore her with his tongue. She gasped again as she felt his tongue plunge into her. She grabbed his hair and pressed herself harder against his face.

Tom turned his face and kissed her on the thigh.

"A little anxious are we," he said with a chuckle.

"Be quiet and take care of things," Rose murmured.

Tom obliged her by licking her fully again then slowly swirling his tongue over her before turning his full attention to her nub. Rose was withering and bucking against him. He slid one hand under her sweater to cup her breast while his other held her butt so she couldn't escape the intimate onslaught. It was only minutes since his intimate exploration had started when she was moaning in pleasure and the spasms were ripping through her.

Tom took his hanky from his pocket and wiped his face then started putting her stockings back on and tying them in place. She pushed herself up on her elbows.

"Would you like anything in return?" she asked. The bulge in his pants was unmistakable.

"We don't have time. They'll be sending a search party soon," Tom replied with a sigh. "Do you want to put your drawers back on or put them in your bag?"

Rose reached out and took her drawers from him.

"Thank you darling. That was lovely," she said.

"Feeling a bit better?"

She had stood up and was smoothing down her skirt.

"Yes, thank you," she replied then gave him a quick kiss before she stuffed her drawers into her handbag. "Just wait until next week. I'm not letting you out of the bedroom unless I have to."

They walked around the front of the house before they went back inside.

"You're looking very happy about something," Cora commented when she saw Rose and Tom.

"Tom says I can drive into town, day after tomorrow," Rose replied with a dazzling smile. "Good afternoon, Sybie, are you having a nice visit with Grandmamma?"

"Yes, tank you, Wose," Sybie replied.

"You don't have to stay, Tom. I'll see Sybie home after tea time," Rose said still smiling.

"I see I'm being dismissed for the afternoon," Tom said with a grin. "I do have a bit of work to get to."

"We have feminine affairs to attend to," Rose replied. "Don't let us keep you."

"Very well, then. Good afternoon, Lady Grantham," Tom said before he took his leave.

"What was that about?" Cora asked her.

"A surprise for Tom and I need you to help me, Cousin Cora," Rose replied excitedly.

Chapter 12 – Romance in the Air

"If any man can show just cause or impediment why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his piece," the priest intoned.

Annabelle, Rose's sister cleared her throat loudly. Kieran, glanced towards Annabelle and her husband in his morning coat with his clipped mustache and hair that looked like it took an hour to goop into place and rolled his eyes. His brother had a penchant for going after women from families with stuffed shirts. For all Kieran liked Rose and her free-spirited attitude, his new sister-in-law's sister was the embodiment of everything he disliked about the upper crust. There was no way he was wearing a morning coat. At least his brother wasn't living in that monstrosity that passed for a house any longer.

Kieran stole a quick glance to where his two-year-old niece in her flower girl dress was sitting on a pew with her nanny. Sybie had her basket of flowers clutched in her chubby hands and was watching her soon to be stepmother with rapt attention as if she were a fairy princess. Ivy was sitting beside her looking young and pretty. Johnny had come along with Kieran to see her. Kieran chuckled when he spotted Johnny sitting a few rows back gazing at Ivy with a lovesick expression. Johnny's mother had practically begged Kieran to bring him along to the wedding so she didn't have to watch her son moon over the letters he had exchanged with the girl.

"It will either shake him out of it or he'll get wed himself," Johnny's mother had said.

"He's not getting any younger. He needs to get her out of his system," Johnny's father had stated. He was getting a bit tired of watching Johnny moon over a girl he had only seen twice and barely knew.

"Like he's such an old man," Kieran had replied with a chuckle before he had invited Johnny to come along to keep him company on the train.

The rest of the church was full the Crawley family and most of the staff from the Abbey. Rose's brother, her sister and sister's husband were there as well. Kieran turned his attention back to the ceremony. Why anyone would want to get married was beyond him. He had no desire to have a wife to nag him to tidy up or interfere with how he liked to live. He went to the pub when he liked, read the paper in his drawers with his feet on the coffee table and found himself a woman for a brief toss in the hay when he felt the need. He didn't see the need to change a thing. His brother was just the opposite of him and always had been. He was tidy to a fault and seemed to feel the need to tie himself to just one woman. Kieran couldn't see why, but then it was his life. At least the reception was going to be a Scottish country dance of some sort tonight, not some stuffed shirt affair with champagne and boring speeches.

It felt like forever before all the prayers and vows were done and everyone was loaded up for the trip back to Downton. It was mid-afternoon when they arrived back to Tom's new place. Kieran corrected himself it was now Tom and Rose's place. The housekeeper had tea set out for them in the dining room.

"So you've broken down and gotten a full-time housekeeper?" Kieran questioned Tom when he saw the spread.

"It was that or starve," Rose said with a laugh. "My cooking lessons aren't going too well. I think I could burn water."

"You aren't that bad. You made a passable meat spread with toast the other day," Tom said in reassurance.

"If only we could live on pate and toast squares," Rose teased him.

Johnny was hovering in the doorway to the dining room waiting for Ivy to come back downstairs from putting Sybie down for her nap. The little girl had been asleep almost since they had left the church in Ripon.

"Why don't you take that girl of yours for a stroll?" Kieran said to him. "I can hang about and take care of my niece when she wakes up."

"You don't mind?" Johnny asked the room in general.

"I don't mind," Tom said. "What about you, love?"

"As long as you have the nanny back before Sybie needs her dinner and we have to head over to the Abbey for the reception," Rose added.

Johnny nodded and had Ivy by the hand and out the door as soon as her feet hit the bottom step.

"That boy's got it bad," Kieran said.

"Do you have anyone special in your life Kieran?" Rose inquired.

"No particularly," Kieran replied tossing back his tea and heading for the door. "I think I'll go out and mess about with your motorbike for a bit, Tommy boy. Maybe I'll take it for a short drive. I'll just let the housekeeper know to come and get me when Sybie wakes up."

He was out the door like a shot.

Tom couldn't help but laugh.

"Weddings and any talk of him getting married will make him run and duck for cover in a second," Tom said.

"I like your brother," Rose said. She got up and slid onto Tom's lap. "He says and does exactly what he thinks."

"Good job you met me first," Tom said before he kissed her.

"No contest," Rose replied looping her arms around his neck and playing with his hair.

"Ready to learn how to make a bed?" Tom asked her.

"Don't we have to sleep in it first?" Rose asked giving him a feather light kiss.

"Who said anything about sleep?" Tom replied smiling and picking her up in his arms to carry her up the stairs.

-0-

"It's ever so nice of you to come to see me," Ivy said shyly to Johnny as they were walking down the lane towards the main part of the village.

"I wanted to come before. The wedding seemed like a good reason to come," Johnny replied taking Ivy's hand in his. Ivy pulled her hand back.

"Johnny, people will talk."

"Let them. You're my girl aren't you?"

"I don't know," Ivy said. "Are you asking me to be?"

Johnny nodded.

"Then alright we can hold hands," Ivy said.

"Do you like being a nanny?" he asked.

"I like it better than being a scullery maid. Before that I was a maid of all work. Miss Sybil is easy to care for and Mr. Branson, Tommy, gives me lots of free time. Really how hard is it to play a few games with a little girl, read her stories and give her a bath? Do you like working in Liverpool?"

"It's right enough," Johnny replied with a shrug. "My Mam and Da brought us over a few years back. The wages are better here. I make twice what I could doing the same job in Dublin. I don't much care for all the strikes though. There's been two since the end of the war."

They walked on a bit until they came to the bakeshop. The window was decorated with all sorts of fancy cakes and pastries. Ivy stopped to look into the window. Johnny leaned against the wall and continued to stare at her.

"It was a lovely ceremony today wasn't it?" Ivy commented.

"I didn't notice," Johnny replied. "I was too busy watching you."

"That's hardly a proper thing to say, Mr. Cheeky," Ivy said blushing.

"It's proper because it's the truth," he replied. "Do you think you might like to come to Liverpool?"

"It would be nice to visit but I doubt Mr. Branson will again now that he's married."

"I didn't mean for a visit. I meant permanently."

"Johnny what are you asking?" Ivy inquired.

"I'm speaking up," he replied. "I'll do my best to take care of you and make you happy. I know you're parents might not be too happy with a Catholic boy from Ireland, but we can work it out if you're willing."

"Oh, I don't know. It's so sudden," Ivy replied. "I hadn't thought of moving that far away from my family. You said you don't like the strikes. You might decide to move on from Liverpool."

"You're answer is no, then?" he asked crestfallen.

"I didn't say that," Ivy said in alarm. "I want to marry you. I do. I would just like you to decide exactly where you are going to work first. I have a good job here. I wouldn't want to quit only to have you go on strike right away."

"You want to?"

"Yes," Ivy replied. She stopped him when he moved to kiss her. "Not out here on the street," she whispered. She took him by the hand and led him towards the churchyard. As soon as they were behind the hedge and out of sight of the main through-fare, she turned to him. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. When she didn't balk, he put his arms around her drew her a little closer and kissed her more fully. Ivy hadn't expected the shock that went through her when he kissed her the second time. It felt nice to kiss him. More than nice it felt wonderful. She could have stayed in the churchyard and kissed him all afternoon.

"Are they looking for welders in these parts?" Johnny asked as he slowly released her. His eyes were half closed and he didn't want to stop. The only thing that was holding him back was that they were in a Protestant churchyard. He was half expecting a lightening bolt to come down out of the sky and strike him dead.

"No, idea," Ivy replied. She was still clinging to him a bit. "You'd have to ask around."

"Then that's what we'll do," he said.

"You'd move down here?" Ivy asked surprised.

"If there's work," he replied taking her hand. "I get tired of the strikes. Welding farm machinery isn't that much different than steel plates. Ones about the same as the next."

"Maybe you would like to meet some of my friends later. They'll be working downstairs at the reception tonight. I have to be there to watch Miss Sybil."

"Is the place we're going for the reception as bad as Kieran said it was? All he did was complain about it on the train here."

"As a guest I wouldn't know," Ivy replied. "Downstairs is alright, but the upstairs is, well a bit overwhelming to say the least and I only have ever worked there."

"Then I'll stick to the downstairs. Tommy won't mind. He might prefer it."

"It's very odd when I'm with Mr. Branson when he's with his brother. To you he's Tommy. When he's here he's the Estate Agent and Lady Rose's husband, not someone to call by his first name. He used to be married to Lady Sybil before she died."

"What does it matter if he's a good boss? He takes his pants off one leg at a time like the rest of us."

"I guess it doesn't matter," Ivy replied. "There's a machine shop down that way. We can go talk to them if you like."

"I'll follow where you lead."

"You can meet my Mum and my brothers and sisters tomorrow at church. They come into the village on Sundays."

"That church?" Johnny asked cocking his thumb at the church they had just left behind them and getting a worried expression on his face.

"Yes, of course. Where else would they go?" Ivy replied.

Johnny swallowed. He was definitely going to have to say a few extra prayers. If he wasn't struck dead by an act of God when he stepped over the threshold, his mother would kill him if she ever found out he set foot in a Protestant church.

-0-

Kieran was back and wiping the dust off Tom's motorcycle once it had cooled down when the housekeeper came outside carrying Sybie. She had just woken up and was resting on the woman's shoulder.

"You should have called me. I would have come in and got her," Kieran said.

"I think I might stop out here for a few minutes, let the newly weds have some privacy," she replied with a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Oh," Kieran replied with his eyes opening up a bit. The housekeeper's name was Mrs. White. She was a pretty woman of about thirty with blonde hair and a soft voice. _"Trust Tommy to surround himself with pretty women,"_ Kieran thought. _"His new wife was beautiful, the nanny was a pretty girl and Mrs. White was a looker in her own right."_

"Will your husband be stopping by for you soon?" Kieran asked.

"I'm a war widow, Mr. Branson," she replied. "It's traditional for housekeepers to go by Mrs. but most people around here call me Liz."

"No one calls me Mr. Branson either, it's Kieran," he said. "Would you like to sit for a bit in the garden while Sybie runs about?"

"Well, I shouldn't," Liz replied.

"Never mind the should and shouldn'ts," Kieran stated. "I'm not some fancy pants like my brother. "It can't hurt to sit and chat for a few."

"Very well then," Liz responded with a smile.

Kieran couldn't help but smile. He was spending a half hour or so in the company of an attractive woman in the back garden of his brother's fancy new house. He could think of a lot worse ways to spend a late summer afternoon.


	5. Part V

Acts of Defiance- Part V - Chapters 13 through 16

Chapter 13 – Visiting Downstairs

Roses eyes slowly opened to see the light blue of the walls and ceiling in the bedroom she now shared with her husband. Her desire for his touch and the feel of him against her had been intense. The mutual touching and stroking they had indulged in during their engagement had satisfied the urge at the time. It had taken away the worry of an early pregnancy but it was nothing compared to the sensation she experienced when they were fully together. Their chemistry was so strong the desire was back as full force as it had been before after only a few minutes. She had never thought it could be like it was between the two of them.

"Happy?" Tom asked her. He hadn't moved yet.

"I will be when you're not squashing the air out of me," Rose replied.

Tom rolled onto his back and drew her on top of him.

"I'm so happy now, I could scream," Rose said.

"Don't do that. You'll wake Sybie," Tom said with a chuckle.

"I never thought I would marry a man with a built in family," Rose said. "Poor little dear having to eat my cooking."

"It will improve," Tom replied kissing her on the forehead.

"You're optimistic," Rose said with a chuckle. She snuggled her cheek against his chest and ran her hand over the muscle in his shoulder. No matter where she touched him he felt good.

"I think you're a very bright girl who can do anything you put your mind to."

"You my love are a boost to my confidence."

"And you're boosting something else of mine again," he said laughing.

"Tom are you going to be like this all the time?" Rose questioned. "You make me wonder if you're satisfied."

"It's so good I want more," he said pulling her up to kiss her.

"We have another four hours before we have to put in an appearance at the reception," she commented.

"And my brother said he would take care of our daughter this afternoon."

"Too good a chance to waste," Rose said with a smile as pushed herself up a little higher on Tom's chest and claimed his lips with hers.

"You are so handsome," she said wistfully.

"Wait until I'm an old man with grey hair," he joked.

"You'll still be handsome," she replied.

"And ready to bed you on a moments notice," he said before he pulled her close. "Love me?"

"I do. Love me even though I can't cook?" she said smiling into his face.

"I love you, very much," he said. His hair had fallen forward and was tickling her forehead. "I'll show you how much."

"Yes, please," was all she could say before his mouth claimed hers and sensation overtook her again.

-0-

The car arrived to pick up the bride and groom and the group from their house promptly at a quarter to eight. Johnny's eyes had rolled in fright at the sight of Tom's tuxedo. Kieran was wearing a plain suit and his was plainer still.

"Ivy says I can stay downstairs and visit with her friends, Tommy" Johnny said to Tom during the drive.

"Suit yourself," Tom replied.

"I wish I could stay downstairs," Kieran griped.

"Kieran you're the best man, you have to at least put in an appearance," Rose scolded him.

"For you my new sister-in-law, anything," Kieran replied turning on the charm.

"Scottish dances are fun," Rose said. "The staff is allowed to come up and join in as well. It's not as formal as a ball."

"I can dance too, Wose," Sybie piped up.

"You can call Rose, Mummy now," her father told her.

Sybie wrinkled her nose. "Mummy?"

"Daddy and I are married now. That makes me your Mummy," Rose told her.

"I'll dance with Mummy," Sybie proclaimed.

"Daddy will dance with Mummy and you'll wait your turn," Tom informed her.

"Daddy, don't boss me," Sybie said folding her arms and sticking out her lip. It was well past her regular bedtime. Despite her nap the excitement of the day was keeping her awake and putting her on edge.

"Miss Sybil, we'll go down and see Mrs. Hughes after you say hello to your grandparents and maybe Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Patmore. Would you like that?" Ivy coaxed.

Sybie brightened up and nodded her head. She loved going to visit the downstairs at the house.

Johnny's eyes almost popped out of his head when they pulled up in front of the Abbey. The outdoor lights were blazing and there was a line up of cars already formed to drop off the guests.

"Stay back with me," Ivy whispered to him as they got out of the car on the side away from the house. Kieran was carrying Sybie, so Ivy hung back then quickly moved Johnny away from the main entrance and around the back.

"I didn't think you wanted to go in and run the gauntlet of the aristocrats," she said.

"No," Johnny squeaked. "Bloody hell. I didn't think it would be like that."

"Johnny, mind your language," Ivy scolded him.

Ivy got him to the servants' hall and introduced Johnny to Daisy, Mrs. Patmore and her other friends at the Abbey.

"We're all going up for a dance or two after the speeches are done," Mrs. Patmore told them. "For now you can stay down here and have a drink with us. It's all finger foods and a buffet for the guests, the staff meal is ready and waiting. We can all sit and have a good chat until it's time to go."

"Thank you Mrs. Patmore," Ivy said. "I've got to get upstairs and see to Miss Sybil. She was a might fractious on the way over."

"So how did you come to rest down here?" Mrs. Patmore asked Johnny once Ivy had dashed off and she had poured him a cup of tea. The junior maids who weren't serving were giggling and gawking at Johnny. He was a good-looking young man and they had spotted him at the church earlier. There was more than one curious look as maids dashed back and forth retrieving things.

"My parents are friends of Kieran's, well I am too actually," he replied. "I met Ivy when she was in Liverpool with Tommy, so I came along for a visit."

"Tommy? You mean Mr. Branson," Mrs. Patmore asked.

"Aye, Tommy Branson." His response was greeted with another chorus of giggles.

"So why aren't you upstairs?"

"I'm not going up there with that lot," he replied in disgust. "Tommy's a good bloke but I'll leave him to it. Ivy's my girlfriend, fiancée actually."

Mrs. Patmore got a huge grin on her face.

"Just wait until our Jimmy finds out," she chuckled. She turned to call towards the kitchen. "Daisy, bring that bottle of sherry I keep on the top shelf of the pantry. We'll have a toast of our own when Ivy gets back with the little one."

-0-

"I want to dance with Wose," Sybie complained as Ivy took her downstairs. She was tugging back and trying to run to her new stepmother.

"Mummy said you can dance with her when we come back up," Ivy replied in exasperation. "If you don't behave, I'll have to tell Daddy. You don't want Daddy to get mad do you?"

"No. I want to dance," Sybie said.

"You can dance in a little while. Let's go see Mrs. Patmore," Ivy said.

"Ok, I like her," Sybie finally agreed.

"Hello, Miss Sybil," Mrs. Hughes said when she saw Sybie enter the servants' hallway. Isn't that a fine tartan sash you're wearing?"

Sybie did a funny bobbing curtsey. "Wose, I mean Mummy picked it out," she said.

"You look every bit the Scottish lass," Mrs. Hughes said. She took Sybie by the hand and lead her off to find her a treat from the trays that hadn't already been taken up.

"Thank you Mrs. Hughes," Ivy said.

"I'll be very glad to put the little devil to be tonight," Ivy said as she finally made it to the servants' hall and took a seat beside Johnny. "Weddings and fancy dances are too much for a little one like that."

"It's her father's wedding, she's allowed to be a bit on edge," Mrs. Patmore said. "Johnny here has told us the news. We've been waiting for you to come so we can have a toast. Too bad the butlers and footmen are all occupied."

Ivy blushed a bit and smiled.

"What's this?" Jimmy said sticking his head around the corner.

"Jimmy this is my young man, Johnny Brady from Liverpool," Ivy introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Jimmy said. Johnny had stood up. Jimmy looked him up and down. Johnny's strength from the hours spent working with the heavy metal plates was unmistakable as were his rough hands.

"Like wise," Johnny replied in his heavy brogue.

"Johnny tells us their engaged to be married," Mrs. Patmore said with a twinkle in her eye.

"What? Engaged? When?" Jimmy stammered.

"Just today," Johnny said. "We're heading back tomorrow night. I have to be back for Monday."

"What might you do for a trade?" Jimmy asked him.

"Welder at the shipyards," Johnny replied sizing Jimmy up. It was like a pair of young bulls getting ready to charge only their war was one of glares and words. "I make a tidy bit. Ivy will want for nothing."

Jimmy grimaced.

"You had best get a move on James," Mrs. Hughes scolded as she came back.

Sybie had a plate with two tarts on it. She plopped it on the table in front of where Johnny had been sitting and promptly climbed on his knee as soon as he was seated again. She took one tart off the plate and tried to stuff it in his mouth, before he seized it and took a bite.

"Thank you for the tart, Sybie," he said.

"You're welcome Johnny. I want to go to your house again and dance."

"You remember that do you?"

Sybie nodded before she started in on her tart. Ivy quickly grabbed a napkin and tied it around her neck before she got her dress dirty. Daisy had brought a tray of glasses to go with the sherry. Once the sherry was poured they had a toast. Johnny leaned over and gave Ivy a quick kiss on the lips.

"Me too," Sybie declared looping her arms around Johnny's neck and giving him a smacking kiss on the lips. Everyone in the servants' hall laughed.

"Two girls instead of one," Johnny said with a chuckle.

"You've certainly made a hit with our young Miss here," Mrs. Hughes said.

"I'll be getting jealous, Miss Sybil," Ivy said with a chuckle.

"Do we get to dance soon?" Sybie asked with a yawn. She was starting to curl up against Johnny to go to sleep.

"As soon as Mr. Barrow comes," Mrs. Hughes said.

They sat and chatted a bit more until Thomas showed up a few minutes later and signaled for them to come upstairs.

"I suppose I can't get out of this?" Johnny asked. He was carrying a half-asleep Sybie against his shoulder.

"No, you can't. You're here now," Ivy said. They headed up to the great hall. Johnny was even more in awe than he had been out front and couldn't stop gawking at the ornate ceilings until Kieran came over to him.

"You're lucky you got to hide out downstairs," he said quietly. "The old one over there is the Dowager Countess. She's an old battle axe if there ever was one."

"The dances don't look all that hard," Johnny commented.

"Not that much different than our get togethers but to listen to this toffee nose lot you'd think they were," Kieran said. "How's the little jigger?"

"Tired. She should be in bed," Johnny replied.

"Lady Rose gave strict instructions I was to keep her up until we came upstairs," Ivy said.

Lord Grantham came over to retrieve his granddaughter.

"This is our host Lord Grantham," Kieran said. "This is Johnny Brady. He's the man who came with me from Liverpool."

"Welcome to my home," Robert replied shaking Johnny's hand. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Yes, quite fine, Lord Grantham," Johnny replied.

"I see my granddaughter has taken a shine to you," Robert said. Sybie had her arms around Johnny's neck and wasn't looking like she was going to let go.

"She knows a good man when she finds one," Kieran said. "Don't you darling?"

"Come and dance now Sybie," Robert said.

"I want to dance with Johnny," Sybie whined.

"You can dance the next set with Johnny," her grandfather said.

Sybie nodded and allowed her self to be set on the floor. She went off with her grandfather by the hand.

Tom was surprised when Robert brought Sybie by the hand as his partner for the next reel.

"We've been working on a little surprise for you darling," Rose said before the music started.

Sybie cutsied to her father across from her. She skipped around her grandfather and then back to the center to circle with Rose. They had to guide her a bit here and there but she made it through the simple reel. Her two-year-old skipping was bit jerky but she managed to keep in time with the music. At the end of the dance her father picked her up and hugged her tight.

"You did a very nice job of your dance," Tom said to her before he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to dance with Johnny next," Sybie informed him.

"What about Uncle Kieran?" Tom said with a smile.

"Him too," Sybie said.

"One more dance then it's off to bed for you," Tom said.

"Oh, Daddy," Sybie whined then yawned. She squiggled down from his arms and ran off through the crowd in search of her new found interest. Tom spotted her a few minutes later up in Johnny's arms. Kieran wasn't far off and Ivy was with them.

The next dance was one they all knew well from their own get togethers. Kieran and Johnny had Sybie and Ivy dancing with them. When it got too much for Sybie and she almost fell over, Kieran picked her up in his arms while he danced. When the music stopped Sybie did too as she fell asleep on her uncle's shoulder.

"It's off to the nursery for this one," Tom said as he collected his daughter from his brother.

"I was thinking I might walk back to the house," Kieran said.

"Had enough already?" his brother asked.

"I guess the day tired me out," Kieran replied.

"Go on with you, you're up to something. I had better not find flour in my bed."

"Not tonight, Tommy boy," Kieran said slapping him on the back. "I got something else on my mind."

"Your not going to say what it is?"

"No," Kieran said with a grin and a wink before he made for the front door.

It was well after midnight by the time Tom and Rose collected Johnny and Ivy and headed home with Sybie wrapped in a blanket.

"Was it the reception you wanted, love?" Tom asked Rose on the short ride.

"Yes, it was," she replied with her head leaning against his shoulder.

The porch light was on when they got back and a light in the hall. Tom spotted a crack of light coming from under the kitchen door. He handed Sybie to Johnny who headed up the stairs with her followed by Ivy. Tom went over and pushed the kitchen door open to find his brother with his lips firmly planted on the housekeeper's. From the looks of things they had been at it for quite a while.

"Kieran, what the hell are you doing?" Tom said.

"Giving Liz here a kiss goodnight," Kieran replied. "What does it look like?"

"You know damn well what it looks like," Tom retorted angrily. "You need to treat my employees with respect."

"Am I disrespectful?" Kieran asked Liz.

"Not that I noticed," Liz replied with a small smile.

"Kieran, just go to bed," Tom said in exasperation. He turned and went upstairs to spot Johnny kissing Ivy goodnight in the corridor outside of the nursery. "I give up," he said throwing his hands in the air.

"What's the matter darling?" Rose asked him when he came into their room.

"I caught my brother snogging the housekeeper in the kitchen and the other one snogging the nanny in the hallway," Tom replied.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Rose said with a chuckle. She was already in bed and snuggled down. "Hurry up and come to bed. I'm cold."

"You're not worried?"

"No, Ivy can make her own decisions as can Mrs. White. If they say no, the men will respect that. If they say yes, well, they might just have a little fun like we did this afternoon," Rose replied with a smirk.

"It's scandalous," Tom said in disgust as he flopped into bed. He rolled over and pulled his new wife close. "Good God, now I sound like old lady Grantham and Robert Crawley rolled into one."

Chapter 14 – Trying a New Way

Tom was just about to reach for Rose for a bit of morning undercover gymnastics when the door handle on their room turned and a small form dashed across the room and climbed onto the bed.

"Wake up Daddy. Wake up Mummy," Sybie chirped. She was still in her nightdress.

"Tom looked at the bedside clock to see it was already nine thirty. Much later than he usually slept but today was the first day of his new marriage and he was entitled once in a while.

"Where is everyone?" Tom asked rubbing a hand over his face to wake up.

"Ivy is going to church with Johnny. It's her free day. Uncle Kieran said I should come up and see you. It's Mrs. White's free day too."

"That it is," Tom replied.

"What time is it?" Rose grumbled from her side of the bed.

"Time to get up and help me get dressed," Sybie said.

"It's nine thirty," Tom replied.

Rose groaned and rolled over.

"Welcome to parenthood without a house full of servants," Tom said.

Rose rolled over and looked at Sybil with one eye open.

"Have you had breakfast, Sybie?" she asked.

Sybie nodded. "Uncle Kieran made it."

"You go pick out something to wear and I'll be right there," Tom told her. He was as naked as the day he was born under the covers. He wasn't about to get up and show his daughter his bare bottom.

"I'll be down in a bit," Rose said. "No time like the present to try out my cooking."

"You can try dinner tonight," Tom replied. "I'll make the breakfast."

Rose was thanking her lucky stars she had found a man who knew how to cook. By the time she was bathed, dressed and downstairs Tom had soft-boiled eggs and toast waiting for her. She had only made soft-boiled eggs once. She had overcooked the eggs slightly and one had cracked when she dropped it in the pot too hard and made a gooey white mess over the other eggs. She had made a mental note to use a spoon to put them in the pot the next time.

"Romance must be contagious, neither of those two are back yet," Rose commented in mid afternoon. That morning she had Sybie help her tidy up Sybie's room and then pulled the covers this way and that in an attempt to make her and Tom's bed. He had finally shown up and helped her with it. Now they were just past luncheon and Rose was occupying herself with sorting out the cards from the wedding gifts.

"Speak of the devil, here comes Johnny but no Kieran," Tom replied glancing out the window.

Rose had been thinking it was time to head into the kitchen and try making the stew for the dinner. She had the instructions written out and wanted to try on her own but the way she cooked it was going to take her most of the afternoon.

"I'm going to start dinner," she said.

"May I come to help?" Sybie asked.

"Yes, you may," Rose replied.

"If you have problems just call," Tom said.

"Who would have thought the greatest adventure in my life would be standing in front of a cooker," Rose said with a laugh.

Johnny came into the house and immediately came to find Tom.

"Tommy, I wanted to ask your help with something," he said.

"What is it?" Tom replied.

"I've spoken up for Ivy and she's accepted," Johnny said.

"She's a fine girl. I wish you every happiness."

"She isn't too keen on moving to Liverpool, with all the strikes and the troubles with the Dockers she's worried we'll both wind up with no job," Johnny said. "She'd like to stay close to her Mam as well."

"Ivy is a sensible girl. Once you've been on the short end of things you think about it more," Tom replied. "It's made me a lot more cautious, after my last bout."

"I was wondering if you knew of any shops in these parts looking for a welder. I stopped by the machine shop here the other day, but it wasn't much of a set up."

"Mr. Jarrod is getting too old," Tom replied with a sigh. "He hasn't got a clue with any of the newer machinery that's coming along. I'll ask about in Ripon. Thursk isn't far either and there's lots of farms out that way as well needing work. It can't be too hard to find something. Leave it with me. I'll ask around and let Ivy know what I come up with."

"Thanks Tommy. I knew you were a decent bloke even though you've turned yourself into a toff," Johnny rib him.

"I'm not a toff," Tom replied with a laugh. "I dress the part to shut them up and go about my business. There's still a rebel hidden under all the finery."

"Ireland shouldn't be that much longer before she throws off the yoke," Johnny commented.

"At least the south will," Tom replied with a sigh. "I'm well out of it, even though I have little choice in the matter. What train are you taking back?"

"We were planning on the seven but I have no idea where Kieran has got his self off to. Ivy is visiting with her Mam."

"Don't remind me about Kieran," Tom made a face. "I'll just go check on how Rose is getting on."

"Where is she?"

"Cooking or attempting to," Tom replied with a chuckle.

The two men went into the kitchen to see Rose standing at the sink. Sybie was on a chair beside her with a tea towel tied around her waist as a makeshift apron.

"How's it coming?" Tom asked peeking into the pot then checking the temperature. Rose had managed to brown the meat even though it was cut into irregular chunks she had it on low heat, so she wouldn't burn it. She had chopped up some onions and thrown them in the pot as well. _"So far, so good," _Tom thought.

"Slow," Rose replied. "I don't know how the housekeeper and Mrs. Patmore manage to peel vegetables so quickly."

Johnny glanced in the sink with a rueful expression to see a bunch of carrots with large gouges out of them. The skin was left on in some spots. The potatoes weren't faring much better.

"Practice," Tom said. "Just one fluid motion is better." He picked up the peeler and finished up the carrots in a flash.

"You make it all look so easy," Rose said with a sigh.

Tom nodded to Johnny who got the cutting board from where it was leaning on the wall and a knife. He had the peeled vegetables chopped and into the pot in no time. Tom dumped some water into the pot, and added salt and pepper.

"You didn't burn it this time," Tom said reassuringly. He fiddled with the controls to bring the pot up to a boil.

"I'd best go up and get packed," Johnny said.

Sybie held her arms out to him to be picked up.

"Ivy's got some competition," Tom chuckled.

"Maybe I'll put you in my case and take you along," Johnny said to Sybil.

"May I go to Johnny's house?" Sybie asked her father.

"Next time we go to Liverpool," Tom replied. "Johnny might come back to visit again."

"She's a smart girl. She knows a handsome man when she sees one," Rose said with a smile once Johnny had headed upstairs with Sybie in his arms.

"Takes after her new mother," Tom said pulling Rose close for a kiss. He released her then turned the stove down. "Wouldn't do to burn it after you were so careful not to."

It wasn't half an hour later when they found Johnny asleep in an armchair in the sitting room with Sybie on his knee busily thread ribbons around his head and attaching hair clips into his hair.

"He has so much patience with her," Rose marveled. "My brother would have never put up with a second of it."

"Oldest of a large family, he gets that or worse on a regular basis, if I don't miss my guess," Tom said. "He's asked Ivy and she's agreed."

"So we'll need a new Nanny soon?"

"Hard to say what will come," Tom replied.

Sybie hopped down and went off to find something else to play with. Ivy returned a short while later to see her new fiancé asleep with his hair looking a mess. She woke him up so they could spend the last few hours together. Kieran showed up not too long afterwards whistling a tune and looking taken with himself.

"Kieran, where have you been?" Tom demanded.

"Went to meet Liz's family," Kieran replied. "You have one mighty fine housekeeper. I might have to steel her from you."

"You had best not be trifling with the staff," Tom warned him.

"She's not that type of woman," Kieran replied. "Time to get packed."

"Why did I invite the two of them here?" Tom griped to Rose.

"Weddings are contagious," Rose replied with a grin before she went to check on her stew.

-0-

"What do you mean, you're teaching dance classes at the parish hall. Robert this is most unsuitable, say something," Violet Crawley stated. It was late-October. Tom and Rose were over for dinner at the Abbey. Isobel Crawley was over as well. Rose had decided to start a dance class at the Catholic Church hall in Ripon once a week as a way for them to meet other couples that liked to dance in the area and make some new friends. The class was so popular she had spoken to Mr. Travis about having a class at the parish hall in the village. Ivy had pointed out that there were many young people in service who would like to attend, so a second class was set up for late evening once a week so servants could attend as well. Rose was happy with the classes and the way things were going. She and Tom had already received a dinner invitation to a lawyer and his wife who lived in Ripon and were planning to go to the nightclub in York with another two couples also of upper middle class backgrounds.

"I need something to do, Great Aunt Violet. People want to learn the new dances and some of the trickier moves. There isn't anywhere close by for them to do that. No one wants to work from dawn to dusk anymore and never have any fun," Rose replied. "Most of the young people who work here at the Abbey attend the classes."

"I can't say I think it's a suitable occupation for someone of your background Rose," Robert stated.

"It's not an occupation, Lord Grantham," Tom said. "The classes are a bit of fun and a fund raiser for the churches. There's a collection box for the church. It gives people some fun and helps the church at the same time. Mr. Travis was by to the last class and has asked Rose to set up a dance as a fundraiser for the hospital in the next while and maybe another at Christmas."

"You can't argue with fundraisers for the church and hospital, Mama," Cora contributed.

"I think it is a fine goal to give young people something to occupy their time that is a bit of good, clean fun," Isobel commented.

"What is your mother going to say?" Violet said ignoring Isobel. She still wasn't convinced these modern dances and goings on were suitable pursuits for a young woman of noble birth or something the staff should be involved in. "You can't mean to tell me you're socializing with the staff now."

"We're not socializing with the staff, my husband and I are teaching a dance class. There is a significant difference," Rose replied with a frown. "Jimmy and Alfred both come to the classes as do most of the maids and Mr. Barrow. We aren't there on a social basis with any of them."

"Is this true Alfred?" Violet demanded of him while he was holding a tray for her.

"It's a good opportunity to get out and meet the folk working at the other houses here abouts, milady," Alfred replied. "It helps the church out at the same time and Lady Rose and Mr. Branson are very skilled dancers and good instructors."

"Honestly Great Aunt Violet, people don't want things as they were. The privileged set has made a mess of things. People need to learn new ways."

"Here, here," Isobel said.

"The old ways suit me just fine," Violet replied with a sniff. "You're going to try something that backfires one of these days, Rose."

"I've already done that living in the old ways and they didn't suit me," Rose replied. "What would any of you do if one day the staff was suddenly gone? Would you be able to make yourself a cup of tea or poach an egg? Believe me it is a lot harder than it looks."

"I highly doubt any of us will live without staff, Rose," Robert said.

"Cousin Robert, my parents have lost everything, if Daddy wasn't in the foreign office their lives would already be much different. Most of the couples Tom and I have met and that we're getting to know are from titled families or families that have fallen on hard times. Their situations have changed and they have to work, live on charity or starve in the street. Things aren't what they once were."

"I hate to change the subject but we have a bit of news," Tom said picking up Rose's hand. "In another eight months or so, we're going to have a little one."

"That is good news," Cora replied with a smile. "Tom are you going to weather this well?"

"I won't be easy but I think everything will be fine. We live close to the hospital and Rose won't be doing any heavy work during the pregnancy. We won't take any chances. Rose will be in hospital at the first sign of a twinge. She wants to take a course or two at the college in York but that will wait until next fall after the baby is here," he replied.

"My goodness, finally good news to write to your mother," Violet said. "I'm glad to see you're being sensible about this. I wouldn't do to take any chances."

"I'm going to be fine," Rose said with a reassuring smile at Tom. "You don't have to wrap me in cotton wool."

"Every woman needs a little cotton wool when she is with child, dear," Cora replied. "Are you getting a new nanny. Yours is getting married isn't she?"

"They'll be married next week. He's got a job in Ripon. We're giving them two of the servant rooms to use, one as a bedroom, the other as a sitting room and he'll bus in to Ripon for work. So we won't need a new nanny," Tom replied. "They'll take their meals in the kitchen with the housekeeper since Ivy helps out with the cooking anyways."

"Sybie adores Johnny. Things should work out well," Rose added.

"Isn't that the working class Irish boy who was here for you're wedding?" Robert questioned.

"That's him," Tom replied.

"He seemed like a fine lad, when I met him," Robert commented.

"I thought you'd have something to say about a guest to our wedding marrying one of the staff," Tom said with a chuckle.

"As has been pointed out to me repeatedly, times have changed," Robert said.

Chapter 15 – Family

Tom was surprised when his brother showed up with Johnny the morning of the day Ivy and Johnny were to get married. Kieran was wearing a new suit, had a fresh haircut and had his mustache neatly trimmed. It looked like he had taken a great deal of care when he had shaved that morning and his nails were neatly trimmed and scrubbed free of grease.

"Kieran, I'm surprised to see you," Tom said giving his brother a hug then turning to shake hands with Johnny.

"Things in Liverpool are a bit slow. There's another strike looming," Kieran replied. "I closed up for a few days and thought I'd come along and help out with the luggage."

"U-huh," Tom replied. Johnny had shown up at the station with one case and another box of things his mother had sent along to Ivy to help her set up their rooms.

"I told you I would visit more if you didn't live in the big house," Kieran responded.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me find a post and making space for us at your place, Tommy," Johnny said.

"It's no bother," Tom replied. "There's five servant rooms but we'll never have more than one or two people to help. Two is almost too much for me, but Rose is really struggling with the household chores. Her cooking is getting a bit better, but she needs help. The women have been fussing and clucking to no end over you're arrival. They've made over two of the old bedrooms into sitting rooms, one for you and Ivy and one for Mrs. White. Rose ordered an entire lorry full of furniture from the second hand dealers in Ripon. I'll run you over to Ripon to meet the new boss and find your way around after we've had a cup of tea and bite to eat. They'll be plenty of time to get to the church for the wedding later."

"I can't believe I'm getting married in a Protestant church," Johnny complained with a sour expression.

"Cheer up. You're marriage will be mixed the same as both of mine, but it works out. This way some of Ivy's friends can come for a bit of a reception at the hall after work. If it was over in Ripon at the Catholic Church, even her family would be hard pressed to get there," Tom said.

"He's nervous about what comes after the ceremony," Kieran said laughing and slapping Johnny on the back. Johnny's face was as red as a beet.

"You're going to like that part a great deal," Tom said with a large smile.

Ivy had gone over to her mother's for the day, since it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the day of the wedding before they met at the church. Tom took Johnny up to see where he would be living now. Johnny was impressed. The furniture in the rooms was nice and sturdy if not new. They had a double bed, armoire and chair in their bedroom. The other room had two arms chairs, with a hassock by the grate, a bookshelf and a small table with a wall lamp above and two chairs. The women had put up some flowered curtains and there was a nice rug on the floor with a handmade one in the bedroom. It was more space than he'd had back at his parents sharing a room with two of his younger brothers and hanging his clothes on a peg on the wall. Despite the fact that he had a good trade, the family had had to save constantly to offset the down times from the strikes and lay offs.

"Get unpacked and I'll see you back downstairs," Tom said. Kieran had already disappeared off into the house somewhere. It didn't take Tom long to find him chatting up the housekeeper and trying to help her while she was making sandwiches.

"Kieran stop pestering the woman and let her get on with things," Tom said rolling his eyes slightly. The reason for his brother's tidy appearance and showing up unexpectedly was more than obvious.

"Until later," Kieran said to Liz.

"I'm looking forward to it," she replied with a smile and slight flush.

"Kieran, you bloody keep your hands off her," Tom warned as they went into the sitting room.

"Did you keep your hands off yours before you were wed?" Kieran countered.

"That's different. I had every intention of marrying her," Tom replied. "We're talking about you not me."

"She's already told me not without a license," Kieran said with a grin. "Maybe I'll have to get myself one of those. By the way, where are Rose and Sybie?"

"Over to visit the Dowager," Tom said. "There's some snooty somebody or other visiting from London and stop trying to change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject," Kieran replied innocently.

"You, married, or even thinking about it? I can't believe it," Tom said.

"It's your fault for surrounding yourself with beautiful women," Kieran replied. "One in your bed and another two taking care of your house and daughter. I've been thinking maybe I need one of my own."

"You are so full of it," Tom said. "I've got a few other things for you to do since you're here for a few days. You can help me look for a car. It would be better to have one of my own with Rose expecting and I've got a bit of a job with one of the farms. You might have some ideas. Let's go see if Johnny is down and the lunch is ready."

-0-

"Holy Christ," Kieran exclaimed the next day when they went out to Westhills Farm. The workers were on the second day of the bonfire. It was huge and they were still bringing wheelbarrow loads of junk and paper to toss on the fire. It would probably go on the rest of the week if not longer. Junk was being moved out of the outbuildings and sorted onto piles for the scrapers. Once the junk was out from under cover and in the light of day it was even more overwhelming than it had been before.

"I evicted the tenant who did this," Tom said. "Some in the village think I treated him poorly, but I know it was the right thing to do. The older tenant farmers around here are glad he's gone. The only good thing out of it all is I've kept the ten unskilled men on we would normally lay off over the winter. It's an expense we didn't need, but I'm glad to give them employment at the same time. I might be keeping them right through until planting next season."

"You're not one of the Estate Agents we heard of so often back in Ireland," Kieran replied reassuringly. "You did what you had to do. I wouldn't put up with this either. It's a shame to see a farm that was probably quite nice once, turned into a trash heap."

Tom spotted the foreman of the crew he had working there. The foreman told them they had just finished emptying the house. It had taken three days. Tom took some notes and told him he would let him know when he had arranged for the first of the scrap lorries to start the hauling. There was more than enough piled up already for two or three loads.

"We'll take a look at the house," Tom said.

Inside the paper was hanging off the walls and the cabinets were all but ruined. There was evidence of mice but otherwise the house seemed to be still sturdy even though it needed scrubbing, paint and repairs.

"I think you need a few barn cats out here," Kieran commented.

"I think you're right," Tom replied. "I might get some brought over for a few days from the stables. They can lock them in the house with food and water. The crew can keep an eye on them. It will drive the mice out. I don't expect they'll have this place cleaned up and ready for the repairs before Christmas."

They went outside to take a look at the roof.

"By the way, why were you sleeping on the sofa this morning. Is there something wrong with your room?" Tom inquired. There was an old wooden fence that was crumbling. Tom made a note of to have the foreman toss it on the fire as well.

"What's right over my room?" Kieran asked him with a crooked grin. "I'd say Johnny and his new bride caught onto things pretty quick once they had turned in."

"Oh," Tom said in understanding. "I'll have Mrs. White move you to the other guest room."

"I don't know that would be much better. It's right next to yours," Kieran replied with a chuckle.

Tom's face turned red.

"I'll find you a pair of ear muffs then," Tom said.

"Might be best," Kieran replied with a smile.

-0-

"You've got a cinema in the village but no decent machine shop or an auto repair?" Kieran asked a few days later over breakfast.

"No, not a decent place to look for a car either in the entire area. There isn't a thing that interests me in the papers," Tom replied. "I didn't particularly want to buy new. A trip down to Coventry to look at the manufacturers' show rooms might be in order as a last resort."

"You could make a killing doing repairs and selling cars in these parts," Kieran said.

"I already have a lucrative job that keeps me hopping," Tom replied. "Maybe you should think about it. Set up in Ripon or even in York."

"Or maybe somewhere here about," Kieran replied. "Rent is usually cheaper in a small place."

"If you're serious, I'll cut you a good deal on a place," Tom said.

"I'll think about it," Kieran replied. "I should go back tomorrow or the next day. There's a good trade with the taxi companies in Liverpool, but every time there's another strike things slow down. I might be able to find you a car for a good price."

"It would be nice for Tom to have family closer, Kieran," Rose contributed. "It would be good if you were closer for the children as well. Heaven knows they won't see my brother or sister very often. Edith is seldom here and Mary is occupied with her own life now and always in London."

"I've got showings to do all morning. We can go around the vacant buildings in the village after lunch," Tom said.

"That'll do," Kieran replied.

-0-

"Oh, no," Rose groaned two weeks before Christmas. She was going through a stack of letters that had just arrived.

"Bad news?" Tom asked. He was seated at the desk in their drawing room going over paperwork of his own. The weather was terrible and he had decided to stay in and catch up on some filing and letters.

"Mummy has decided to come for the birth of the baby," Rose replied. "Annabelle will probably show up as well and Daddy's sisters. Ooof, I'm dreading the entire experience now," Rose said.

"If they come we'll park the lot at the Abbey. That will be a bit better," Tom said. He got up and went to sit beside her on the sofa. "You're happy here with me aren't you?"

"I am happy," Rose replied. "We have a good circle of friends now and we're going out often, the dance classes we put on were popular and a bit of fun. Even volunteering to help with the children's Christmas concert has been a good experience. It's nothing I would have been able to do before. I'm more concerned that you're happy living this life that is somewhere between the aristocracy and the middle class."

"I can't deny I feel the pull of Ireland. It looks like the south will gain it's freedom any day now, but your happiness and Sybie's is more important now. You're well taken care of and we're living a good life. That's what matters."

"You definitely have taken care of me at least twice a day since we've been married," Rose whispered in his ear.

"Is it any wonder we're having a babe straight away," he teased with a smile.

"Tom after this one, I want to use birth control for a bit," Rose said. "I've decided I want to go to school and get a teaching license."

"Won't that take a long time?" Tom questioned.

"Only a year for teaching children under ten," Rose replied. "I don't want to teach at a school or anything but I was thinking, I would like to be more knowledgeable about our own children's education and I might like to hold some dance classes for children. There's quite a community for Scottish dancing but of course I don't know too much about it. It's not like I was ever allowed to be involved in anything so _middle class_."

"I'm pleased you've made up your mind to something you'd like to do," Tom said. He hugged her close for a moment. "We have to get through this baby and see how it goes."

"You're worrying about the birth, aren't you?"

"I'll be glad when it's done and over, I can't lie to you."

"Dr. Clarkson says everything is completely normal so far. Don't worry."

"How can I not?"

"I must admit, I'll be glad when Kieran gets here with the new car. I don't like walking in the cold."

"Another holdover from your days in luxury?" he teased.

"There were some perks to being an aristocrat. Like never having to dust or make myself a cup of tea or make a bed," Rose teased back. "I could never manage a house completely on my own, but I don't think I'm doing too badly as a middle class wife."

"No not too badly at all," Tom replied before his lips found hers.

"Let's go up stairs," she said.

"No, here is good," he said starting to undo her buttons.

"Tom, ooh, someone could walk in."

"Sybie is napping, Mrs. White has gone to the shops and Ivy is off somewhere in the house and Johnny is at work," he said between kisses.

"Lock the door, just to be safe."

By the time he was to the door and back he had his shirt and vest open and his tie was off.

"Anxious?" Rose asked as she finished pulling off her dress.

"It's been hours," Tom replied leaning over to kiss her before undoing a few more pieces of clothing. Rose shivered slightly with the cool of the room despite the warmth coming from the fire in the grate. She grabbed a blanket from the sofa and went over to spread it in front of the fire. She had just finished spreading it and was on her hands and knees when Tom kneeled down behind her and undid her bra. He reached around her to take off her garter belt and drawers. Rose didn't bother to turn around just laid down on her stomach instead. Tom rubbed her back starting with her shoulders and working his way lower. His lips followed the trail of his hands down her spine. He nudged her legs apart and rubbed her intimately with one hand while he continued to rub small circles on her lower back.

Rose was biting her knuckle trying to stop from moaning too loudly.

"You like that?" he whispered to her.

Rose could only nod. He urged her back up onto her hands and knees then slid him self into her while reaching around to continue to stroke her intimately.

Rose gasped when one of his hands found her breast. She dropped herself to her elbows and pressed herself onto Tom harder. She could feel him throbbing inside her. His erection was as hard as a rock and the rhythm was stroking a spot inside that was making her want to cry out with pleasure. The sensation built to a fever pitch until suddenly she was twisting every which way as her orgasm broke through her with wave after wave of intense feeling. She opened her eyes in surprise. She had climaxed before but never with this intensity. He'd had to hold onto her to preventing her from from pulling free while his own spasms rocked him into her for the final few thrusts.

"That was intense," Rose said. "It must be something to do with the pregnancy."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Tom asked with concern. Rose turned around to look at him.

"No, it's just something felt different, like it was more. I've been craving you this last while. Almost like that jar of pickles I ate last week but better."

"I'm glad to know I rank right up there with a jar of pickles," Tom said laughing.

"You know what I mean," Rose said leaning forward and resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Let's lay here for a moment before we get dressed."

"I love you, Rose," Tom said once they were lying together in front of the fire. He had pulled the blanket so it was covering them. "I never thought I'd be happy again when Sybie's mother died, but I am. I couldn't be any happier if I tried."

"I love you just as much," Rose said. "I think it's time to call Sybie by her proper name now. I don't want her having a governess. I'll teach her the finer points myself."

"If you think it's best," Tom said.

"I do. I want our children to have the best of both worlds. They can have the formal side and understand it and have the love and company of their family they way you were raised."

"Modern enough for you?" Tom asked.

"Just enough, thank you," Rose replied with a smile before she rolled over and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she got up.

Chapter 16 – Family Decisions

The next evening Tom followed by Rose walked into the kitchen where Ivy, Johnny and Mrs. White were having their evening meal. Sybie was over with the Crawley's overnight since Mary was home. Sybie loved nothing better to go over and play with her cousin as well as visit the staff downstairs.

"Don't get up or disturb yourselves," Tom said, when everyone started to get up. Their home was casual but there was still a fine line between the staff and them. Tom and Rose took their meals in the dining room when they were home but Johnny still called them both by their first names. "My wife and I have had a call from my brother. We've almost reached a decision but we wanted to talk it over with all of you first."

"Whatever it is sounds ominous, Tommy," Johnny replied.

Tom held a chair for Rose and then took one for himself.

"Kieran had a call from our mother, which is unusual in itself. She wouldn't spend the money on the call unless things were desperate. It seems our cousin, Dalaigh was killed in an accident. His wife passed away a few years back. He's left two boys aged four and three. They're with my mother now. No one in the family wants to take on the extra burden and she's not a young woman anymore. She's having a hard time of it. She's afraid the two of them will be sent to the workhouse if anything happens to her. Lady Rose and I are thinking of taking them. Kieran would but he has no way to care for them through the day."

"Poor little nippers," Johnny said. Ivy nodded her agreement. It wasn't an uncommon story. Before Mr. Branson had taken over as Estate Agent there had been more than one orphaned child in these parts sent to the workhouse. Now it was a last resort and there wasn't a one that had been sent there in the last two and a half years.

"If we do bring the children over it would mean a great deal more work for everyone. We have no idea what kind of upbringing the children have had so far. They are young enough they should accept my husband and I as their parents but the transition won't be easy," Rose said.

"Begging your pardon Lady Rose and Mr. Branson. I can't hold with children being sent to the workhouse when there is a roof waiting for them," Mrs. White replied.

"I know it's a lot to ask Ivy. You've already got Sybie to see to and the baby will be here next spring. It would double your work in an instant. There could be quite few problems," Tom said.

"Mr. Branson, I hope you don't mind my frankness but you know what service is. My post as Sybie's nanny is much easier than the years I spent as a scullery maid or a maid of all work. You couldn't be better to my husband and myself. I'll make do."

"What do you have to say to all this, Johnny?" Tom inquired.

"I'd have to agree with everyone else. The workhouse is no place for man nor beast let alone a pair of little ones," Johnny replied.

"You know they'll probably pester you worse than Sybil does," Tom said seriously.

"It won't kill me," Johnny replied with a grin.

"We'll discuss it a bit more and let you know what we decide," Tom said as he and Rose got up to leave.

"What do you think?" Tom asked Rose when they were in the sitting room with the door closed.

"It's easy for them to say," Rose replied with a sigh going over to put her arms around Tom's waist. "Staff come and go, but we'll be their parents for the rest of our lives if we take them."

"I think we should. We have the help and we can afford it," Tom said hugging her for reassurance.

"I think we should as well. It couldn't have come at a worse time. I can just hear my mother and sister when they show up."

"Ignore them. It's our lives and our decision," Tom replied. "One thing about it, they'll have parents who know how to have a good time." He got a crooked grin on his face. "I'll send a cable to my mother and go talk to a lawyer in the morning about the legalities of it all."

"I'll be twenty-one and a mother of four," Rose said wide-eyed as the realization hit her.

"Mummy and Daddy from the day they arrive?" Tom asked.

"I think it's best. We want them to think of us as their parents. They're so young most people won't guess they're not from your first marriage."

"They could be little devils."

"Or little angels."

"Let's just hope they're not carbon copies of Kieran," Tom said with a laugh. He gave her a quick peck before he headed down to the cable office to contact his mother and brother and get things started.

-0-

"Tom, Rose, this is a big step," Cora said when they told the family the news. "Are you sure? Rose you're expecting. You have to take care of yourself."

"We're going to take the children, Cousin Cora and raise them as our own. We'll have them call us Mummy and Daddy. Sybil is young enough she should accept them. The boys are only three and four, too young really to remember much of their life in Dublin. Their mother died two years ago. They most likely don't remember her at all."

"Who's been taking care of them?" Robert inquired.

"Passed around from relative to relative while their father was working from what I understand. Now their father isn't there to pay for their keep no one wants the added burden," Tom replied.

"That seems rather harsh," Robert said.

"When people are barely getting by, it's hard to take the food from your own children's plates and put it on another's," Tom said seriously. "We have more than enough to go around and we have a housekeeper and nanny which will ease the load considerably."

"Tom, what kind of upbringing have these children had so far?" Mary asked.

"One of doing without, I would suppose," Tom replied. "I don't really know. The last time I saw my cousin and his wife, was before I left Dublin. They were happy enough living in a flat and the younger one was due any day. They weren't well off by any standards but they were happy."

"This all won't make much difference in a few months. They'll learn our ways," Rose said. "In a year or so they probably won't remember anything about their life in Ireland."

"Are you going to get more staff?" Mary asked.

"We'll stay as we are now and see how things go," Tom replied.

"Rose, you mustn't overtax yourself," Cora said with a worried expression. "You've only been married for a few months. This is a big step for newly weds."

"I won't over do things. Ivy and her husband are there to sit with the children when we're out and Mrs. White is there as well. I was planning to take a college program in the fall, but I will think about that closer to the time."

"When are they arriving?" Robert asked.

"Tomorrow," Tom said. "I'm taking the early train to Liverpool. My mother is coming with them. She'll stay until the first of the year. It looks like my brother will stay in Liverpool to see her back then move his business down here."

"Is he planning to stay with you?" Robert asked with a frown.

"No. He's so messy, I can't stand him these days for more than a short period of time," Tom replied with a grin. "I think he feels about the same about me. I've asked him to purchase two cars for me, one for Rose and myself and a second one for the staff here at the house. He's found two for a good price in Liverpool."

"The staff have always gotten around well without an automobile," Robert commented.

"The chauffeur does all the errands and uses the Renault or town car. Something smaller and less costly to run would be more suited and cheaper in the long run," Tom replied. "One or two of the staff could be trained to drive as well. It would speed things up a bit around here if you had parcels to retrieve or supplies to pick up. It won't be until after the first of the year anyway."

"I wish you well," Robert said. "I just hope you're not biting off more than you can chew."

-0-

The next morning Tom took the early train to Liverpool. It was a three-hour ride. He stepped off the train to be greeted by Kieran.

"The ferry will be another two hours," Kieran said. "You ready for this?"

"Ready or not there isn't much choice," Tom replied.

"No, no, I suppose you're right," Kieran replied seriously. "How's Liz doing?"

"If you mean my housekeeper she sends her regards," Tom said.

"I've got both your cars back at the garage," Kieran said. "Business is terrible with the strike. Stupid buggers stopping work over the holidays. Do they think the owners really care at this time of year?"

"Do they care at any time of year?" Tom asked him.

"Good point," Kieran replied.

They took a bus to the area where Kieran lived. Tom couldn't help but whistle when he saw the automobiles Kieran had lined up for him. They were both late models with obviously very little road wear. Tom had wired Kieran the money so he knew Kieran had purchased them for a very good price.

"Soon as the pinch is felt in the pocket, the frills start to go," Kieran said.

"Very nice," Tom said. "I'd like to drive one back today, but I'll have to see how Mam and the boys are before I decide."

"How's your wife taking to the idea of two boys to raise?"

"She's optimistic and doesn't see that our lives will change all that much since we have staff. I'm not quite as optimistic as she is. We have no idea what we might be getting ourselves into."

"Mam will have straightened them out if they were little buggers," Kieran said.

"Like she straightened you out?" Tom said with laugh.

"I turned out just fine," Kieran replied with a chuckle.

"After you wreaked havoc with half the neighborhood," Tom teased him. "There wasn't a girl you didn't kiss or an outdoor loo you didn't tip over."

"Just a bit of fun," Kieran replied with a grin.

-0-

Tom was struck by how much older his mother looked in the three years since he had seen her last. She was always such a going concern, but now her hair was almost completely white and she looked tired. She smiled when she spotted her two sons waiting for her and came towards them with two little boys by the hand. It was like looking back in time. Dalaigh had born a strong family resemblance to both Kieran and Tom. The boys were exactly like their father and so much like Tom when he was a boy they could easily pass for his offspring. The boys were shy and shrunk back behind his mother when they saw him and Kieran. The younger one had an old stuffed dog in his hand Tom recognized from when he was a child.

"It's good to see you, Mam," Tom said kissing his mother on the cheek. Kieran greeted their mother and kissed her as well.

"Come along, Davin and Redmond. You need to meet my son. He's going to be your new Da," Mrs. Branson coaxed.

The boys slunk back farther behind her skirts. Tom got down on one knee. Kieran knelt down as well.

"Which one of you is Davin and which one Redmond," Tom asked. He knew Redmond was the oldest but he thought it best for the boys to introduce themselves.

"You look like our real Da," a frightened voice came from the oldest one.

"He was my cousin," Tom replied. "We all look a bit alike. This is my brother. He's your Uncle Kieran now."

"Are you Redmond?" Tom asked the little one. A finger pointed to his brother.

"So you're Davin?"

The little boy's only response was to pull Mrs. Branson's skirt over his face. The air was cold and making the boys' noses drip. Redmond wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve.

"None of that now," Kieran said. He produced a hanky from his pocket and wiped it over the boy's nose.

"Maybe we best get everyone back to Kieran's for a bit, Mam," Tom said.

"I'll just get the bags," Kieran added.

"Now you two can call me Daddy from here on," Tom said to them. "You've got a new sister and a Mummy waiting for you when you get home. Aunty Marjory is your Gran now."

"Nobody calls their Mam and Da that," Redmond said.

"You're in England now," Tom said calmly. "That is what our daughter calls us and we want you to do the same."

"How long are we staying?" Redmond asked. He was only four but he had been sent from door to door so often it was the first thing he asked.

"When we get home you'll be there for good," Tom replied.

"We best get a move on before we freeze down here on the docks," Kieran said when he returned with the bags.

Tom moved to pick up Davin but he shrunk away so violently he almost knocked Tom's mother over.

"Davin, let your Daddy carry you," Tom's mother said. "It's too far to walk and I can't carry you."

Finally Davin came towards Tom enough he could lift him into his arms.

"That's a fine dog you have there," Tom said to him. Davin hid the stuffed toy behind his back. "You know I had one just like it when I was little. I called him Rex. He had a spot under his ear from when I cut my finger and got blood on him," Tom continued as if nothing were amiss. Davin pulled the toy dog around the front and checked his ear. Sure enough the old brown spot was still there. He held it up for Tom to see. "Must be a relation," Tom said.

"It's your dog," Davin said at last.

"Yours now. What are you calling him these days?"

Tom looked over to see Redmond walking between his mother and Kieran.

"Bouncer 'cause his ears bounce. See," Davin said. He shook the toy up and down so the dogs ears flopped.

"That's a fine name for a dog," Tom said. "Around home there are lots of dogs who work with sheep. They do all sorts of things depending on how you whistle."

"Do you have a dog?" Davin asked entranced.

"No, I don't but Lord…my boss does. He's my father-in-law but I'm not sure what you're going to call him yet. Sir, for now I think."

"What's his dog's name?" Davin was chatting up a storm now the ice was broken.

"Isis. She's a retriever. She brings birds when you shoot them."

"Do you live on a farm?" Redmond asked finally.

"I run a kind of farm, but we live in the village," Tom replied.

"We'll need to give the boys a bite of lunch," Mrs. Branson said. "I don't suppose you have anything in that mess that passes for a flat, Kieran."

"As a matter of fact, I tidied up a bit since I knew you were coming," Kieran replied. "We can just stop at the bakeshop and pick up a meat pie or two on our way."

"We'll get some supplies for the trip to Downton as well," Tom said. "Sorry Mam, but I was planning to drive back."

"Do you think it's best?" his mother questioned.

"We have two cars to move down and the roads should be clear if a bit cold. We can bundle the boys in a few blankets from Kieran's. I could drive back on my own and leave you to take the train with the boys but I rather not leave them now that they're here," Tom replied. "Kieran will drive the other one down in January once he sees you back to Dublin."

It wasn't long and they were back to Kieran's flat. The boys ate their lunch with a few reminders from Tom's mother to say please and thank you. Redmond was a bit old for a nap, but she insisted he lay down with his brother in what had been her bedroom on her last visit.

"They're worn out from the grief and the uncertainty," she said once she came back to join her sons. "I've thanked God over and over you're taking them, Tommy. I didn't know what I was going to do."

"What are they like Mam?" Tom asked.

"So like you when you were a boy, it's like looking back in time," she said wistfully. "They're a might shy and clingy. I've been working on their manners. Keep them busy and you shouldn't have any problems."

"They're not like Kieran, then?" Tom asked.

"All boys are a bit like Kieran," his mother replied with a smile. "He was always all boy without a dot of your interest in books or dreams. Now tell me about my new daughter-in-law and what the two of you have planned for Christmas."


	6. Part VI

Acts of Defiance - Part VI - Chapters 17 through 20

_Hi All: I'm still working on the next section so probably won't have the next few parts out quite as quick. I'm pushing to complete a document for a reforestation project I am volunteering with but still poking away at the story when the mood hits. Thanks for all the kind comments. I guess this story is for the little rebel inside all of us. When I was younger my parents refused to allow me to drive a convertible. As soon as I was old enough I bought a motorcycle to commute to university and now I won't have a car that isn't a convertible. Via la rebellion! _

Chapter 17 – Meeting the Mother-In-Law

Tom quickly learned the favorite expression of two little boys on a long drive was, "Are we there yet?" He had the two boys bundled in the back seat with blankets and another blanket from his brother's for his mother to wrap up in and keep warm. The drive back would take about four hours. The train ride really wasn't that far but with all the stops at small towns the ride was longer than if it had been a direct train. After the tenth "Are we there yet," in the first hour, Tom stopped at the first general mercantile he spotted. He returned with a stuffed toy for Redmond and a picture book with cowboys and Indians in the hopes it would occupy the pair of them enough to keep them quite for the next hour or two. The ploy worked for about an hour until the boys needed a bathroom break.

"I think my life is going to be a series of bathroom breaks and nappy changes over the next few years," Tom said to his mother once they were all settled back in the car.

"Never mind, son. You'll have a host of children and grandchildren to keep you company in your old age. Unlike me."

"You've got children and a grandchild already, Mam, if you would ever come to visit."

"And spend all that on a ticket? I think not," his mother said scornfully. "So what's this woman Kieran's got his eye on like?"

"How did you know?"

"His flat was tidy and so is he. He's getting ready to move from a decent spot. He's chasing a skirt or I'd miss my guess."

"She's nice, sensible and attractive. She's my housekeeper if you must know. You'll have more than enough chance to get to know her," Tom replied shaking his head. His mother always could read Kieran like a book.

"Has he spoken up yet?"

"Not that I know of," Tom replied. "When he does I'll be hard pressed to find another housekeeper that does as good a job."

"And you're new bride. What's she like?"

"Beautiful," Tom replied with a smile. "She's different. Rose is an aristocrat by birth even closer to royalty than my first wife, before you ask." Tom cut his mother off. "She's modern and always trying new things. Some of what she gets up to you might find shocking but she's a good mother to Sybil and spends a great deal of time with her. Rose is trying hard to learn cooking and a bit of housekeeping. She wants to go to college and become a teacher."

"Well, that's something at least," Tom's mother said.

"She has a good heart, Mam, she wants to take the boys in and for them to accept her as their mother."

"I can't fault her for that."

"Just try to be accepting. She has her own ideas about a great many things."

Tom was thanking his lucky stars when the boys fell asleep for part of the trip. As soon as they woke up it was time for another bathroom break. They arrived at the house just as Redmond asked, "Are we there yet?" for what felt like the thirtieth time after their last stop.

They went in to find everyone in the house lined up in the entrance in a bit of a receiving line.

"Mrs. Branson how very nice to meet you at last," Rose said coming forward to meet her mother-in-law. "Welcome to Clairehome House. I'm Lady Rose."

Tom's mother was speechless at first.

"Very nice to meet you, Lady Rose," she replied. "These two are Redmond and Davin your new boys."

"How do you do?" Rose said to each of them formally. She graced them each with a dazzling smile. Both boys shrunk back to hide behind Mrs. Branson. Rose's smile faltered slightly.

"They're a might shy, darlin'," Tom said. "They'll catch on to things soon enough. Davin, Redmond, Lady Rose is your Mummy now. You mind what she says and be kind to her, you hear."

Both boys nodded.

"Come and meet our daughter," Rose said to Tom's mother. Her training was standing her well and her smile was back in place.

"How do you do, Gran?" Sybie said with a curtsey. She wasn't in the least shy. After living at the Abbey and being introduced to one aristocrat or another and surrounded by staff her entire life, she accepted new people without a blink.

"Quite well, now that I'm here and get to meet you," Tom's mother replied with a smile.

"How do you do, Davin and Redmond?" Sybie said with a second curtsey. "Which one is which?" She asked her father suddenly forgetting her training.

"Sybil, manners," Rose reminded her.

"Yes, Mummy," Sybil responded.

"This is Redmond and the other is Davin," Tom said. "They need you to show them around the place in a minute or two. Boys this is your sister, Sybil."

"Hello," Redmond said quietly. Davin pulled back but was watching Sybil thoughtfully.

"This is our nanny, Ivy," Rose continued down the line. Ivy curtseyed to Mrs. Branson. "Our housekeeper Mrs. White." Mrs. Branson received another curtsey "And Johnny Brady. He is Ivy's husband. He helps out with Sybil from time to time and anything heavy around here."

"You work here?" Mrs. Branson asked him.

"No, I just live here with my wife," Johnny answered. Mrs. Branson's eyebrows went up at the sound of his familiar brogue. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Branson. You were to my parent's in Liverpool but I doubt you'd remember me."

"You know my other son?" Mrs. Branson asked in surprise.

"Aye, Kieran and Tommy here introduced me to my wife. You need a hand with the bags, Tommy?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Tom replied. "I'll just help Rose get everyone settled."

"We'll show you you're rooms before dinner," Rose said. "Once everyone is freshened up we'll have dinner. I made a trifle for dessert. Hopefully, it won't be too dreadful."

"Did you make the entire meal, Lady Rose?" Mrs. Branson inquired.

"Rose, please and heavens no. Mrs. White made most of the meal. I'm still learning and I didn't want to torture you too much on your first night. It looks like a trifle aught but goodness knows on taste. I'd never cooked a thing until just a few months ago," Rose said with a slight laugh.

"Why do people call you Lady Rose instead of just Rose?" Redmond asked. He was following them up the stairs with Tom and his brother. Sybie was up in her father's arms.

"Because my father is a Marquess and my brother is a Lord. That makes me a Lady. A peer of the realm if you must," Rose replied.

"What does that make us?" Redmond asked.

"As my son's you will be called Master Redmond and Master Davin by the staff and people in the village," Rose said.

"Oh," Redmond said wrinkling his brow. "I don't get it."

"You will," Rose replied. "You must remember to call me Mummy."

"Mrs. Branson, you'll be in this room," Rose said opening the door to a bedroom with walls with pink rose wallpaper. "Johnny will just be a minute with your bags. The washroom is across the hall."

"It's lovely, Rose," Mrs. Branson said.

"Thank you," Rose replied.

"Redmond and Davin, you'll share a room until you're older. You're on the far side of the day nursery from Sybil," Rose said. "We'll rearrange things a bit once the baby comes."

"Day nursery? What's that?" Redmond asked. Davin was hiding his face against Tom and peeking at Sybil.

"Come and see," Sybil said. She squirmed down from her father's arms. She opened the door and went into the nursery. She stood on a small stool by the light switch so she could reach.

Davin blinked in shock at the books and the toys, mostly dolls, neatly placed on shelves along the wall. There was a rocking horse and dollhouse as well a children's sized table and small chairs.

"I have supper here when Mummy and Daddy have friends over," Sybil said. "Mummy said we'll get some boy toys for you, too."

Both boys walked across the room as though transfixed by the shelves of toys.

"You don't have time to play right this moment," Rose reminded them. "You can play here tomorrow morning after you have had your breakfast."

Davin backed up and then started to squirm.

"Tommy, bathroom," his mother said nodding at Davin.

Tom scooped Davin up and swiftly took him to the washroom.

"We'll just go see the boys' room," Rose said shushing everyone out the door and turning off the light.

"Are you rich?" Redmond asked Rose.

"It's not a polite question, Redmond," Rose told him. "You're going to meet quite a few people over the next few days. You must never ask them about money."

"Yes, Mu…Mummy," he said a bit crestfallen.

"It's alright," she said kneeling down in front of him. "You live in a world now with a great many rules. It's going to take time to learn them all. The answer to your question is that we are not rich. Your new father works very hard and has a very good job. We appreciate what we have and don't want for anything. Do you understand?"

Redmond nodded but kept looking down.

"This is your room," Rose said flicking on the light. She showed the little boy into a room with a double bed with a wooden frame, armoire, dresser and a thick rug beside the bed. The paintings on the walls, furnishing and bed cover were obviously of high quality and not cheap even to the eyes of a child.

"This is for us?" he asked with his eyes wide. Tom came back with Davin.

"For now," Tom said. "When the baby comes we might have to shuffle everyone around a bit. Mummy will have a baby in the spring. Time to wash your hands and face Redmond and Sybil. Mummy will help you with it."

"Yes, Daddy," Sybil replied. She went over and took her new brother by the hand and lead him off to the washroom with Rose following along.

"I didn't expect anything this grand, son," Mrs. Branson said to her son as they made their way back to her room. Johnny had come upstairs with the bags and left them in the hall.

"It comes with the job, Mam. It's a lot less grand than what Rose is used to. We're trying to meet half way," Tom said.

"She's a bit formal with the boys," his mother said worriedly.

"She's completely relaxed compared to how she was raised. You'll like her when you get to know her," Tom replied confidently.

-0-

The first meal as a family was a bit of an ordeal in Rose's eyes. She had asked Mrs. White to prepare a three-course meal with soup to start. Her mother-in-law had looked at the cutlery on the table questioningly and the two little boys had slurped their soup until Tom had scolded them about it. Ivy had joined them to help feed Sybil but the moment she had turned to Davin to wipe the soup off his face he had pulled away.

"It's alright, Davin," Tom reassured him. "Ivy is here to help care for you. She'll see to getting you up and you're breakfast in the morning. She won't hurt you."

Tom had gotten after the boys again when they ate with their mouths open and made loud smacking sounds while they chewed. Rose was visibly cringing. Sybil was happily sitting in her high chair that was pushed up to the dining room table attempting to feed herself with help from Ivy. The boys were starting to nod off by the time the trifle was brought in.

"Just a small portion for each of the children," Rose instructed. The boys shoveled down their portions and were done in a blink. The both burped when they were done. Rose didn't scold them as there was time enough to correct the issues with their manners after they had settled in a bit.

"It's customary to say excuse me when you burp," Sybil informed them. She was a perfect imitation of the words she had heard from Rose often enough.

"Sybil mind your own plate," her father instructed her.

"Excuse me," Redmond said.

"Me too," Davin added.

"Don't bother with baths tonight, Ivy," Rose said. "I think the boys have both had enough for one day. Sybil can wait until tomorrow as well."

"Of course, Lady Rose," Ivy replied as she got up and wiped the children's hands. She moved to take the boys out of the dining room. They both dashed behind Mrs. Branson's chair.

"I'll come along and get them into their pajamas," Tom said. "Sybil you may join us in the boys' room for a story once you're changed."

"Do you need me to help, Tommy?" his mother asked.

"We'll try on our own, Mam," he said. "We can call you if we run into problems. You can sit with Rose in the drawing room. I'll see to the fire in a moment. Rose shouldn't be doing it at the moment."

"I can do it well enough myself," his mother replied rolling her eyes.

"Suit yourself," Tom said.

"You did well with the trifle," Mrs. Branson commented when she stood up and started to collect the plates.

"Leave the dishes. Mrs. White will be through in a minute to collect them. You're a guest," Rose said.

"I don't mind, dear," Mrs. Branson replied. "I'll just stack them up to make it easier."

They went through into the sitting room that doubled as the drawing room after a few minutes. The fire in the grate had died down. There was a basket of wood sitting off to the side.

"I wish you would let Tom do that," Rose said as she took a seat. Mrs. Branson pushed two logs into the fire before she sat down.

"Already done," she said matter of factly.

"I'm not supposed to do too much. Dr.'s orders," Rose said. "If I lift anything heavier than a feather, Tom has a fit."

"When are you due?"

"Late May," Rose replied. "I'm very glad you've come for a visit. Tom missed his family terribly when he lived at the Abbey. It's beautiful but not a place the average person would like to visit."

"I've heard all about it from my other son," Mrs. Branson said.

"Kieran complained bitterly when I put him in your bedroom on his last visit," Rose said with a smile.

"Kieran's keen on a married woman?" Mrs. Branson asked.

"Mrs. White is a widow. She's quite nice when you get to know her," Rose said. "She's been very kind to Sybil and myself. She's given me quite a few lessons on cooking. I'm happy my trifle turned out. The last one I forgot the sugar. It was rather tasteless."

"I'll show you a few of Tom's favorite dishes while I'm here," Mrs. Branson offered.

"That would be very kind. I can manage most things for breakfast now as long as they don't require a sauce. I've learned a few soups and stews as well and I can make sandwiches but don't ask me how to make bread. I haven't a clue," Rose said.

"What does my Tommy have to say about you not being able to cook?" Mrs. Branson asked.

"He wanted me to learn enough that I wouldn't starve and can manage on the days when the staff is off," Rose replied. "So far I'm managing not too bad, but it still takes me a terribly long time to get everything done. Do you enjoy pheasant? We planned on pheasant for Christmas dinner. We thought we'd have the meal here rather than over at the Abbey this year."

"I don't think I've ever had it," Mrs. Branson replied a bit alarmed.

"Nothing to worry about. I won't touch it, so it won't get ruined," Rose said. "Oh, there's Tom back. How did it go, darling?"

"Asleep by the end of the first page," he said as he came in and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"They are rather sweet and look very like their new father," Rose said.

"Try not to be too strict with them, they've had a hard go of it," Mrs. Branson commented. "Their still grieving for their father."

"They'll have a good life with us," Tom reassured her.

"They will have the best of both worlds," Rose commented. "Formal training that will allow them to pursue any occupation they like when they get older and a family that spends time with them. It will take some training to teach them all the manners and customs they need to know to fit in with the family, but it will come."

"They need love as well," Mrs. Branson scolded.

"They'll have it," Rose replied stiffening her back slightly. "People from my class do love their children, we just go about things a bit differently."

"Rose is a good mother, Mam," Tom said. "Sybil adores her. The boys will too. Just give them a bit of time to get used to things."

Chapter 18 – Breakfast with Rose

"What's this?" Mrs. Branson asked when she came downstairs the next morning with the three children and Ivy. She had helped Ivy get the boys dressed and make their bed as the boys were still wary of the English lady Ivy who was there to take care of them.

"Mrs. White has her day off," Rose replied. "I made breakfast."

"Oh, I see," Mrs. Branson said. The dining room table was laid with silver and fine china with a crisp white napkin at each place. There was a bowl of eggs on the sideboard, with a plate of toast cut into dainty triangles.

"Good morning, Mummy," Sybil said as she came over to kiss Rose.

"Good morning, Sybil," Rose replied.

"Good morning, Redmond," Rose said. She went over to kiss the little boy on the cheek. He stood there and accepted the gesture but made no move to respond. Davin had already climbed up on his chair. He had a large pillow to sit on since he was about six months older than Sybil and too big for a high chair.

"Good morning, Mummy," Redmond mumbled.

"You may take your seat," Rose told Sybil and Redmond. She went to Davin and said good morning, giving him a kiss as well. She decided not to scold him for not waiting. A table manners lesson was in order this morning. She had a feeling it was going to be a very long breakfast with her mother-in-law looking on disapprovingly. Once Sybil was in her high chair, Rose dismissed Ivy.

"I'll handle breakfast myself, Ivy," Rose said.

"Yes, milady," Ivy replied with a bob and headed out the door.

"Did you all get washed up and make your beds?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Redmond said.

"Yes, Mummy," Sybil replied. Davin still wasn't saying anything.

Mrs. Branson had gone to the sideboard and was putting the eggs into the waiting eggcups.

"Please don't trouble yourself, Mrs. Branson," Rose said. "I thought I'd give the children a lesson on dining room etiquette this morning."

"It's no bother," Mrs. Branson replied. She moved to set an egg in front of each of the children and was about to cut the tops off. When Rose spoke again.

"Please let me do this my own way," Rose said more sternly.

"Very well," Mrs. Branson said and went to take her seat.

Rose put two toast slices on the bread plate at each spot. Davin made to snatch his.

"Please wait, Davin," Rose said. "Mummy wants to show you how to place your napkin and open your egg by yourself."

Davin dropped the offending toast slice back onto the plate and got a worried expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Mummy isn't angry," Rose said as she took her seat. "Now each of you pick up your napkin like this and place it on your lap." Rose demonstrated. Sybie did quite well as she had many lessons on unfolding her napkin over the last six months or so. The boys managed to get the cloth onto their laps.

"Now pick up your knife, like this," Rose showed them step by step how to take the top off their egg in one movement. She had to get up and go around to help the younger two. Mrs. Branson reached over and helped Redmond. Redmond leaned forward and was about to suck the egg out of the shell, when a word from Rose stopped him.

"Take your spoon, this one," Rose indicated which spoon on the table. "Hold it like this then scoop up some egg, put it on your toast and take a bite." The boys and Mrs. Branson looked at her like she had lost her senses but the boys did as they were told. _"So far so good," _Rose thought. _"They all needed work on how to hold their spoons but at least the boys were eating with their mouths closed this morning."_

"You're all doing very well," Rose praised when the children had finished their eggs. She knew better than anyone what constant criticism did to you. "Who would like a piece of toast with jam?" She passed out more toast, and removed the eggcups then went through the process again of showing them how to put the jam on their toast. The children were all a bit awkward but it would come she thought confidently. Everything was going fairly well until she filled each of their cups half with tea and half milk. Both boys promptly poured the tea into their saucers, shuffled the saucers to the side of the table and began slurping the tea from the saucers.

"Boys, No!" Rose said more forcefully than she had planned. Both boys stopped what they were doing and looked like they were going to cry. "It's alright," Rose said patting one on the hand and the other on the shoulder from where she was standing behind them. "Mummy will show you how to use your cup. Then you will know how. You'll be able to show Daddy at lunch how much you've learned." She took the saucers and poured the contents back into the cups. Sybil was busy trying to pour her tea and milk into her saucer as well.

"I want to try their way," Sybil proclaimed.

"No, Sybil. You know how to hold a cup," Rose scolded stopping her by placing the cup back on it's saucer. "You may demonstrate for your brothers." Rose was hoping with crossed fingers the gesture would smooth things over.

"Like this," Sybil said. She picked the cup up by the handle and used her other hand to steady the opposite side.

"That's very good, Sybil," Rose said. She helped each of the little boys position their hands on the cups before she took her seat again. _"Time to divert the next disaster before it happens,"_ Rose thought. "When you've finished your tea, you may clear your dishes to the tray on the side board," Rose said. "We do that every breakfast and lunch since we don't have a butler. Then you come back and stand by your chair to ask if you may be excused."

Mrs. Branson rolled her eyes slightly but didn't interfere.

"What's a butler?" Redmond asked.

"A man who works at your house and answers the door and serves the meals. He is in charge of the staff. He runs things," Rose replied.

"My Grandpapa has two butlers," Sybil piped up. "Mr. Carson is nice. He has sweeties in the drawer in his office. Mr. Barrow lets me help wind the clocks sometimes."

"Can't your Granddad answer his own door?" Redmond asked.

"I guess," Sybil replied with a shrug. "It's just how it's done."

"Oh," Redmond said.

"May I get down now, Mummy," Sybil asked.

"Yes, you may," Rose replied. She went around the table and helped Sybil out of her chair. All three children put their plates and cutlery on the tray.

"May I be excused?" Sybil asked.

Rose waited for the other two to ask as well. When they stood there and stared at her, she reminded them to ask as Sybil had done.

"Sybil take your brothers to wash their hands, then you may all go to the nursery to play. I'll be up to play with you in a few minutes," Rose said.

"All right, Mummy," Sybil replied. She took Davin by the hand and started leading him out of the room. "What do you want to play with first? I have a top but I can't make it work."

"That was exhausting," Rose commented when she took her seat and poured herself another cup of tea. "Would you like another cup?"

"Don't mind if I do," Mrs. Branson said. "Do you really think all this dining room nonsense is necessary?"

"Yes, I do," Rose replied. Her feelings were a bit hurt. She was trying her best. "My mother and family is coming for the baby's arrival and all of the children will be expected to attend functions at my Cousin Robert and Cora's. A great deal will be expected of them. Table manners are important. They show courtesy to the others in attendance and I want the children to fit in and be accepted as my own."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Mrs. Branson backtracked. "It's just so much for the two boys when they've only just arrived."

"They will learn," Rose said with some of the stiffness going out of her spine. "It will take some doing. In a year or so, they will have the manners and the table services memorized to the point where it is second nature. Tom had a very hard time learning it all as an adult. It is easier to learn as a child."

"Where is Tommy this morning?"

"He had to go check on one of the flocks and he had some stops to make. He'll be back in time for luncheon. I best get upstairs to the nursery," Rose said. She took her dishes to the tray. Mrs. Branson followed suit. Rose carried the tray into the kitchen where Ivy was preparing the vegetables for the noon meal.

"I'll be in the nursery with the children, Ivy," Rose said.

"Who does the washing up?" Mrs. Branson asked.

"I'll see to it, Mrs. Branson," Ivy said.

"No, I'll do it," Mrs. Branson said. "You don't see to it yourself, Rose?"

"No, I do some cooking and light housework. Tom does the washing up if the staff is off," Rose replied. "Please come up and join us if you like."

"I'll be up in a bit," Mrs. Branson replied. She shook her head slightly once her daughter-in-law had left the room.

-0-

Rose was exhausted by the time luncheon rolled around. The boys had become very quiet when she entered the nursery and stopped playing with the pile of blocks they had on the floor. It had taken quite a bit of coaxing to get them to let her help them with a top or include her in the make believe game they were playing. Davin had climbed onto the rocking horse and Redmond had pushed him off. Rose scolded Redmond for pushing and explained pushing and hitting weren't allowed. She had them pick up the toys before luncheon. The boys weren't used to having so many toys to play with and were so overwhelmed it was making them fractious. Rose had been glad when her mother-in-law put in an appearance while they were picking up.

"How did it go?" Mrs. Branson asked her once the children had gone to wash their hands.

"Slow and difficult," Rose replied. "Davin seems to need to go to the washroom constantly. I must have made ten trips to the washroom with one or another of them this morning."

"He'll grow out of it," Mrs. Branson replied.

"I think an after lunch nap is order for me as well as for them," Rose said. "Thank goodness lunch is only soup and buns."

-0-

"Hello, everyone," Tom said with a smile when he got home just before noon. Everyone was in the drawing room waiting for him. The children had a picture book open on the floor and were looking through it. "How was the morning?"

"Interesting," Rose replied after she had given him a kiss.

His mother didn't say a word.

"Daddy," Sybil exclaimed as she came over to worm herself between Rose and Tom and be picked up.

"Have you been showing your new brothers the ropes around here?" Tom asked her.

"We played with the toys. They drink their tea like this," Sybil made a loud slurping sound. "Mummy got mad."

"You just never mind, Miss Sybil," Tom said clucking her nose with his finger. "Did you have fun playing with the toys?" he asked addressing the boys. He got a head nod from both in return. "Daddy is off work now until a few days after Christmas. Tomorrow we will go pick out a tree."

"Can we have a big tree like Grandmamma and Grandpapa?" Sybil asked.

"I think we'll leave the big tree to their house. We'll just find a small one," Tom replied. "Is everyone ready for lunch?"

"We were just waiting for you," Rose replied. "Hands are washed."

They went into the dining room. Ivy had set the table for them and the buttered buns were on the sideboard. Rose busied herself with getting the children settled while Tom went into the kitchen and returned with the soup. He ladled out the soup and passed out the bowls then placed a roll for each of the children. He offered the plate to his mother, and then placed it on the table so he and Rose could serve themselves. The boys were watching Tom and Rose carefully. They followed suit when both Tom and Rose picked up their napkins and placed them on their laps. Ivy came into the room and went to sit beside Sybil to help her with her soup.

"It's the large spoon, boys," Tom said when he saw them hesitating. "You hold it like this. Try to get the soup into your mouth without slurping. If it's too hot blow on it." He demonstrated. Sybil was happily shoveling her soup into her mouth with one spoon while Ivy had another to push the odd spoonful in. Ivy had a damp napkin as well to help keep Sybil's face reasonably clean.

"Were your family meals like this when you were young, Rose," Tom's mother asked.

"No, I didn't take meals with my parents until I was thirteen," Rose replied. "And then never with company until I was sixteen. How was work, Tom?" She inquired to change the subject.

"Same as always, one problem or another. Westhills Farm should be cleaned up by the first week January. There are only a few lorry loads left to go. I ran into the Dowager at the Abbey just before I came home. She has invited herself over for tea. She wants to meet Davin and Redmond."

"Already? What does she expect? The boys have just arrived," Rose said ruefully.

"No time like the present," Tom replied with a slight groan. "We're going to have company later this afternoon Redmond and Davin. There is a special lady who would like to meet you. Can you both be on your best behavior?"

"I guess," Redmond said.

Davin started eating his bun with loud smacks.

"Davin, please close your mouth," Tom reminded him. The smacking stopped quickly.

"So who is coming to visit?" Tom's mother asked.

"My Great Aunt Violet," Rose replied worriedly. "She can be a trifle overwhelming at times."

"Don't worry. All will be well," Tom said covering Rose's hand with his.

-0-

As soon as lunch was over Rose had gone to lay down for a bit and Tom had put all three children down for a nap. Redmond had griped that he was too old for a nap and then fallen asleep a minute or two after his head hit the pillow. Tom's mother took the opportunity to scold him about how strict they were being with the boys and Rose's unrealistic expectations of them.

"Mam, enough," Tom said starting to get angry. "You wanted the boys to have a good home and they've found one. You don't know what you're talking about. There is nothing wrong with them learning a few manners. My wife suits me and our lifestyle suits us both. If it doesn't meet with your approval, there is a train to Liverpool and a ferry back to Dublin this afternoon."

"You've gotten too big for your own boots," his mother scolded. "Since when have you agreed with all these titles and nonsense?"

"I've had to change my tune considerably over these last few years," Tom said. "I still don't believe any one person is born with the right to lord it over another but neither do I agree with attacking a person because they were born into a wealthy family. You need to accept that my life and what I want has changed. My wife is doing the best she can with what she knows."

"I don't know you anymore," his mother complained.

"I'm a married man with three children to raise and another on the way. Let me get on with it," Tom stated before he went upstairs to check on his wife.

At exactly four o'clock the doorbell rang. Tom went to the door to answer it. There were a few snow flakes starting to swirl in the air which gave the Dowager Countess an even more regal air as she stood leaning on her cane with one hand on the chauffeur's arm for extra balance.

"Lady Grantham, I trust you're feeling well," Tom said as Violet breezed into the house.

"Well, enough for someone of my advanced years," Violet replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Rose is waiting for you in the drawing room," Tom said.

Violet headed in to see Rose seated in an armchair with another woman in attendance. The woman looked to be in her mid sixties and was dressed in a inexpensive looking wool dress. Violet assumed this must be Branson's mother.

"Great Aunt Violet how nice of you to come for tea," Rose said rising to greet the older woman and kissing her on the cheek. Tom had disappeared to see to the tea since the housekeeper was off. "This is Mrs. Marjory Branson, Tom's mother. My Great Aunt, the Dowager Countess Grantham."

"Branson's mother, so we meet at last," Violet said imperiously as she took a seat.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the connection…" Mrs. Branson said.

"You may call me Lady Grantham. I am the fourth Countess of Grantham, my son Lord Grantham owns this estate. Sybil is my great granddaughter and Rose is the daughter of my niece. I've come to see the recent additions to her family for myself. There isn't a coming or going in this family that I'm not a party to," Violet stated.

"I wouldn't doubt that," Mrs. Branson retorted. She didn't like the idea of this old lady who thought she was something coming to judge her two great nephews, turned grandsons.

"There is no reason to get huffy," Violet stated tapping her cane. "I have every confidence that under the guidance of my family the two boys will turn out to be upstanding young men despite their origins. Now that Branson has decided to behave, he's more than acceptable."

"Who died and put you in charge?" Mrs. Branson demanded.

"My mother-in-law as a matter of fact. I took over the moment her eyes were closed," Violet replied undeterred. "Now where is my great granddaughter and the two new charges."

Chapter 19 – Overwhelmed

It was only a few minutes after Violet arrived when Tom came into the drawing with a tea tray and four cups. He set the things on a small table off to the side. Rose got up to pour, while Tom offered his mother and the Dowager a plate of sandwiches once they had received their cup of tea.

"The children will be down in a minute," Tom said. He had his fingers crossed things would go well. "Have you and my mother been getting to know each other, Lady Grantham?"

"I believe we understand each other perfectly," Violet retorted. "How are things with that dreadful Westhills Farm? Have you managed to sort it out?"

"Coming. We should have it ready for rental by spring," Tom replied.

"Not incorporating it into the grand vision?" Violet asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Partially," Tom replied. "There are three pastures ideal for a dairy operation if I can find a tenant. The cultivated land will be re-sown into pasture. It will take a few years to recover."

"I have every faith in your abilities," Violet replied. "Oh here they are now."

The two boys looked lost and frightened. Tom went to take each by the hand.

"Thank you, Ivy," he said with a small nod of dismissal.

Sbyil trotted into the middle of the room, curtsied and did her good afternoons. She immediately went to her great-grandmother for a kiss.

"Lady Grantham, this is Redmond, and this is Davin," Tom said. The two boys scrunched themselves against his legs. "Can you say good afternoon to Lady Grantham?" They each shook their heads no.

"I think it would be best if my sons called you Great Aunt the same as I do," Rose suggested.

"Rose, I hardly think…" Violet started.

"The boys are my children, Great Aunt Violet. I want them accepted into the family as quickly as possible," Rose said.

"Very well then," Violet said with a sigh.

Tom's mother gave a loud sniff, but didn't say anything. Rose got up and went over to Redmond.

"Could you do a small bow to Gran and one for Great Aunt Violet and say good afternoon," she coaxed. "Great Aunt Violet doesn't bite. She's quite nice when you get to know her."

"I should say, I don't bite," Violet stated with a small smile. "It would be most unladylike."

Both boys got a slight smile on their faces. Redmond moved slightly away from Tom and did a little bow.

"Good afternoon, Gran, good afternoon, Great Aunt Violet," he said at last.

"Very well done," Violet praised him. For all people thought she was an old battle-axe she had a soft spot for the children in the family. "Now, how about your brother?"

Davin squashed himself tighter against Tom.

"Could you try a good afternoon, Davin?" Rose coaxed.

A very muffled good afternoon came out from behind Tom's leg.

"Good boy," Tom said ruffling his hair. "You can go sit with Gran now or do you want to sit on Daddy's lap?"

A small hand came out and pointed to Tom. Redmond went to sit beside Tom's mother while Sybil had climbed up onto the settee beside Rose.

"I must say the boys certainly bare a striking resemblance to you, Branson," Violet said. "One would never know they weren't your offspring if they weren't aware of the circumstances."

"My husband's family all had a strong resemblance," Mrs. Branson commented at last. "Folk often mistook Tommy and Dalaigh, the boy's Da, for brothers."

"We learned how to drink tea this morning," Redmond suddenly said. He had been watching Violet intently. "Our new Mummy showed us how."

"Gracious," Violet exclaimed. Somehow she had formed an unspoken bond with the boy. "It takes a great deal of practice to learn how to pour and hold a cup. You'll have to come and visit me for tea one day after your Gran has gone back to Ireland. Would you like that?"

Redmond nodded his head.

"What are your plans for the big day?" Violet inquired. "Are you coming to the Abbey?"

"We thought we would attend the luncheon and gift opening and have dinner here," Rose said. "We don't want to overwhelm the children."

"No, it might be best," Violet agreed. "When are you taking them shopping?"

"Shopping?" Mrs. Branson inquired.

"For suitable attire," Violet stated.

Tom's mother opened her mouth to say something, but Tom was too quick for her.

"Not till after the first of the year, Lady Grantham. We don't want to make too many changes too quickly," Tom said. He reached over and picked up a small sandwich from the tray and gave it to Davin. The little boy took it and ate it slowly while resting against Tom's shoulder. This time he remembered to keep his mouth closed.

"Well, I see everything is in order here," Violet said. "I must be getting home before it gets too cold."

"Redmond would you like to go to the kitchen and tell your Great Aunt's chauffeur she is ready to leave," Tom asked. The boy got up quickly and went to do as he had been asked. Rose went with her Great Aunt to the door.

"You're doing very well with those two boys already, Rose," Violet commented. "Don't let that woman tell you any different. You did well to decide to bring them here despite my reservations."

"Thank you, Great Aunt Violet," Rose said in surprise.

"Just see what you can do about those haircuts and their attire. They're quite dreadful," Violet stated before she swept out the door.

-0-

The next day was Christmas Eve. Rose breathed a sigh of relief when Tom's mother decided to get to know Mrs. White a little better and the two women went off into the village together to pick up a few last minute items at the grocers. Tom and Rose bundled all three children up and loaded them into the new car to go look for a tree. It had been snowing lightly since the day before and the snow lay in blowing patches on the ground. The trees had a light dusting of snow as well making them look as though they had been touched with fairy dust. Tom drove to an area not too far from the village where there were some young spruce trees that had started to take over part of a pasture that would be cut back next spring.

Sybil was happily chattering away and held Rose's hand while they picked out a tree to cut. Redmond and Davin both forgot their shyness with the excitement of cutting a Christmas tree. They had never seen one cut before. Only Redmond had a vague memory of having a small tree the year before. As soon as Tom had the one tree cut, Sybil asked if she could pick one for Johnny too. She was as taken as ever with him.

"Just a small one," Rose replied.

It wasn't long and they had the two trees tied to the car. The boys had both "helped" to carry the trees although Tom had really done the work with each of them holding a branch and trying not to trip over the uneven ground. When they got back to the house Sybil dashed in to find Ivy.

"I got a present for Johnny," she told Ivy. "It's a Christmas tree. I picked it myself."

"How very thoughtful, Miss Sybil," Ivy said with a smile. They hadn't planned on a small tree for their sitting room, but now that they had one Ivy was looking forward to making some decorations for it this evening. "I'm sure he'll love it. We'll put it up when he comes from work this afternoon."

"Daddy's getting it off the car," Sybil said before she ran back outside.

This was their first Christmas as a new family and Rose had bought some tree decorations and lights. There was a great deal of excitement and anticipation while Tom got the tree onto the stand. He left the smaller tree by the back door for Johnny to take care of when he got home later. When the boxes of glass ornaments came out the children's eyes were like saucers. Tom's mother got back to see the group of them in the drawing room happily putting up the tree. She stood back and watched her son with the children and his young wife. He looked young and happy in a way she hadn't seen him since before he left to become a chauffeur in England. He had been happy with his first wife, but he had gotten himself involved in the troubles back home and had never seemed really relaxed. In this setting as a family man it was obvious how much he loved his young wife and she him in return.

"Gran, Gran come and see the tree," Davin said running out to the hall to greet her.

"Oh yes, I see. Just let me get my hat and coat off," she said.

"Isn't that just grand," Tom's mother said once she came into the drawing room. "Maybe Gran will make some popcorn for you to string. Would you like that?" She wasn't sure if Rose would reject the idea.

"What a lovely idea," Rose commented. "We have to make the tree pretty so St. Nicholas will come."

"Will we be attending Mass tonight?" Tom's mother asked.

"As long as the weather holds we'll go to the early Mass. There's one at nine for people with young children," Tom replied. "I think it's time for cocoa."

"What's cocoa?" Davin asked shyly.

"An elixir of the Gods," Tom said with a laugh scooping him up and throwing him over his shoulder for the trip to the kitchen. Redmond ran behind to see what cocoa was. Rose looked over to see Sybil half asleep on the settee surrounded by the empty boxes from the decorations. Christmas with three children was certainly going to be a much different affair than it had been last.

-0-

Tom's mother was flabbergasted the next morning when they arrived at the Abbey and were greeted at the door by the butler. The minute they were inside a line greeted them up of family on one side of the room and a row of maids and uniformed men on the other. At the far end of the hall was the most enormous decorated tree she had ever seen. By the time they had run the row of family and she had been introduced to Lady this one, Sir that one and a Mr. Gregson thrown in to boot, she couldn't keep a name or a title straight, never mind the line up of servants she hadn't been introduced to. Her Granddaughter had happily moved down the line saying Happy Christmas to each person in turn. Redmond had been shy but got out his Happy Christmas as well. Davin was up in Tom's arms clutching his stuffed dog with his face pressed into Tom's neck. When they were finished one side, Sybil took Redmond by the hand to go down the line of servants as well. Rose and Tom seemed to take it all in stride. A uniformed nanny was there to take charge of the children. Sybil happily went along with her cousin and nanny, Redmond followed along hesitantly but Davin stayed firmly latched around Tom's neck.

The family moved to a seating area where a tall man with dark hair served them glasses of punch on a silver tray.

"You certainly are brave, Rose, taking in two children only days before Christmas," a woman who Mrs. Branson believed was the old lady from yesterdays daughter said.

"We felt the children should become part of the family right away, Cousin Rosamund. There was no need to delay," Rose replied.

"Will you be getting a governess soon?" Lady Edith inquired. Mrs. Branson knew her from Tom's first wedding.

"No, I plan to see to the children's instruction myself," Rose replied. "You know how governesses can be, Cousin Edith. I want my children to have a gentler instruction than we did at times."

"We had a German governess that was a perfect witch for a time," Lady Edith replied.

"I repaid her in kind," Lady Mary contributed. "She didn't stay long. Speaking of that when will your nanny be moving on? Where is she today?"

"I expect they'll move when they start a family which could be soon," Rose replied. "I gave her today and tomorrow off. We have engagements every evening after Boxing Day right through until the New Year's Day shoot."

Tom's mother was listening to the exchange. From what these women were saying their childhoods with servants hadn't been exactly a bed of roses. She was getting a new appreciation for Rose's methods. She was relaying what the children needed to know in this world firmly but with kindness.

The children came back with the nanny and sat on the rug in front of the fireplace. Davin still wouldn't let go of Tom.

"Would you mind calling Isis, Lord Grantham? Davin here would very much like to meet her," Tom said.

"Do you like dogs, Davin?' Lord Grantham asked. Davin nodded slightly. "She got into some mud earlier. I had Alfred take her to the stables to get cleaned up. She should be back by now." A uniformed servant went to retrieve the dog with a gesture from the Lord. Mrs. Branson didn't know what to make of it all. These people weren't unkind but they went about their business as though they knew they were in charge. In a few minutes the door opened and a Labrador retriever came in accompanied by the servant. The dog was contentedly wagging its tail and caught Davin's attention immediately. It only took Tom a few minutes to get him sitting on the floor with the others once Isis was right by his side and he could loop an arm around here for comfort. It wasn't long into the presents when Isis flopped over and went to sleep. Davin became interested in the toys but remained snuggled against the dog patting her every few minutes for reassurance. The boys each received a parcel. Davin's contained some wooden animals, while Redmond received a chutes and ladders game.

During the luncheon the nanny had the children at a small table to the side of the dining room. Things were going well until she reached to wipe Davin's face with a napkin. Davin let out a frightened cry and bolted straight for the door. When he bumped into one of the footmen he started crying in earnest. Tom was on his feet and had the little boy up in his arms as fast as he could. He took him out in the hall to try and calm him down. By the time they were out in the hallway Davin was kicking and flailing in panic.

"Calm down, son, calm down. No one's going to hurt you," Tom crooned. His mother came out of the dining room and stroked the boy's hair to try and get him calmed down as well.

"It's all too much for him," Mrs. Branson said quietly.

"I know, Mam. It's all a bit much at first," Tom replied. "There's a washroom through there. Let's go get Davin tidied up a bit, then we can try again."

"Once you get your face washed, we'll bring Isis to sit with us," Tom crooned to the boy. "You would like that wouldn't you? She doesn't usually come in the dining room, but today is Christmas. It's a special day for her too."

His only answer was a pair of little arms tightening around his neck and a slight nod between sniffles.

-0-

"How are things, Rose?" Cora asked at the New Year's Day shoot when they had a few minutes alone. Neither of them was walking behind due to Rose's condition.

"Two steps ahead and one step back," Rose replied. "I must admit though, I am ready for my mother-in-law to head back and things to settle into a routine."

"All mothers-in-law were put on this earth to try our patience," Cora replied with a smile. "I'm sure Tom feels the same way about me."

"He never mentions anything, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "I feel Mrs. Branson's disapproval with everything I do with the children. She thinks I'm too formal."

"She's from a different world, Rose," Cora said. "My mother-in-law thought I was much too lenient especially with my youngest."

"That's another thing. From what I understand Cousin Sybil wanted a working class life when she lived in Dublin. I don't," Rose said.

"My daughter tried a new way, Rose. It was frightening for me to say the least. I think once she was expecting the shine wore off a bit. She was anxious for Tom to do well. She told me so herself just before she passed on."

"Tom is doing well. He is happy. He has a good job and friends and a family that loves him. I don't know what more she wants," Rose said.

"Never mind she'll go back in a few days and you'll carry on." Cora said patting her hand. "How are the children coming?"

"The older boy Redmond is adapting well. He and Great Aunt Violet have taken a shine to each other. He is happy as can be when he's kept busy. The other one is so shy it is hard to deal with. Tom says he was exactly the same when he was little. Thank goodness they have both accepted the nanny and taken a liking to her husband. We were wondering if Isis might come over to stay while you're gone to London next week? She's all Davin can talk about."

"I don't see why not," Cora responded. "Robert doesn't like her left with the servants. Don't worry yourself too much. You're doing wonderfully with Sybil. She's happy and polite, what else could I ask for in a mother for my granddaughter?"

"One that wears longer skirts when she goes out according to my mother-in-law," Rose replied with a smile.

"Now that I can't disagree with," Cora said with a return smile.

Chapter 20 – A Stinky Friend

The dust was barely settled from the train pulling out with Mrs. Branson onboard when Rose took the boys shopping and to Tom's barber for haircuts. With all of Davin's fussing and clinging she took along his stuffed toy, Ivy and Isis to the barber just to be on the safe side. Redmond was more cheerful with the dog along as well and didn't fuss a bit when it was his turn to have his hair cut. When she was done, each of the boys had a haircut that resembled Tom's, a tweed suit and another of wool, a mackinaw, wellingtons and a new pair of shoes plus shirts, socks and drawers to go along with it all. She had rejected the idea of a wide collar or sailor suit in favor of something that would make the boys look more like their new Daddy. Isis had wagged her way through the barbershop. Ivy had caught Davin just in time when he was about to feed the lollipop the barber had given him to Isis.

"Don't you two look smart," Johnny said that evening when he returned from work. The boys were showing off their new haircuts and clothes to Mrs. White and himself in the kitchen. It was Sybil's turn to feed Isis. It had immediately become a great honor to put her food dish out during her week stay at Clairehome House.

"Mummy told the man at the store she wanted us to look like Daddy," Redmond said proudly.

"We got hats and boots too," Davin said bringing the cartoon strip to the table for Johnny to read out loud. Sybil was over like a shot and onto the chair beside Johnny. Davin had already claimed the prize spot on Johnny's lap.

"You look like a proper pair of country lads, now," Johnny praised. "What did you get up to while everyone was shopping, Miss Sybil?"

"I helped Mrs. White cook dinner," Sybil reported proudly.

"You look enough like Mr. Branson the pair of them could easily be yours as well," Mrs. White commented.

"Soon enough we'll have one of our own," Johnny said catching Ivy's hand as she was passing by with a bowl.

"Soon but not yet," Ivy said leaning over to give Johnny a quick peck. "The other Mr. Branson will be by in a few days. Maybe you'll think about one of your own then as well."

"That's a ways off," Liz White replied flushing. "We don't have an understanding or anything yet."

Tom came through after a bit to find all three children gathered around as Johnny was reading the comics to them.

"You both look just grand," he said to the boys who smiled under his approval.

"Daddy, is Uncle Kieran coming soon?" Sybil asked.

"He'll be here soon enough," Tom replied.

"Yay, then we can dance," Sybil cheered.

"We'll see," Tom replied. "Time to let Johnny get his supper and for you three to come and join Mummy and Daddy for yours."

"I'll bring everything through in a few minutes, Mr. Branson," Mrs. White said.

"That's fine. This lot can go help their mother set the table," Tom replied.

-0-

"I hardly recognize the two boys," Kieran said when he arrived later in the week. "They don't even look the same."

"They're still shy and clingy," Tom replied. "Rose gave them a bit of a makeover and she's busy making over their manners as well."

"I got an earful from Mam on that score," Kieran said with a slight eye roll. "How do you like being the father of three?"

"It's not that much different than being the father of one except it takes us longer to get out the door," Tom replied.

"You're the picture of domestic life with a dog now thrown in to boot."

"The dog is on loan for a week," Tom said. "The boys and Sybil are "sitting" her while the Crawleys are out of town. It's debatable as to who is "sitting" who. You ready to get started on your new business?"

"I am. I've had a belly full of Liverpool and the labor issues in those parts," Kieran replied. "I have four cars lined up to bring down to sell. Even with the train fare and paying for storage them until I can go and drive them down, I'll make a good few pennies."

"A bit more than a few pennies," Tom replied with a grin. "Let me know and I'll do a day trip with you to pick up a pair of them."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Kieran replied. "So how was your visit with Mam?"

"Painful," Tom replied. "She finally let up on Rose a tad, but she couldn't understand our life one bit, nor did she make an attempt to. Rose waited until she was gone to get the boy's haircuts and change their clothes. How long are you going to stay with us until you move to your new flat?"

"Soon as I get the cars moved, I'll be out of your hair," Kieran replied. "I loaded everything into the five cars rather than pay freight on the train. I've got the boot of this one for the Abbey full of tools."

"Fair enough," Tom replied. "Let me check my schedule. We could do the first run tomorrow or the next day if you're game."

"Are you in a rush to get me out from under your roof?" Kieran asked with a laugh.

"I'd like you moved in and set up at least part way before Lord Grantham gets back," Tom replied with a grin. "I told him you were moving down, just not setting up shop in the village."

-0-

The second night in a row after Isis had gone back to the Abbey, Tom was woken in the middle of the night by Davin crying. Tom went in and scooped Davin up with a blanket so he wouldn't wake his brother.

"What's the matter, my lad?" Tom asked him. "Do you want to go to the bathroom?"

Davin nodded. Tom took him in and waited while the little boy went for a piddle. He was still snuffling after Tom got his hands washed. Tom wrapped him in the blanket and headed down to the sitting room to rock him for a bit.

"Can you tell, Daddy why you're crying?" Tom asked.

"Isis is gone. She might be in heaven," Davin said worriedly.

"Isis is at your Cousin Robert's house, the same as she was yesterday when we dropped her off. That is where she lives," Tom said calmly. "You'll see her whenever we visit and you can sit her again when Lord Grantham goes on a trip."

"She might miss me," Davin said twisting the button on Tom's undershirt.

"I'm sure she does," Tom said rubbing the little boy's back.

"What if she wakes up and I'm not there to take care of her?"

"She has a house full of people to take care of her," Tom said. "Are you worried you will wake up and there will be nobody there to take care of you. Like happened before?"

The only answer was a little face pressed into Tom's chest and a lot of sobbing.

"Hush now," Tom comforted him. "You have a whole house full of people to take care of you. Daddy made some papers that say you belong here. You'll always have someone to take care of you no matter what."

"I want my, Da," Davin sobbed.

"Of course you do," Tom said. "You know you can talk to him when you say your prayers. You can tell him anything you want. He'll hear you."

"Why didn't he come back?"

"Because a very heavy piece of equipment fell on him when he was at work. He wanted to come back, but it was time for him to go live with your Mam in heaven and it was time for you to come here and be my little boy."

"C…Can I go see Isis tomorrow?"

"I'll take you first thing," Tom said reassuringly.

"Davin again?" Rose asked when Tom finally climbed back into bed twenty minutes later.

"He's missing his father," Tom said. "I'll take him to see Isis tomorrow morning."

"Maybe we should get a dog," Rose mumbled. "They both did better when Isis was over."

"Let's give it a bit. I don't particularly want a puppy on top of everything else going on around here," Tom replied.

"I'd have never gotten Davin through the barbershop the other day without the dog," Rose pointed out.

"You'll turn me into the proper country squire, yet," Tom teased. "Complete with a dog."

"Like either of us are the proper country anything," Rose replied with a sigh.

"Maybe a dog wouldn't be so bad," Tom said before he pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.

The next morning Tom had all three children loaded up to head over to the Abbey. Sybil would spend the day with her grandparents and he needed to go over some details with Lord Grantham. As soon as they arrived Davin was petting Isis and talking to her while the other children went downstairs to visit Mr. Carson.

"The boys certainly look like they're fitting in more," Robert Crawley commented.

"Davin is grieving a great deal for his father. The only time he really comes out of it is when he's with your dog," Tom replied.

"You know a boy and his dog are inseparable," Robert commented. "You should consider getting one for him."

"I would, but the last thing we need is a puppy," Tom replied.

"Barrett was saying at the last shoot he might have a dog or two to let go. I'll get ahold of him and see if he has a decent dog," Robert said.

"It would have to be something gentle and patient, like yours," Tom said. "I appreciate the help."

"I won't be a minute," Robert said as he reached for the telephone.

"You're in luck," he said a few minutes later. "He has a dog that's refusing to bird. It happens sometime. When they go that way they're no good for hunting anymore or breeding. They pass the trait on. He was going to put the animal down, but couldn't bring himself to do it. It's a two-year female, completely house broken. I told him we could be there in a hour or so to take a look."

"It looks like I'll be getting a dog, then," Tom said with a rueful grin.

"We'll see when we get there. Let's get through this then I'll have the car brought around."

-0-

An hour later Lord Grantham, Tom and all three children were in the study at Mr. Barrett's home waiting to meet the potential dog. Barrett was an avid hunter and the walls were laden with hunting trophies. Redmond, Sybil and Davin were staring ruefully at the glass eyes of a stag that had been posed in a way that made it look like it would charge the room at any moment. The door opened and Mr. Barrett's game keeper came in accompanied by a large yellow Labrador retriever.

"This is the dog," Barrett said. "All she'll retrieve is sticks. She was working well then suddenly took a notion that birds are not for her."

"What's her name, Mr. Barrett?" Redmond asked quietly.

"Morgana," he replied. Morgana had sat obediently when she was told and was looking at the children with her ears perked up and tongue lolling. "You can pet her if you like and see how you get on."

All three children got off the sofa to cautiously approach Morgana. She lay there not moving while they reached out to touch her. Davin immediately sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the dog and started stroking her ears.

"She's a fine looking animal with good lines," Robert commented.

"Is she house trained?" Tom asked.

"Oh yes, house trained, sits, stays and lays down on command. You barely need a lead with her. She'll stay by your side with no problems. She's just no good as a hunter or working animal. She won't bird and working with sheep or cattle is out of the question. She's much too timid. I breed working animals. I've given her a reprieve in hopes I would find someone who would take her," Mr. Barrett said. "She's such a fine looking dog."

Tom looked over to see Davin with his arms around Morgana's neck and his cheek resting on her head. The others were examining her paws. For all the poking the dog was lying there taking it all in stride.

"How much would you want for her?" Tom asked.

"You can have her. She's not worth her keep to me," Mr. Barrett said.

"I couldn't take her for nothing," Tom replied.

"Could we take Morgana home, Daddy?" Redmond asked.

Davin sat up with the largest smile on his face Tom had ever seen. Sybil was grinning widely as well.

"There's all the payment I need," Mr. Barrett said pointing at the children. "You'll be doing me a favor taking her off my hands."

"What do you lot think?" Tom inquired. "Should Morgana come to live with us?"

"Yes," both boys said in unison.

"Please, Daddy," Sybil replied.

"Are you three going to feed her everyday and clean up when she makes a mess?" Tom asked.

He got three head nods in return.

"I'll remind you when the floor is covered in mud and you have to clean up," Tom said. "Each of you go and thank Mr. Barrett for the dog."

"You've made a good decision," Robert said. "She'll be good for the children."

"I just hope I'm not the one sleeping in the kitchen when my wife finds out," Tom said with a grin. Davin was already back to the dog giving it a kiss on the top of its head after shaking Mr. Barrett's hand.

"There's nothing so sorry as a boy without a dog," Mr. Barrett commented. He was watching Davin fall in love with dog with an indulgent smile on his face.

-0-

Rose got home that afternoon to a great deal of very loud barking on the other side of the door the second her hand touched the door handle.

"Morgana, quiet," came Tom's voice through the door. The barking ceased immediately. "Down." He opened the door to a shocked expression on his wife's face.

"Surprise, we have a dog," Tom said with a hopeful smile. Rose looked behind Tom to see a yellow Labrador retriever not unlike Isis lying on the carpet waging its tail with its ears perked up.

"Tom! I only just mentioned getting a dog last night. Don't you think we should have talked it over?" Rose scolded.

"Well, I um, well," Tom stalled. "A friend of Lord Grantham's had her and she isn't any good for hunting or breeding so he was going to put her down. We went to take a look and well…Davin took one look and well…she was in the car on the way home twenty minutes later. She didn't cost anything." He tacked on the last part hoping it would win Rose over.

"Is she house trained? She smells terrible."

"She needs a bath and yes, she's house trained, good with children and cats. She won't go for the birds for some reason. Just goes to them, sniffs and refuses to retrieve. No good for hunting or working stock so I'm told but still a good dog for a family."

"What am I going to do with you?" Rose said with a chuckle.

"Kiss me and then find me some soap to use on our son's new stinky best friend?" Tom questioned hopefully.

Over the next few months, Tom couldn't believe the difference in the two boys with the presence of Morgana. A bath had taken of care of the stinky odor and the presence of a dog in the children's lives had proved a calming influence. A few times he had even found Sybil, who was normally the calmest child he had ever seen, telling the dog her problems. Morgana was helping Davin out of his shyness. He had no problem these days telling everyone about how wonderful and intelligent his dog was and Redmond being the oldest was forever dragging Morgana around on her leash when he went anywhere around the village. The dog seemed to prefer the company of Rose despite all the attention she received from the children. It was Rose, Morgana waited for by the door and sat beside to keep an eye on in the evenings when they were home. The rounder Rose got, the more dedicated Morgana became.

Tom got home one day in the middle of April to find Rose sniffling over the sink in the kitchen.

"Look at me," Rose complained. "I can't dance anymore or wear anything nice. I look like I swallowed a pumpkin."

"In another four weeks or so the baby will be here and this will all be over," Tom reassured her.

"My mother is showing up in another two weeks and that brother of yours picks now to propose and steal our housekeeper away. She's just put in her notice. What am I supposed to do? The nursery isn't ready and I can't even bend over. Just now the dog vomited on the floor after she ate some grass and goodness only knows what out back and I burned the pancakes while I was taking care of the dog," Rose finished with a sob.

"We will get a new housekeeper lined up and I'm sure Liz White and my brother won't leave us in the lurch. Maybe we'll have the new housekeeper start early so the house can have a thorough cleaning before your mother shows up," Tom said putting an arm around her. "You look beautiful and I'll make the pancakes. After dinner we'll figure out what you want to do about arranging the bedrooms and the nursery."

Morgana looked at Tom and thumped her tail in hopes of getting a treat from the kitchen counter.

"Don't try to play innocent with me after eating all that trash," Rose scolded shaking her finger at the dog. Morgana put her head flat and looked up with her liquid brown eyes, with her best, _"But I didn't mean to make a mess"_ expression.

"What a ham," Tom said shaking his head. "I believe you did say before we got married, you wanted a life that would keep you doing and trying new things. One thing you can say about our life is you never know what will happen next."

"You're right," Rose said wiping away her tears. "Our life certainly isn't dull."


	7. Part VII

Part VII - Acts of Defiance - Chapters 21 through 24

_Thank you all for your comments on the last section. I was thinking about the comments on Rose giving the boys table manner lessons when they first arrived. Since it was Christmas and she knew they would be running the gauntlet of the relatives right away, I thought she would probably work on it straight off. I know from raising my own child when you run into kids who haven't been taught manners from day one it is a teeth grinding experience. Since Mummy in law was there she wouldn't be able to change the clothes/haircuts right away. As fans we tend to think so much about Tom not fitting in but I think Rose would have a really hard time going the other way especially since she is a flapper and wouldn't be looking for a working class life._

Chapter 21

"You look lovely," Tom said the morning Rose's mother, sister and aunts were supposed to arrive. He was doing up his tie in the mirror in their room.

"I look terrible," Rose stated with a slight pout. "I waddle like a duck, and it looks like I'm trying to steal something out of the house under my dress. The baby is all in front. Some women look elegant when they're with child. I look like I swallowed a rather large pumpkin whole."

"You look beautiful to me," Tom replied. "Stop fretting over your mother's arrival. Since we've turned the only spare room into the baby's room, she has no choice but to stay at the Abbey."

"You're right about that," Rose said waddling over to the vanity and taking a seat to brush her hair. "I am glad she won't be staying here. Limited doses are preferable."

"She may have changed her tune, you don't know," Tom encouraged. "It has been quite a while since you've seen her and you've made a great many changes in your life."

"Did your mother change? You hadn't seen her for three years."

"Not one bit," Tom replied with a chuckle. "I have to get going. I'll meet you at the Abbey at two."

"Have a good day, darling," Rose said then gave Tom a quick kiss before he dashed out the door.

Rose headed into the bathroom to take a quick bath. Her back had been aching the last few days and the only thing that seemed to help was a warm bath. Ivy had been seeing to the children's breakfast this last few weeks as Rose had been having a harder time getting up and going in the mornings. While she was taking her bath Rose thought about her mother and her constant criticism. Tom was right she had made a great deal of changes in her life since they had been together. There was no need to take her mother's criticism or accept it. They were living a life both she and Tom enjoyed, she was happy and married to a man she loved. The children were all settling in and well behaved. There was nothing for her mother to disparage and if she did Rose decided she was not going to accept it.

At a quarter to two Rose and the children assembled in the main hall for the trip to the Abbey. Ivy was along as well to care for the children while Rose would be occupied with the visitors.

"You all look very nice," Rose said to the three of them. Sybil was in a crisp white sailor dress and both boys were dressed in their tweed suits with their hair neatly combed. "Have you all practiced your greetings for Grandmamma Susan?"

"Yes, Mummy," Redmond replied. He demonstrated his bow. "It is very nice to meet you, Grandmamma Susan," he said.

"Very good," Rose praised him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "You do that just as well as Cousin Robert." Redmond beamed under her praise.

Davin did his bow. "Good afternoon, Grandmamma Susan," he said.

"Lovely," Rose said.

Sybil demonstrated her curtsey and greeting.

Rose gathered the younger two close for a hug as best she could with her stomach in the way.

"I'm so proud of you," she said. "You'll all do very well. Now these relations will most likely be much stiffer and more formal than you're used to. You mustn't let it upset you."

"Yes, Mummy. We'll be good," Sybil said.

Davin was dancing with excitement. "Is Isis going to be there?" he asked.

"Of course, Davin," you can play with her after you greet everyone.

"Yay," he cheered before they piled into the car for the short drive over. Tom had taken the motorbike so Rose would have the car for the afternoon.

Rose waddled into the great hall followed by the children when she stopped suddenly.

"Mummy what are you doing here already?" she said.

Susan turned from where she was speaking with Cora.

"Agatha and Louisa arrived early. There was no sense in delaying the journey. We came on an earlier train," Susan replied. "How are you Rose? You're looking very maternal these days." She stepped forward and gave her daughter a cool kiss on the cheek.

"I'm very well, Mummy," Rose replied. "These are my children, Redmond, Davin and Sybil."

Each of the children did their greeting exactly as they had been rehearsed. They were all watching Susan warily. She hadn't smiled at any of them. Even at their young ages they could feel the disapproval radiating off the woman and it was making them anxious.

"Mummy, may we go up an play with Cousin George," Redmond asked. He was keeping one eye on his new Grandmother.

"Yes, you may," Rose replied. "Ivy, please take the children up."

"The children did very well, Rose," Cora said as they were going upstairs.

"Thank you, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "I think they are doing quite well, also. The boys are learning everything quite quickly."

"Three children, Rose?" her mother said. "Why did you ever take in another two when you were expecting your own."

"Mummy, the boys are relatives of my husband's as you know. They needed a home and parents and they have found exactly that with us. You could have been more welcoming of my children," Rose replied.

"They are not _your _children," her mother retorted.

"Yes, actually they are," Rose stated firmly. "Furthermore I expect you to accept them as my children and treat them accordingly."

"Sybil has accepted Rose as her mother and we've accepted the boys as members of the family according to Rose and Tom's wishes," Cora said trying to smooth things over a bit and avoid the fight she could feel brewing.

"Yes, well," Susan sniffed.

"Shall we go into the drawing room, ladies," Cora said. "I'll ring for tea as soon as the others are down."

"That would be lovely, Cousin Cora," Rose said.

"I wish you would have let me send the car for you Rose," Cora said. "I don't like to see you driving this late in your pregnancy."

"I'm fine to drive, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "It's such a short drive. It was really nothing."

"Rose you can't mean to tell me you're driving a car and in your condition," her mother stated aghast.

"Of course I do, Mummy, why wouldn't I?"

"Women in your condition and your background don't drive," Susan scolded.

"Yes, they do. Cousin Edith drives and I'm driving while expecting with no ill effects. It would follow that other women do as well," Rose stated with a smile not leaving any room for her mother's arguments. Just then the door to the drawing room opened and the other women entered followed by Mary, Lord Grantham and Tom.

"Mummy, this is my husband, Tom Branson," Rose said as soon as Tom had reached her side.

"It's very nice to meet you at last, Lady Flintshire," Tom said. "Rose has told me quite a bit about you."

"Mr. Branson, I'm glad to finally make your acquaintance as well," Susan replied coolly.

"Please call me Tom," he said.

"I introduced Tom to the others in the hall," Robert commented.

While the tea was served and comments exchanged Tom couldn't help but think back to the time he had met his first wife's American grandmother and compare the two experiences. Mrs. Levinson had been open to new ideas and embraced the new, whereas these women seemed to be looking for the least thing to nit pick at Rose for.

"Tell me Rose, whatever have you found to occupy yourself with out here in the country," Annabelle said.

"I keep busy, Annabelle. I'm occupied with the children. My husband and I have an active social life and Tom and I were giving a few dance classes until I got too big last month," Rose said.

"You were doing what? In your condition?" Agatha exclaimed. All of the visiting women had gone silent and were staring at Rose with their mouths open.

"Rose has been fundraising for the local hospital and two of the churches by giving dance lessons, Lady Agatha," Cora defended.

"It's quite popular," Rose added. "We'll start classes up again after harvest season is over."

"You were dancing in public while you were with child?" Susan squeaked out.

"No one stays hidden away in a closet these days while their expecting, Mummy," Rose said.

"I assure you it was quite safe, Lady Flintshire," Tom added.

"Think of your reputation," Louisa said.

"My wife is well known and respected in this area for her generosity and efforts in the community, Lady Louisa," Tom stated.

"Even Reverend Travis has congratulated Rose and Tom on their efforts to provide entertainment and engage young people in a social atmosphere in the village that helps the church and hospital," Mary commented. "I think Rose is to be congratulated on finding something that suites her interests and benefits the community."

"Well, I…" Susan stammered. "I can't argue with that."

"Are you feeling tired?" Tom asked Rose.

"I am a little," Rose answered smiling at him.

"Why don't you go up and have a rest before Mama arrives," Cora said. "Carson, please show Lady Rose to a room."

"I'll come with you and help you with the stairs," Tom said.

"How goes it so far?" Tom asked once there were in one of the bedrooms and he had pulled the covers back for Rose while she kicked off her shoes.

"Rather dreadful," Rose replied. "Mummy was stern and bristling with disapproval when she met the children. She even managed to put Sybil off and that's saying something. She never has the least problem meeting new people."

"Don't let them get to you," Tom said. He moved to rub Rose's lower back once she was lying down. "I'll go down for the afternoon _"viewing"._

"I'm not letting them annoy me one bit. We're happy, the children are happy and doing well and we are living a good life that suits us both. My mother will just have to accept that," Rose said with determination.

-0-

The next day, Rose's mother and sister arrived at Clairehome House to view the preparations for the baby's arrival. Rose had just finished showing her mother and sister the day nursery and was about to head into the baby's room when there was a commotion downstairs. They could hear the sound of children's laughter coming up the stairs followed by the sound a very annoyed Tom.

"Aren't you going to go see what's going on?" Susan asked her daughter.

"No, whatever it is, Tom will handle it," Rose replied.

The women looked over the room and the lacey layette sets Rose had prepared before they headed back down the stairs. Rose stopped on the landing when she spotted all three children scrubbing the walls with rags. There was a bucket of water set in the middle of the floor. Tom was standing watching them work and a very annoyed looking Mrs. White was standing with her hands on her hips surveying the scene.

All three children turned to look up at their mother, new grandmother and aunt when they heard the women on the stairs. There were dots of mud stuck all over their faces, on the walls and furniture and the floor was covered with muddy smears of paw prints.

"Tom, what's going on?" Rose inquired.

"Redmond here thought it was a good idea to let the dog in after our walk when she had run through a ditch, the other two thought it would be a grand joke to bring her in when she was all muddy. They made the mess, they can clean it up," Tom said with a stern look at the children.

"I don't like cleaning up," Sybil groused.

"Great Aunt Violet wouldn't make us clean up," Redmond complained.

"You just hold your tongue and get back to it," Tom instructed them. "When you're finished here you can go out back and help clean up the dog as well."

Davin wasn't saying anything but he didn't look anymore happy than the other two to be wiping the mud from the walls.

"Mrs. White, some tea for my company and myself, when you have a moment," Rose instructed the housekeeper.

"Very well, milady," the housekeeper said with a curtsey before she turned to go back into the kitchen.

"I'll leave you to see to things, Tom," Rose said as she moved through the mess and into the drawing room, closing the door behind her mother and sister.

"Rose, why is your husband having the children do that? You have two housekeepers at the moment to see to the cleaning. They shouldn't be learning manual labor," Susan scolded.

"Their father is teaching them to take responsibility for their actions," Rose replied calmly. "It won't hurt them to wipe up the mess."

"It still seems rather harsh," Annabelle said.

"It isn't how our class does things," Susan added.

"No Mummy, it's not," Rose said stiffening her spine as much as her rounded stomach would allow." My husband and I are taking a more personal approach than I was raised with. I see to the children's formal training myself. I don't leave it to a governess. They have a nanny but I still spend time with them every day, as does my husband. They receive our love and support as well as the formal training they will need to manage in the upper classes later in life."

"Rose, you had a governess, but I was always there when you needed me," Susan said.

"Were you? I seem to remember things quite differently," Rose replied. "I remember a great deal of harsh treatment at the hands of my governess and you being no where about for long periods of time. I often wondered if you even cared what was happening to me."

"You know your father's work had a demanding social schedule and still does. I thought you were better away from it," Susan replied. "I did what I knew with raising you."

"I was perfectly happy," Annabelle said.

"You had our brother with you," Rose said. "I had no one."

"You seem so bitter, Rose," Susan said. "I've only ever wanted what is best for you."

"What is best for me is to be with my husband and children and be allowed to raise them as we see fit," Rose replied. "I hope you can accept that we have adopted and that I am raising Tom's daughter as my own and treat all my children as part of your family."

"I will make every effort to accept the children," Susan said somewhat taken aback by Rose's take charge attitude she had encountered on this visit so far. "I am concerned though Rose. You've married, taken on the responsibility of three young children and have another on the way in less than a year since your coming out."

"I know it's a lot, Mummy. We do have staff. Tom isn't an ogre. If I need more help, we'll get it. The old housekeeper is marrying in two weeks. Tom started the new one early so we would have more help during the last part of my pregnancy. Mrs. White will come in days until we are in a routine after she marries. Our nanny's husband lives here with her as well and the children adore him. He helps out with them from time to time in the evenings. I do have a great deal of help and support."

Just then the door opened and Tom came into the drawing room, poured himself a cup of tea and took a seat.

"Good afternoon ladies," he said.

"Mummy and Annabelle were just saying they found your treatment of the children rather harsh, darling," Rose commented.

"Not harsh," Tom responded. "They made a mess. They had the responsibility to clean it up. There was no spanking involved, just some inconvenience that will make them think twice about letting the dog in when she is muddy the second time."

"Yes, well, if you think it is best," Susan replied.

"I do," Tom said.

"What arrangements have you made for the birth, Rose? Are you having a home birth with a private doctor?" Annabelle inquired.

Tom's face blanched at the mention. He almost dropped his teacup.

"Annabelle, how could you even suggest such a thing," Rose scolded. "You know the circumstances of Cousin Sybil's death. I'm not taking any chances. I will go to the hospital."

"I was just inquiring," Annabelle said archly.

"My first wife died when there was a slim chance she may have survived in hospital," Tom said through gritted tea. His face had gone red with anger. "Snobbery and thinking money and position knows best took away that chance and left her with none. It took me a long time to forgive those involved in that decision. I will never again risk someone's life when common sense tells me better. Rose will have the baby in hospital where she will have every chance possible for a normal healthy birth."

"I didn't mean any offense," Annabelle replied with shock.

Rose reached over and took Tom's hand.

"I had a check up day before last, darling. Everything was normal," Rose reassured him. "I'll go to the hospital at the first sign anything is happening. We'll both be well and healthy."

"No silly risks," Tom said. He set down his teacup and covered her hand with his other one. His face was dead serious.

"No risks," Rose reassured him with a faint smile. "I'm going to be fine."

"Of course you will," Tom reassured as much for himself as for her. "I should get going. I've got a prospective tenant to show around Westhills Farm. I'll be back by dinner."

"Don't worry. I have a house full of people to look out for me today," Rose said.

Morgana was waiting at the door when Tom opened it and immediately went to plunk herself beside Rose. She rolled over and put her head on Rose's foot.

"That is a very noble looking animal," Susan said in an attempt to dispel some of the earlier tension. "Most families have one or two hunting dogs. Does your husband shoot?"

"Tom does go to the shoots at the Abbey, Mummy, but Morgana isn't a hunting dog," Rose replied. "She's a pet."

"A what?" Susan asked in shock.

"A pet. She won't hunt or work stock. We got her to help the boys settle in and she is a sweet thing. She is always trying to take care of me," Rose said.

"I've never heard of such a thing," Susan said. She looked to Annabelle who only shrugged.

"You do seem to have your own ideas about things," Annabelle commented.

"Thank you, Annabelle. It's nice of you to acknowledge that I do have my own ideas and they suit me quite well," Rose replied.

It was fifteen minutes after Tom left when there was a tap at the door and Ivy came in and curtseyed.

"Begging your pardon, Lady Rose. Master Redmond has gotten himself worked up into a state after his father left and I just can't seem to calm him. I think you should come," Ivy said.

"Very well, I'll be right up," Rose said. She was struggling to get to her feet. Ivy went over and took her arm to help her stand. "Thank you, Ivy."

"He's in his room, Lady Rose. The others are in the day nursery," Ivy said.

Rose nodded and left her mother and sister in the drawing room. Rose had to put a hand under her stomach and hold it as she climbed the stairs. The sides of her stomach had been tender all day and climbing the stairs seemed like more of a chore than it had this morning. _"I wish you would come soon before Mummy's tummy is stretched beyond recognition,"_ Rose said to her unborn child. As she got to the head of the stairs she could here crying coming from the boys' room. She went in to see Redmond lying face down on the bed with his stuffed toy Tom had bought him clutched in the crook of his elbow.

"Redmond, what's wrong," Rose said softly as she took a seat on the side of the bed and stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry Mummy, I'm sorry," he sobbed as he threw his arms around her. He couldn't reach all the way around her stomach.

"What are you sorry for, sweetheart?" Rose crooned pulling him as close as she could and stroking his hair.

"Make Daddy come back. I didn't mean to be naughty. Make him come back," the little boy wailed.

"Daddy will be home for dinner. Of course you didn't mean to be naughty. Daddy isn't mad. Daddy had to do some work at one of the farms. He'll be back soon," Rose said.

"He won't. He won't ever come back. He was mad when he left. I saw. He was mad the same as when Da left. He never came back. Daddy won't either," Redmond sobbed against her.

"Daddy was annoyed at something Aunty Annabelle said," Rose said quietly, she laid her cheek on the top of his hair. "He'll come home and be smiling and happy and ready to play a game with you and read you your bedtime story. You'll see. Daddy will come home and all will be well. Your other Daddy, your first one loved you very much. If he hadn't had an accident he would have come home and given you hugs and kisses and all would have been forgiven. Grown ups don't stay mad for long and we always, always forgive those we love."

"I want Daddy," Redmond snuffled.

"Of course you do," Rose said. "For now Mummy will have to do."

"I love you, Mummy," Redmond snuffled. "I won't be naughty anymore."

"I love you too and of course you will try your best to be good. Did you know Mummy used to be very naughty? Grandmamma Susan still loves her."

"You were?" Redmond asked lifting his head quickly.

"Yes, I was. I told fibs and once I took something that didn't belong to me. My Mummy and Daddy were very angry but they forgave me," Rose smiled into his face. "Now lets go wash your face. Then you can come down and sit with Mummy."

Redmond nodded and slid off the bed. Rose was just hanging up the towels after she got his face and hands washed when she suddenly felt dizzy.

"Redmond," she said. "Go down and ask Grandmamma Susan and Aunty Annabelle to come upstairs. Mummy isn't feeling very well. I'm going to go and lay on my bed."

""Yes, Mummy," he said dashing out the door to go retrieve the adults from downstairs.

Rose made it as far as the door to her and Tom's bedroom before the hallway started to spin and the floor was rushing up to meet her.

Chapter 22 – Daddy

Rose opened her eyes slowly to realize her mother and sister were crowded around her with Redmond sitting on the floor holding her hand. Tears were running down his face.

"Don't cry sweetheart, Mummy had a dizzy spell," Rose said slowly. "She's going to be fine."

"Rose, don't move we're going to call the doctor," Susan said.

"I can at least get to the bed, Mummy," Rose said starting to push herself back up then lying back down. "Maybe not quite yet." Annabelle went to get the housekeeper to telephone for the doctor. "Perhaps a cold cloth?" Rose asked her mother.

Susan got up and was back in a moment with a cold cloth to press on the back of Rose's neck.

"Have the pains started?" Susan asked.

"I don't know," Rose replied. "It feels uncomfortable in my back and around the bottom of my stomach."

"I would say things are getting underway," her mother said.

Rose slowly sat up. Then pushed herself up with her mother's help. Annabelle came back just as they had made it to the bed.

"A Dr. Clarkson will be over in a few minutes," Annabelle said.

Rose nodded as she sat on the side of the bed.

"My nightdress is in the top drawer of the bureau," she instructed. "If you would be so kind."

Redmond was hoping from foot to foot looking like he was going to cry again.

"Redmond, you get Morgana and take her to the day nursery so your brother and sister won't be frightened," Rose said. "You have to be the brave one. Mummy will go to the hospital and then pretty soon after that you'll have a new brother or sister." A contraction hit Rose that made her gasp. As soon as it was over she continued, "Give Mummy a kiss then do as your told."

"Yes, Mummy," he said. He kissed her then dashed out of the room.

"He is a very dear little thing," Annabelle said. She closed the bedroom door then went to get Rose's nightdress.

"Very," Rose said before she groaned with the next contraction.

"We had best hurry getting you into bed," Susan said. "The pains are quite close together. Where is the bell?"

"There isn't one," Rose replied with a groan as she helped her sister and mother pull her clothes off the best she could. It was only a minute or two before she was lying down in bed.

"Annabelle, get a towel and call one of the staff. We need a basin of cold water and they had best put some water on to boil," Susan said.

Annabelle went into the hall to find Mrs. White hovering nervously outside the door with a basin of cold water, a washcloth and two towels.

"You had best come in," Annabelle said.

"Yes, milady. Mrs. Blackwell will bring the doctor up as soon as he arrives. We've put water on to heat just in case."

They slid one of the towels under Rose just before her water broke.

"Mummy, I'm frightened," Rose said.

"Nothing to worry about," Susan clucked as she wiped her daughter's face and neck. "It happened just this way with all three of you."

Doctor Clarkson arrived and examined Rose while the three women waited in the hall. He opened the door again a moment later.

"We won't be going to the hospital. She's too far along," he said.

"Isn't that rather fast?" Annabelle questioned.

Just then Rose went into another contraction then promptly got sick to her stomach.

"Everything is progressing normally, Lady Rose," Dr. Clarkson said encouragingly.

Mrs. White had gone to change out the water basin Rose had vomited into.

When Johnny arrived home three hours later he found Ivy and the children in the kitchen having their dinners. He didn't have time to say hello before he heard Rose moaning through a contraction.

"The baby?" he asked.

"Almost here," Ivy said. All three children were quiet and pushing their food around their plates.

"It's nothing new," Johnny assured them all giving them each a small pat on the back or a stroke on the hair. "My Mam did it seven times. I remember all my younger brothers and sisters being born. She made noises just like that with every one. There was a lot of noise and then all of sudden there was another little one and she was back up bossing us all around in no time."

"I want Daddy," Redmond said with a trembling lower lip.

"I want Daddy, too," Sybil said.

"Me, too," Davin added tearfully.

"He should be here anytime now," Ivy said. "Eat up and then we'll go for a little walk. Morgana will need her evening constitutional."

"And I'll come with you," Johnny added. "Just as soon as I get my dinner down."

Johnny ate as quickly as he could. They piled the plates on the sideboard for later, got the children into their coats and were headed down the lane when they saw Tom coming along in the car. Johnny waved at him to stop.

"Daddy," all three children called at once, jumping up and down as soon as they saw the car.

"What's wrong," Tom said as he pulled up and got out of the car. All three children were on him clinging to him the moment he was standing on the side of the lane.

"The baby is almost here, Sir," Ivy replied. "Lady Rose went into labor about three hours ago. There wasn't time to get her to the hospital."

"She's at the house? Is Doctor Clarkson there?" Tom asked starting to panic.

"Doctor Clarkson is there and the word was everything is progressing normally, Sir," Ivy replied.

Tom nodded then turned his attention to his children. He gave each of them a reassuring hug.

"We missed you, Daddy," Sybil said.

"Daddy we won't be naughty anymore," Davin added.

"I won't ever be naughty again," Redmond said almost starting to cry all over again.

"Here now, everyone is naughty sometimes," Tom replied. "Even grown ups do things they should know better. Daddy isn't mad. You go for your walk with Ivy and Johnny and when you get back you might get to meet your new brother or sister. Daddy is going to go check on Mummy."

"You won't leave us again tonight, will you Daddy?" Redmond asked.

"No, I won't leave. I'll be at home tonight and all day tomorrow," Tom replied. "You go for your walk now."

Tom drove the rest of the way home and hurried inside. He was greeted by dead quiet.

"No, no, no," he ground out as he took the stairs three at a time. He burst into the room to see Rose lying on the bed partially covered with a baby wrapped in a towel on her chest. Dr. Clarkson was just wrapping the afterbirth for disposal from between her legs. Annabelle was on the other side of the bed looking at the baby.

"You shouldn't be here, yet," Susan scolded him.

"I don't care," Tom replied as he hurried to Rose's bedside.

"Another boy," Rose said smiling at him tiredly. "Poor Sybil. She's out numbered."

"Your fine? He's fine?" Tom asked.

"Both mother and child are doing well," Dr. Clarkson said. "Just a few more things to do and you can meet your new son."

"Thank God," Tom ground out.

"Why don't you wait outside for a few moments, Mr. Branson, while I finish up?" Dr. Clarkson said.

"Come along Annabelle, let's give the new mother a few moments alone with the doctor and the baby," Susan said gently escorting her son-in-law out into the hall.

"Rose is all right isn't she," Tom asked again as soon as they were in the hall.

"Perfectly healthy, but a bit worn out from the afternoon," Susan replied. She felt more reassured in that moment with the concern her new son-in-law was showing for his wife than she had since she had first heard of Rose's marriage.

"Not a thing to worry about," Annabelle added. "Where is the rest of your household?"

"The nanny has the children out for a walk and I would suspect the housekeepers are in the kitchen making dinner," Tom replied wiping a hand over his face in relief.

"Speaking of dinner, we should ring the Abbey to give them the news and make arrangements for the car later," Annabelle said.

"I'm glad you were both here with Rose," Tom said. "I wouldn't have wanted her to go through this alone."

"Don't you worry about my Rose," Susan said with a smile. She looked the most unbent Tom had seen her so far. "She's made of sterner stuff than one might give her credit for. She's impetuous and fun loving like her father and hard as nails like the women in my family at the same time. Your children will have a good example in their mother."

"Thank you, Lady Flintshire. I'm sure they do," Tom replied before he went back in to see his wife and new son.

-0-

"He's awfully little and all wrinkly," Sybil said with a wrinkled nose later that evening. "What's his name?"

"He doesn't have a name yet," Rose replied smiling at Sybil and holding the baby up a little more so the boys could see him as well.

"I think his name should be Morgan," Sybil said thoughtfully.

"How did you come up with that?" Tom asked. He couldn't stop smiling.

"Like Morgana but for a boy," Sybil said.

"We can't name a baby after a dog, silly," Redmond said in disgust.

"What about you Davin, any ideas," Rose asked.

"Isis," Davin replied promptly which made both Rose and Tom chuckle.

"Dylan," Tom said. "It means flash of lightening in Irish. He was born so quick it seems almost fitting."

"I like that name," Redmond said peering at the baby.

"What do you think, Rose?" Tom asked.

"It's a good name, Tom," Rose said.

Both of the little boys nodded their agreement.

"Dylan sounds like something like villain," Sybil said warily.

"Not that much, Sybil," Rose replied. "I like the name. Dylan Branson meet your brothers and sister."

-0-

"You look like you've been through the wringer," Kieran commented to his brother while they were waiting for Kieran's wedding ceremony to get underway two weeks later. There was a small gathering of people Kieran had met since he moved to Downton and Liz's family and friends seated in the pews.

"Dylan is still on four hour feedings," Tom replied bleary eyed. "Rose is exhausted and the baby has unsettled the boys and Sybil. If I'm not holding the babe, I have one of them on my lap. I can't wait until the baby sleeps through the night and things get into a routine."

"You make being a Da sound like a chore," Kieran said.

"It has it rewards as well," Tom replied. In fact he had never felt so needed in his entire life. Both of the boys were reacting to the time Rose was spending with Dylan by wanting more of his time and Sybil wasn't much better. Rose was trying to spend some time each day with the older three but the demands of breast feeding a baby every three and a half to four hours, bath time and pacing the floor with a new born were taking their toll on her free time. The older three were getting lots of attention from himself, Ivy and Johnny and the extended family but they were missing the time Rose spent with them in the day nursery.

The nighttime feedings were taking their toll on him as well. Rose was so worn out he had taken to getting up in the middle of the night to change Dylan and bring him to his mother to be fed. Rose would barely wake up while the baby suckled, then Tom would burp him and rock him back to sleep, only to get up to do it all over again four hours later. He hadn't gone through it all with Sybil as she'd had a wet nurse and he had been completely unaware of the feeding schedule of a newborn. He didn't know how anyone with a large family and no help did it.

"Nervous?" Tom asked his brother.

"Petrified," Kieran replied. "What if she turns into a nag and wants me to stop drinking beer."

"Less beer won't kill you. She might like a drink now and then herself," Tom said evenly. "Liz is alright. I highly doubt she'll turn into a nag. I don't see why you're so paranoid about the whole thing. I've done it twice and it's worked out well both times."

"What if I get itchy feet and decide to move again?"

"Then you talk it over with your wife and she moves with you. Stop worrying. Think about it. You'll be coming home to a warm bed every night. You probably won't want to move."

"You may be right," Kieran relented. "And if she suddenly decides she doesn't fancy me anymore?"

"Kieran enough. You liked her enough to ask. You're standing here at the alter. It's time to get on with it," Tom said. He could see Liz's mother just coming in to her seat. Rose was sitting in the front pew with Sybil and the two boys with Johnny on the far side of the boys and Ivy beside him. Mrs. Blackwell, the new housekeeper was home with Dylan. If he stayed true to his routine they had another two hours before they needed to be back at the house.

Once Liz was standing at Kieran's side, Kieran finally calmed down and made it through the ceremony. Liz was gazing at Kieran like he was the only man on the face of the planet. From what Tom could see and the way Kieran's attention was riveted on his bride, he doubted his brother was registering one word of the entire ceremony. Tom looked at his family towards the end of the ceremony to see Sybil on Johnny's knee fast asleep. Davin was leaning on Rose with his eyelids half closed. Redmond was yawning and rubbing his eyes and Rose had dozed off as well. He couldn't help but smile and wish he had the same luxury.

Chapter 23 - Swimming

"Honestly Tom," Rose said four months later. "I'm fine, Dylan is fine here with Ivy. His feedings are six hours apart now and he's almost completely weaned. We have lots of time. You promised to teach me to drive the motorbike and take me swimming. I want to go swimming."

"You're sure?" Tom replied. "You aren't going to get sick or anything since you still have Dylan on the breast?"

Rose sighed in exasperation.

"You're clucking is getting to me. I'm fine. The baby is fine. All of the children are healthy. We can be together and I can ride a horse and a motorcycle without any problems. I want to learn to swim, so we can take the children."

"When did you want to go?" Tom hedged. He still wasn't convinced something drastic wasn't going to happen to Rose and she would be taken from him in an instant.

"This afternoon. We'll drop Sybil, Davin and Redmond off for their riding lesson. They'll be fine with the grooms for an hour or so," Rose stopped him before he could protest. "Sybil and Davin have their ponies on a lead nothing is going to happen and that pony Sybil rides belonged to her mother and both her sisters before her. It's so ancient it's a wonder it doesn't drop dead."

"Fine, we'll go swimming," Tom said with a slow smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You'll find out later," Rose said with a smile.

They had the children dropped off and were headed for a secluded spot Tom had spotted the previous summer well away from the eyes of the house. Sybil and Davin were getting old enough not to need a nap everyday. It was just after luncheon and it was a beautiful sunny late summer day. Tom parked by the gate to a field then collected a blanket and two towels from the back seat. They followed a faint path through the tall grass dotted with wild flowers waving in the breeze.

"If anyone would have told me two years ago that I would prefer walking through a field in Yorkshire to the party life in London, I would have told them they were crazy," Rose said.

"You still attend plenty of parties," Tom reminded her.

"We do," Rose replied with a smile. "I haven't been bored for a second since we got married. I adore our life."

"I adore you. I'm glad you don't find me boring."

"Not in the least, my love," Rose replied with a huge smile.

They walked through some trees and arrived at the backside of the lake near the main house. There were enough trees and they were far enough away, no one would ever see them.

"Did you buy a bathing costume?" Tom asked.

"I thought I would try swimming first and see if I liked it," Rose replied mischievously. "You told me long ago swimming without clothing had its advantages."

"A rebel to the core," Tom quipped.

"You're just noticing now?" Rose said with a chuckle while she stripped off and dropped her clothes on the blanket Tom had spread on the ground. "Last one in has to change Dylan's nappies all day tomorrow when the nanny is off."

"That will be you," Tom said with a laugh. "You haven't changed a nappy yet."

"Piddle, yes, the other stuff, not likely," Rose said running for the water.

"You can take the girl out of the aristocracy but not the aristocracy out of the girl," Tom laughed once he had his arms around her and they were both waist deep in the water.

"I like swimming already and you haven't taught me a thing," Rose said with her arms around his neck.

"Are we here to swim or other things?" Tom said with a slow grin bringing her close for a long slow kiss.

"Both," Rose replied. "Now show me."

"I love this," Rose said forty minutes later while she was floating on her back. Tom was standing beside her watching her indulgently.

"It's a tad different with a swimming costume," he chuckled.

"Next time," she said rolling on her stomach then standing up. She took hold of his hand and starting pulling him to shore. "Next time we bring a picnic and the children and the nanny, but this time is for us."

"Don't ever stop being carefree, love. It's one of the things I love best about you," Tom said pulling her close once they had reached the blanket.

"I love you because," Rose replied, Tom leaned forward and kissed her, "you're a good father." He kissed her neck. "You're incredibly handsome." He maneuvered her onto the blanket. She could feel the sun landing on her skin in a dappled pattern where it was coming through the leaves that were moving slightly in the breeze. "Good in bed, did I mention that already?" Rose said with a sigh not really paying attention to what she was saying. "My perfect dance partner." Her eyes were closed and he was licking the droplets of milk from her nipples. "Oh," she said as his lips traveled across her breasts. "I love every inch of your skin. The feel of you inside me," she gasped at his ministrations. "I love you, Tom Branson in everyway possible."

"I love you too, my darling," he said before he kissed her again and pushed every other thought out of her consciousness for the next forty-five minutes.

-0-

Tom and Rose arrived at the stables to pick up the three children to be greeted by Sybil and Davin chattering about their ponies. Redmond followed behind at a much slower pace with a blood stained handkerchief pressed to his mouth.

"Redmond, what's the matter," Rose said in shock running to his side. Guilt was threatening to overwhelm her for going off for a good time while her little boy was getting hurt. Tom kneeled down beside him as well.

"Nothing," Redmond replied. "Mr. Lynch said it was supposed to do that. Look." He proudly pulled the handkerchief away from his mouth to display a gap where a front tooth used to be.

"Growing up under our very noses," Tom said getting a grin on his face.

"Does the tooth fairy really come?" Redmond asked.

"Redmond looks like a pumpkin face," Sybil taunted.

"Your turn is coming, Miss. Don't be smart," her father scolded.

"You'll have to put your tooth under your pillow and find out," Rose said with a smile.

"My teeth aren't wiggly," Davin said testing his front teeth.

"Not yet, but one day," Rose said. "What do you think the tooth fairy should bring?"

"A shilling," Redmond said.

"Why a shilling?" Tom asked with a wink at Rose.

"All this blood must be worth a shilling and it's the only coin I know," Redmond said in a matter of fact manner.

"There a kiss will make it stop bleeding," Rose said placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Mummy, the grooms and stable boys will see," Redmond complained. "I'm not a baby anymore."

"How quickly they grow up," Tom said.

"I'll just have to save my public kisses for Daddy," Rose said.

"I like kisses," Davin proclaimed holding his arms up to Rose.

"Of course you do, sweetheart," she said kissing him on the cheek. "Come along now, we need to get home. Dylan will be wanting his dinner soon."

"Can I have a baby when I grow up, Daddy?" Sybil asked.

"Hopefully, that is a long way off and you will need to be all grown up and find a husband first," Tom said. "Into the car with all of you. We don't want to keep your brother waiting."

Tom noticed Sybil turning back to wave at a little boy about Redmond's age who was standing by the corner of the barn. He smiled and waved back while he ran to the fence. "_So like her mother_," Tom thought as he turned his attention to the drive and headed towards home._ "Some things just don't change."_

-0-

"I'm not going to college. It's too soon. We are just past our first anniversary and it takes so little to unsettle the boys. They need me home for the next while. I'll go next year," Rose stated firmly. Tom was waiting for Rose while she changed her clothes. She was going to get her first motorcycle driving lesson once she was suitably attired.

"Rose, I don't want you giving up on education or your dreams because of me," Tom said with a sigh. "I want you and the children to have something to fall back on if anything ever happens."

"Cousin Robert wouldn't turn us out. I do receive an allowance from my father and Sybil receives her mother's allowance in trust. It can be used for her care. It isn't a fortune but we wouldn't starve," Rose said. "Besides for all my brother is a bit of a dandy he wouldn't see me destitute either. You're such a worrier. Nothing is going to happen to you anyway, relax, have some fun and stop worrying."

"I can't help worrying," Tom replied.

"You aren't attractive when you're over serious," Rose teased.

"Rose, you have to take this seriously," Tom said feeling rather annoyed. He was pacing around the room.

"Tom, stop. I told you my reasons. I want to spend this winter teaching dance. I thought we'd go down to London for a week or so once the harvest winds down. We can stay at my brother's. He is hardly ever at his house anyway. We could take some dance classes, go out, take the children to the zoo and some of the museums. You need a vacation. You're working too hard. You need to relax."

"I'm trying to make sure you and our family are well provided for," Tom replied not feeling ready to let go of his irritated feelings yet.

"Putting yourself in an early grave from overwork won't benefit anyone," Rose stated. "I've been thinking about having the older three get together with some of their friends once a week for a play time and a bit of a dance lesson. Nothing too elaborate, just some of the simple reels. Redmond isn't quite old enough yet for highland dancing. Afterwards the children could play while the mother's visit."

"I thought you were talking about setting up a highland class for children a while back," Tom commented. He went over to sprawl on the bed while he was waiting for Rose.

"I was. I need to make some inquiries about the dance community and the patterns for each age level. I learned it myself when I was a girl. I used to be quite good. I think they usually start the children at around eight or nine. I'll make inquiries while we are in London. I heard there is an instructor in York, but I doubt they would be forthcoming as I would be their competition."

"You've got it all worked out haven't you?" Tom said finally giving in. Rose was impetuous but she was smart too. When she wanted something she would move heaven and earth to make it happen.

"I do. Today I'm holding you to your promise of teaching me to ride your motorcycle," she said walking over and giving him a quick kiss before she grabbed his hand and drug him out of the room.

"Where is everyone this morning?" Tom inquired.

"Redmond, Davin and Sybil have gone to the Abbey for riding lessons and to play with George. Mary is off to for the weekend, but George is here with his nanny. Dylan is asleep and Ivy will keep an eye on him when he wakes up."

"I thought we'd be needing a new nanny before now," Tom said. "She and Johnny seem to be happy enough living here."

"She told me they decided to wait to have a family so they could save up so she wouldn't have to work when she's pregnant," Rose said. "Really they don't have much for expenses and we provide their lodging and meals. I don't think they are in too great a rush to move on."

"Good," Tom replied. "I always feel better knowing Johnny is somewhere about the house when we are out in the evenings or I'm working late." He went to roll the motorcycle out of the garage then put it on the stand in the middle of the drive. "Lesson one. If you want to drive it, you have to learn how to start it."

"It looks easy," Rose replied. "I've seen you do it often enough."

Tom just grinned at her. Then went over the settings for choke and gears for starting the motorbike up. Rose put her foot on the kickstand and pushed with all her might. It didn't budge.

"Drat that thing," she said in frustration.

Tom showed her how to set the kick-start so it would be easier to push down. Rose tried again. This time she jumped on it hard enough her other foot left the ground. The machine made a coughing sound but didn't start.

"Do it again," Tom said. It took Rose four tries to get the motorcycle started. She was sweating by the time it was warmed up and idling.

"That was a lot harder than it looked," Rose admitted.

"It can be," Tom said with a chuckle.

"I still managed to do it," Rose replied with her eyes dancing in delight.

"You did," Tom said encouragingly. "Now first gear, clutch, brake, gas. Not too much gas when you go to start off. Hold on tight to the handlebars. Take off slowly at first. Pull your foot up as soon as you're moving and don't drop the bike. Almost the same as a car but more responsive."

"Yes, oh great bossy husband," Rose teased him. She took her time and got the machine moving and then promptly stalled it. She swore under her breath then tried the kick-start again. This time the motorcycle started after two tries and with less effort and she let the clutch out even slower. She did a slow drive up the driveway, turned in the lane and came back.

"Not bad," Tom said once she had stopped.

"What do you mean not bad? I'm a natural. You've said so often enough with the car."

"So if anything happens to me, you'll work as a chauffeur?" Tom ribbed her.

"Maybe I just might," Rose replied smiling in delight. "Where is second gear?"

"Feeling adventurous are you?" Tom asked with a matching smile.

"Second gear is not exactly adventurous," Rose said.

They spent the next half hour with Rose driving slowly up and down the lane in front of their house with Tom standing to the side calling directions to her. Rose had been concentrating so hard on keeping the motorcycle traveling in a straight line and not tipping over when she turned she hadn't notice the line up of about twenty people standing by the side of the lane with their mouths open staring at her until she stopped.

"Time to let me drive for a bit," Tom said to her once she had pulled up beside him.

"You'd think they'd be used to us by now," Rose said through gritted teeth. She had her best drawing room smile plastered on her face and wasn't letting it budge. She did a small wave to the people watching, which shocked them out of their stares and sent them on their way.

"If they're talking about us they're leaving someone else alone," Tom replied with a chuckle. He held the handlebars while Rose got off and allowed him to get on the bike. She got on behind him before they roared off down through the backroads for a quick ride.

Tom circled Downton then wound up at his brother's garage on the opposite side of the village. Liz came out from where she was working in the office. Kieran had set up a small car park next door to the garage for selling cars. Once Liz had stopped working for Tom and Rose after her marriage she had started running the office for Kieran and helping to sell the cars. They were often off on trips to pick up cars from Kieran's contacts and Liz was enjoying combining business with pleasure and having the opportunity to travel around the countryside a bit.

"We'll if it isn't the newest motorcyclist in Downton," Kieran teased Rose when they pulled up. "The tongues were wagging the second you pulled onto the lane."

"I sometimes wonder the village gossips don't wear their tongues out," Rose replied with a laugh. She hopped off the back of the motorcycle once Tom had shut it off. Rose had lost her baby weight and other than her bust being slightly larger than it had been before she had a baby she didn't look that much different.

"It's going to take a bit for the chatter to die down this time," Tom commented. "There must have been a crowd of twenty watching Rose drive back and forth at all of about ten miles an hour."

"Just wait until my Great Aunt hears all about it," Rose said with a smirk. "I'll be in for it."

"I'm just glad our mother isn't anywhere about. I'd hear it from her as well," Tom said.

"And when she'd finished with you, she'd start on me," Kieran said with a chuckle.

"How are you Liz?" Rose inquired.

"We're both doing well, thank you," Liz replied with a smile. Once she and Kieran were married and she stopped working for Rose she had started using her first name. "Do the pair of you have time for a cup of tea?"

"A quick one," Tom replied. "It will soon be time to collect the children and run the gauntlet at the big house."

"Sometimes I think the two of you do these things deliberately to stir the pot," Kieran said slapping his brother on the back.

"You just figured that out?" Tom replied with a grin.

Chapter 24 – Who's Right

"I want a girl's day," Sybil said stamping her foot and sticking out her lip. "Daddy took Redmond and Davin with him for fishing. I want to go shopping and out to tea like we did before, Mummy. It's not fair."

It was two days before they were set to go to London to stay at Rose's brother's house. Tom had arranged some time off. He had gone out today to take care of some last minute arrangements and had planned to take Sybil, Redmond and Davin along and then stop for some fishing. The last fishing trip Sybil had curled up her nose at the smell of the fish and been thoroughly bored. She hadn't wanted to go with her father. As the day wore on she was getting more difficult and demanding as the day wore on and Rose was ready to throttle her. To top it off Rose had given Ivy the two days before London off to make up for the lost days off she would have on the trip and Dylan was teething. Mrs. Blackwell had just left for the pharmacists to see what she could find to try and sooth Dylan's inflamed gums and slow down his crying and slight fever.

"Sybil, you could have gone with Daddy," Rose said. She jiggled Dylan around between fussing bouts. He had jammed his wooden teething ring in his mouth for a moment. "We can't go today. Mummy told you we would have a girl's day in London. We are going to London in two sleeps."

"But Mummy I want to do something for girls now," Sybil whined and shuffled her feet.

"Sybil, enough," Rose said in exasperation. "When Mrs. Blackwell gets back and when Dylan goes to sleep, you may have tea with me in the drawing room. Otherwise we are not going out. You had your chance to go with Daddy and your brothers and you said no. Now you have to live with your choice."

Dylan chose that moment to drop his teething ring and try to bite Rose in the shoulder.

"Ouch," Rose exclaimed trying to disengage herself from her son's jaws. "Now be a good girl and go up and play with your dolls."

"I want to go out," Sybil grumbled but turned and climbed the stairs to play on her own in the day nursery.

Rose shook her head. Then went to the kitchen to get a clean tea towel soaked with cold water for Dylan to bite on. Cousin Cora had said more than once that Sybil's mother had been strong-minded when she was a child. Tom's stubborn streak had made itself known more than once since she had known him. It seemed Sybil had had inherited a double dose from her parents. Last week she had taken a notion that she suddenly didn't like green beans. Nothing on heaven or earth would convince her to eat one and she had gone so far as to refuse to eat her vegetable soup since there were green beans floating in it. She had changed her tune when she got hungry after refusing to eat her lunch and had to wait until teatime for something to eat. A few days later she had relented and eaten her soup but had neatly left every green bean in the bottom of the bowl.

Today, Rose could see Sybil's point. She'd had enough of Dylan's crying herself, but there was little she could do about it until his teeth were through and the swelling had gone down. There would be plenty of opportunities for them to have some "girl time" in London when Rose took Sybil for a new outfit and possibly a cake at a teashop. Rose wasn't too partial to fishing either. It was a mystery to her what men saw in the smelly things. The only interest she had in fish was when it was cooked and dressed on her plate at dinner and she was about to bite into it.

It was almost two hours later when Rose finally got Dylan down. She went to the washroom to wash her face and hands and then went to the day nursery to collect Sybil for the promised tea in the drawing room. Rose smiled to herself. Sybil's tea was so full of milk you could hardly call it that, but the little girl was doing quite well learning to hold her cup and sip politely. Rose opened the door only to find the room was empty. She checked Sybil's room to find it vacant as well. She did a quick check of the upstairs rooms on to find them all empty.

Rose headed downstairs to look for Sybil. She wasn't anywhere downstairs. Rose went out and looked in the back garden and around the side of the house. Even Morgana had gone with Tom and the boys on the fishing trip. The garden was completely empty.

"Mrs. Blackwell, have you seen Miss Sybil?" Rose inquired.

"No, milady," I haven't seen her since I returned from the pharmacists. I thought she was upstairs with you," Mrs. Blackwell replied. She was busy preparing vegetables for the meat pie she was making for the evening meal.

"I last saw her before you returned," Rose replied. "Please come and help me make a thorough search of the house and yard. She has to be somewhere about."

"She can't have gone far," Mrs. Blackwell said. "She's probably fallen asleep somewhere."

"I hope you're right," Rose replied. They headed upstairs. There was no sign of Sybil. When they had searched the entire house and hadn't found her they checked the servant's quarters and the attic as well. Sybil was nowhere to be found. Rose was starting to panic. She had to take a deep breath to calm herself. Rose checked the closet and found Sybil's coat hat and gloves were missing. She sent Mrs. Blackwell to search along the lane and check the field behind the house while she telephone Isobel Crawley's and her Aunt Violet's. Sybil didn't usually wander but she and her brothers had walked over on their own a few times although not without permission and both homes were only a few doors away.

Rose was really starting to panic after her second phone call and no sign of Sybil. She immediately called Kieran and Liz's to see if Sybil had taken a notion to walk over there. They hadn't seen her either. Mrs. Blackwell returned with no results either. When Dylan started to cry, Mrs. Blackwell headed for the stairs.

"I'll see to the baby, milady, while you try to find Miss Sybil," Mrs. Blackwell said.

Rose's hands were shaking as she telephoned the local constable. He promised to keep an eye out for Sybil. He assured Rose it was probably nothing. It wasn't uncommon for a little girl of three to wander to the general mercantile in town or the local sweet shop. He'd found more than one missing child there. Rose grabbed her hat and coat the minute she was off the phone and dashed towards the shops in the village. She asked at the shops but not a person remembered seeing Sybil that day. She was a recognizable child as Lord Grantham's granddaughter and everyone in the village knew what she looked like. Rose was in tears by the time she got back to the house. She was worried sick.

"_What if she's wandered off and fallen in a well?"_ Rose thought to herself. _"Or what if she's been snatched by vagabonds?" _Horrible scenario after horrible scenario was playing over and over in her mind. She got back in the front door, sat down on a chair and burst into tears. Mrs. Blackwell came down and put an arm around her.

"There, there, milady. Miss Sybil will turn up soon enough. The village is a small place and everyone knows her. Someone will spot her and see her home soon enough," Mrs. Blackwell said.

Rose pulled her hanky out and started dabbing her nose and eyes. "You're right, Mrs. Blackwell. She can't have gone too far and everyone in town knows her. Perhaps I'll take the car and drive around a bit. I might spot her."

"I beg your pardon, milady, but you had best wash your face first," Mrs. Blackwell said.

Rose could only nod. She had just washed her face and was getting the car keys when she heard the chugging of what sounded like one of the cars from the Abbey and the slam of a door closing. Rose answered the knock on the door to find her Cousin Robert standing at the door with a very sour looking Sybil by the hand.

"Did you loose something?" Robert Crawley asked.

"Sybil! Where have you been?" Rose exclaimed kneeling down and pulling Sybil into a tight hug. She couldn't hold back the tears. "Mummy has been worried sick."

"I went to visit Mrs. Hughes," Sybil said. Rose was frightening her more than her Grandfather's scolding. "Don't cry Mummy." Sybil put her hands on Rose's cheeks when Rose let go of her a bit.

"The staff assumed you were over to visit and had brought Sybil with you," Robert said. "It took a bit for them to realize something was amiss. When they did, I brought her straight back. I tried to telephone but the line was busy."

"You walked all that way on your own?" Rose asked.

"I know the way, Mummy," Sybil said with a shrug.

"That was very naughty to go out of the house without permission," Rose said sternly. Now the euphoria was wearing off and anger was setting in.

"You were busy. I wanted to go for a visit," Sybil replied.

"Sybil, you've been very, very naughty to sneak out," Rose said in a serious tone. "Take off your coat and hat and go to your room. I'll be up to deal with you in a few minutes."

"I wasn't naughty," Sybil replied not shrinking a bit under Rose's disapproval.

"Go to your room," Rose repeated sternly. Sybil slowly took off her coat and hat. With a sheepish look over her shoulder at Rose she finally climbed the stairs.

"Thank you for bringing her back, Cousin Robert," Rose said wilting a bit once Sybil was out of sight and hearing range. "We only realized she was missing a little while ago. I've had a terrible scare."

"These things happen," Robert said. "We had three daughters. They were forever getting up to something. I gave her a good scolding on the way over."

"Would you like to stay for tea, Cousin Robert?" Rose inquired.

She could hear Tom and the boys coming in through the back door.

"Thank you, but no," Robert replied. "I think I had best leave you to it."

After Lord Grantham had left, Rose told Tom about what had transpired that afternoon.

"It sounds like a spanking is in order," Tom said.

"Tom, no. You know I don't want the children spanked," Rose said.

"I'm not too fond of the idea myself, but we can't have her taking off whenever she takes a mind to. I'll go up and talk to her. I'll only paddle her as a last resort," he said.

"Tom, I feel badly. I have been spending an awful lot of time with Dylan," Rose said.

"He's a baby. It can't be helped," Tom replied. "You still spend a great deal of time with Sybil and the other two. She has to learn she can't have everything her own way and she needs to mind what she's been told. We can't have her taking a mind to go off to God knows where ever in London just because she's bored."

"I don't want you to spank her," Rose repeated as Tom headed up the stairs.

Tom was having a hard time of it himself as he headed to Sybil's room. Discipline was his least favorite part of being a parent but there were times when it couldn't be avoided. It had been just him and Sybil for quite a time and as much as he hated to admit it, she was more than a bit spoiled. She had attention pretty well whenever she liked and she wanted for nothing. His daughter reminded him quite a bit of his brother when they were younger. He knew from being brought up with Kieran if things weren't nipped in the bud, they would just get worse.

He opened the door to her room to find her sitting in the middle of her bed with two of her dolls.

"Sybil, you're mother has told me about your behaviour this afternoon. You've been a very naughty little girl to go out without permission," Tom said.

"I wanted to go out," Sybil replied not looking up from her dolls.

Tom walked over took the two dolls away from her and set them on the dresser.

"You can't always have what you want and it is time you realized that," Tom replied sternly. Sybil was shrinking a bit under her father's gaze but she was still defiant. "You must always listen to what Mummy tells you. She said you were to play in the day nursery. You didn't do that. You made Mummy very upset. She was crying. She even called the constable. Do you want Constable Evans to come and put you in the goal for being naughty?"

"No. I didn't mean to make Mummy cry," Sybil said. "I just wanted to see Mrs. Hughes."

"You have to ask when you want things and accept when you're told no," Tom reiterated.

"Mummy is always with Dylan. She doesn't notice me," Sybil said with a frown.

"That's not true and you know it," Tom said. "Mummy was looking for you to have tea with her and you had run off. Mummy took you out two days ago with just the two of you and she spends lots of time with you and Davin and Redmond. None of that changes the fact that you didn't listen and did something where you could have gotten hurt."

Sybil was squirming under her father's scrutiny.

"Are you going to promise not to do something like this again?" Tom asked her sternly.

"I wasn't naughty Daddy," Sybil said. She was still determined she was right.

"Yes, you were," Tom said. He sat down on the side of the bed. "Come here. I'm going to punish you."

"No, you won't," Sybil replied stubbornly.

Tom reached over picked up the little girl and put her over his knee. Before Sybil knew what had happened her father had landed three good smacks on her rear end through her drawers with his bare hand. She immediately started to cry.

"Now, you can stay in your room until your dinner. When you come down, I expect you to apologize to Mummy," Tom said.

"You're mean Daddy," Sybil tossed out wanting to have the last word.

"No, Daddy isn't mean. He's right and you were naughty," Tom replied. He went into the hall closing the door behind him. That was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his entire life.


	8. Part VIII

Acts of Defiance – Part VIII – Chapters 25 through 28

Just as a response to one of the reviews on this story about character motivation, Allen Leech has said in numerous interviews he plays Branson post Sybil with the motivation his daughter's happiness is everything to him. Saying that, it is unhealthy to hold onto grief for years and years around a young child. As a single parent I do think he would put aside his grief and get on with things for the sake of his child. The character is a good father and I think a lot of the points in the story illustrate that. He is concerned for the unborn child's welfare when Rose may be pregnant before their marriage. The first thing he discusses with his second wife is how she will relate to his daughter. He is concerned if anything happens to him how she will manage with the children. He also draws on his experience with the death of Sybil when he puts his foot down to his new snobby in-laws. This story is really about two rebellious people who find comfort from their personal pain in each other.

I do take it as a compliment if my stories make you feel something. If they make you happy, sad, angry whatever, at least they made you feel. Personally I have always been a Branson fan.

Chapter 25 – The Brother-In-Law

It was less than five minutes after Tom had left Sybil's room when he went back to check on her. There wasn't a sound coming from her room. He turned the handle and snuck the door open just enough to see inside. Sybil was fast asleep on her bed. He went in and pulled a cover over her. No wonder she was tired after walking all the way to the Abbey. The little devil must have hid along the lane between the village and the house when she heard anyone coming. He shook his head. She was incredibly like his brother. If he didn't miss his guess this wasn't the last adventure his daughter was going to find for herself in the next few years. They would have to stay on their toes to keep her reigned in and out of trouble.

He went downstairs to find Rose listening to Davin and Redmond recounting their fishing trip and how many each of them had caught. For all the worrying he had done before the boys arrived that they would have personalities like Kieran's and a penchant for trouble it was his daughter who was the one who had periodic bouts of stubbornness and was at times hard to discipline. The boys were quiet and eager to please. Davin had the dreamy quality he'd had himself at a young age. Dylan had Rose's blonde hair and brown eyes. He was much too young to be able to tell what his personality was going to be like. He was a bit of a colicky baby. There was more than once Tom had thanked his lucky stars they had staff to spell them off from the nightly two hour crying jags. Doctor Clarkson had assured them he would grow out of it in another few months and it would definitely not last past his first birthday.

"Sybil is asleep," Tom said as he went in to join them. "Davin and Redmond, try to be quiet if you go upstairs."

"We don't want to listen to Dylan cry. We won't make any noise," Davin said.

"We'll play with a picture puzzle. That will be quiet," Redmond said thoughtfully.

"You may do your picture puzzle down here in the drawing room if you like," Rose said. "Then you won't have to think about being as quiet."

"Thank you, Mummy," Redmond replied. He went off to get the puzzle, while Davin told Rose all about Morgana barking at the fish they had caught but being to afraid to pick it up.

"Probably best," Rose replied indulgently. "We wouldn't want Morgana's tooth marks in the fish we eat for dinner tonight."

Once Redmond was back with the puzzle, Tom and Rose went out to the garden for a few minutes so they could talk.

"How was it?" Rose asked as soon as they were outside.

"Difficult. She didn't want to back down. I gave her a few swats on the behind. She was crying but fell asleep fairly quickly," Tom replied with a heavy sigh. "She's usually so good, but today I wanted to throttle her."

"I think she's jealous," Rose said. "She had all of your attention, then I came along. It wasn't long and Davin and Redmond showed up and then Dylan. It is an awful lot of change in a short period of time for a young child."

"It is what it is," Tom replied. "Whether she's jealous or having problems adjusting to having a younger brother and not being the baby anymore, she still has to mind. I have to agree with your decision not to go to college this year even though I didn't in the beginning. I think the children need you here through the day. At least right now."

"I have to admit, the crying was getting to me today. I wanted to run away myself," Rose said with a sigh.

"I won't leave her home again if one of the others is sick," Tom said. "She might have been bored with the fishing but I don't think it is anything to run away from."

Rose chuckled slightly. "It is rather funny you have to admit. Sybil reminded me a bit today of Great Aunt Violet. _"I'm going to pay a call whether you like it or not."_

"I was thinking how Sybil reminds me of Kieran, but she is rather like old Lady Grantham at the same time," Tom grimaced. "We really are in for it while she's growing up, aren't we?"

"She won't be a dull child," Rose replied with a smile as they headed back in the house.

-0-

"James, I didn't expect you to be home," Rose said when they arrived at her brother's house in London. He had taken over the house from Rose's parents just before her father had lost everything. James was a solicitor and a member of the House of Lords. He was doing quite well for himself in a prestigious London firm and was considered one of the brightest up and coming young lawyers in London.

"I can't be away at a party or staying at my club all the time, Rose," he admonished with a smile. "Someone has to earn the bacon in the family and I do actually work."

"Of course you do," Rose replied with a smile, kissing her brother's cheek. "You were by so seldom when I lived here with Mummy and Daddy."

"Can you blame me?" he replied before he turned to greet Tom and the children.

Tom had only met his brother-in-law briefly at their wedding. There had been so much going on they had only been time for a quick introduction. James had left the next morning and there hadn't been any time to get to know him. Other than the fact that Rose's brother was a Lord in his own right, was employed as a solicitor and had the snootiest Eton accent Tom had ever heard, he knew little about the man.

James greeted each of the children formally but with a smile. Sybil had apologized for running off without permission and promised never to do it again as soon as she had woken up from her nap two days ago. After hugs and kisses from her parents she had settled down and been back to her usual cooperative self. Rose suspected it had something to do with the fact that Dylan's first two teeth were through and he had stopped crying all day long.

"My goodness, look at the boy," James exclaimed when he saw Dylan. "He's a chip off the family block if there ever was one."

"He does have your brow and eyes," Rose commented to her brother. She and James had exactly the same coloring.

"I've always thought he bore a strong resemblance to Rose," Tom commented. "Now that you mention it, he does bare a strong resemblance to you as well."

"Another politician in the making out of the gate," James said. Tom blanched a little until Rose laughed. James's speech was so stiff it was hard to tell when he was making a joke.

"Great Aunt Violet says I should be a solicitor when I grow up," Redmond said. "She says I'm serious enough for it."

"Do you know what a solicitor does?" James asked him with a quirked eyebrow.

"Reads books and writes on pieces of paper, I think," Redmond said with a wrinkled brow.

"That about sums it up," James replied just as seriously.

"I'm going to be a vegetarian," Davin said suddenly. "I have a dog."

"A what?" James inquired mystified.

"I want to be a vegetarian like the one that came to see to the sick sheep at the farm yesterday," Davin repeated.

"Mr. Morriset is a Veterinarian, Davin," Tom said with a faint smile.

"A fine ambition. What goals have you set in life at your young age?" James inquired of Sybil.

"I haven't decided, Uncle James" Sybil replied quite seriously. "I like to pour tea."

"Tea we shall have once everyone is settled," James said. "Patterson show everyone to their rooms." He directed the butler.

"Very good, Sir," the butler replied.

"Where are all the footmen?" Rose inquired of her brother.

"Gone. I made a number of changes when I took over. You can imagine Mummy's reaction when she was here for the visit last spring," James replied.

Tom was helping Ivy get the children up to their rooms and settled in.

"I can't imagine Mummy disagreeing with anything you do," Rose commented.

"It's just as wearing when you can't do anything wrong and you're fawned over every minute of every day as when you can't do anything right, Rose," James replied.

"I wouldn't know," Rose replied suddenly serious. "At least she approved of the baby, if not my choice in husband."

"Never mind, Mummy and all that. You're here now and it's just us. We can take some time to get to know each other better without the family in the way," James said with a smile at his sister.

"I'd like that very much," Rose replied with a beaming smile for her brother.

Rose, Tom and James collected in the drawing room for their tea. The children were upstairs exploring two trunks of toys that had been brought out of the attic and placed in the old day nursery for their visit. They were so occupied Ivy had no problem taking the time to get Dylan down for a nap and getting herself settled, which left Tom and Rose completely free.

"Anyone special these days, James?" Rose inquired over her cup of tea.

"Now you sound like Mummy," James replied with a slight smirk. "Yes, of a matter of fact I am seeing someone I quite admire."

"Do tell?" Rose said with excitement. She leaned forward.

Tom could only smile indulgently at Rose. She was as spontaneous as ever.

"I met Victoria during a case I was working on. She's from a good family and she worked with the Red Cross during the war," James paused. He had hoped his mother and sister wouldn't find out the next part. When they had even his golden boy status in the family hadn't protected him last spring. He had almost walked out of the house, except that it was his house now. "She's a suffragette."

"My goodness, you are getting modern," Rose teased him. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Tom's only response was a grin.

"Not the reaction I had from our sister and mother," James replied with a smile.

"Of course not. They both almost collapsed with shock when they found out I was driving a car while I was with child and teaching some dance classes," Rose replied. "Goodness knows what they would have said if they found out about the motorcycle and the swimming." She laughed merrily.

"Modern thinking taken to the extreme," James said with a smile. "I told Victoria my youngest sister was a flapper who was married with four children. I can't get Victoria to a jazz club. She's much too reserved. I thought perhaps she might go if she met you and we went together?"

"I was a bit hesitant myself the first time and learning the newer dances," Tom said. "I quite enjoy it once I got onto things."

"I never noticed you hesitating," Rose said smiling at her husband.

"I almost dropped you the first time you showed me some of the lifts and things in the tango," Tom said with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm surprised you never noticed."

"No, I never noticed," Rose replied softly. She turned back to her brother. "Really, James. I'm not as much as a flapper as I once was. Well, not in the London sense anyway. I still am but with an entirely different twist on things."

"Tomorrow night then?" James asked.

"Of course, we'd love to. Wouldn't we darling?" Rose replied.

Tom nodded his consent.

"Lovely, the Jade Monkey then, after dinner here. You'll be able to get to know Victoria a bit before we go. I'm surprised you weren't down for the season."

"Heavens no," Rose said. "I won't be down for the season other than a few days here and there. Tom runs a large amalgamated farm as part of the estate. We simply can't get away for more than a day here or there during the summer months."

"Nor do we really want to," Tom added smiling at his wife. "Although Rose could come down for a few days on her own if she liked."

"Not without the family along," Rose scolded. "That was our agreement."

"That it was," Tom replied.

"Besides, we simply couldn't go gadding about on the motorbike here in town. I would break my neck if I tried to drive in all this traffic," Rose said.

"I'll have to make it a point to come up and witness you driving the machine for myself," James said.

"Your welcome to come whenever you like," Tom said. He actually meant it. Here was at least one member of Rose's family who wasn't on her case for being too modern.

"You might not enjoy my cooking too much," Rose said. "If you can even call it cooking."

"Cooking as well. You have changed," her brother said.

"Not that much. I'm a dreadful cook and you can't keep me down long when there is a party to attend," Rose replied with a laugh.

"And you Tom? How do you feel about having a modern wife?" James asked.

"I wouldn't have her any other way," Tom replied.

-0-

Tom found himself liking James's girlfriend Victoria quite a lot. In looks she resembled the late Lavinia Swire. She was soft spoken and polite and a tad on the old fashioned side in hair and dress, but she was firm in her resolve that women under thirty should be allowed the vote. In some respects it was comical as James was of the opinion the suffragettes were wasting their time and parliament wouldn't relent. They were on opposite sides of the debate but obviously adored each other otherwise.

For all James accepted his sister embracing change and trying a new way of doing things in her own life, he didn't seem as willing to totally change things in his. Rose had commented on how much he had changed the inside of the house, getting rid of her mother's Victorian clutter and cutting back on the servants but since Tom had never been there before he had no comparison.

"James tells me you're a flapper with four children," Victoria commented over dinner. "Forgive me for saying so but you seem very young to have so many children."

"Our eldest two are adopted after a cousin of Tom's died in an accident last Christmas," Rose replied. "Our daughter is from Tom's first marriage. The youngest is my only natural child. We've only been married just over a year. Things seemed to happen quite quickly and there I was suddenly a mother of four." She laughed slightly.

"I've never heard of anyone in the flapper set who was married with children," Victoria said in surprise.

"Oh, I don't associate with the lot from London now," Rose replied. "I still dress with the current trends and I like to try new things, but the single, devil may care lifestyle of doing things because they are the latest craze doesn't appeal to me anymore."

"Unless it's a dance," Tom commented with a small smile. "Rose has us booked at a dance studio almost everyday we are in London to try the latest dances and learn the newer moves in the older ones."

"You don't mind?" James asked him.

"It's a bit of fun," Tom said. "I much prefer dancing to dress fittings."

"You'll get no argument from me on that score," James replied with a slight grimace.

"What else have you planned for your stay?" Victoria asked.

"We have some outings planned for the children and I'm making a few inquiries for a new business venture," Rose replied. "Otherwise we are going to try and relax. Perhaps take in a few night clubs that sort of thing."

"I must admit, I am rather hesitant about this night club business," Victoria said. "You know how people talk."

"I've found they talk whether you're trying to go about things properly or not," Tom said. "I can't say Good Morning to someone on the street in our village without one of the gossips reporting on it. You might as well have a good time. They are going to talk no matter what."

"Touche," James exclaimed.

"Don't worry about a thing. Just relax and have a good time," Rose said. "I certainly intend to."

"I'm going to try," Victoria replied with a more relaxed smile.

Chapter 26 – London Society

"Good morning, Miss Ashcroft," Sybil said as she greeted Victoria when she joined Rose and herself for shopping a few days after the nightclub outing. "Mummy and I are very pleased you are joining us for shopping."

"Good morning to you, Sybil. I'm very pleased to be joining you and make your acquaintance," Victoria replied. Sybil's formality made her smile. She hadn't known what to expect after meeting James's younger unrestrained sister the other night. She'd had a good time going out with James's sister and her husband. The two of them certainly knew how to dance, but Rose's short skirt and wild abandoned when she danced at times had been a trifle shocking. Today Rose was dressed more conservatively and the little girl had obviously had a great deal of formal instruction.

"Thank you for joining us," Rose said. "It would have been just Sybil and myself today. I'm afraid Tom balks whenever shopping for clothes is mentioned. He's taking Redmond and Davin to a museum this afternoon."

"Daddy made a bad face when Mummy made him buy a new suit," Sybil commented. She was in her best aristocratic façade.

"We wouldn't want him along to make a bad face while we're dress shopping," Victoria replied with a smile. Rose's daughter was just too adorable. "It simply wouldn't do."

Sybil managed to keep up her formal front until they were selecting a dress for her to wear for Christmas.

"But Mummy, I don't like red, I want a yellow dress," she complained. She loved yellow and it was always her first choice.

"Sybil, you know we will be attending Christmas Day at the Abbey this year. You may choose between a red dress and a green one to try on for the occasion. Other colors aren't appropriate at your age," Rose replied calmly.

"I don't like red. I'd rather have green," Sybil replied quickly.

"Something green with yellow or gold trim, if you please," Rose instructed the clerk.

"You allow your daughter a choice at such a young age?" Victoria asked Rose in surprise while they were waiting for the clerk to bring a selection of green dresses in the appropriate size.

"I do within reason," Rose replied. "My mother gave me no choice. My favorite color is blue but she always chose reds and browns for me when I was young. I hated every second wearing some of the clothing chosen for me. I don't want my children feeling that way. They are allowed some say in what they wear as long as it is appropriate for the occasion. We'll be attending celebrations at the Abbey this year. That is my Cousin Robert, Lord Grantham's home."

"My Grandmamma and Grandpappa live there," Sybil said. She was bouncing her feet on her chair in anticipation of being allowed to choose a dress.

Victoria looked at Rose questioningly.

"My husband's first wife, Sybil's mother was my cousin," Rose said.

"So you haven't left the aristocracy behind completely?" Victoria inquired.

"No, not completely. My husband's origins are working class. He's done quite well for himself. Tom and I are living somewhere between the upper middle and the aristocratic world with some give and take on both sides," Rose replied. "I don't think the old ways can stand any longer, but then again I don't want to be a working or middle class wife. Tom's position comes with a considerable amount of prestige in the community. We're blending our lives and coming up with something that suits us."

"My parents won't hear of me attending school or dressing in the newer fashions," Victoria commented.

"You want the right to vote," Rose replied. "You should have the right to select your own wardrobe and choose your own career as well. You should have heard my mother-in-law when she was to visit last year. According to her I was too strict with the children and entirely too formal. Then my mother arrived five months later and I was too lenient and much too relaxed. You can't win."

The clerk returned just then with a selection of dresses for them to choose from. Victoria commented here and there on the outfits Sybil was choosing from but her mind was turning over what Rose had said. Did women's rights extend beyond having an opinion in how things were run to dress and career choice as well?

After shopping for Sybil was done and they had stopped at a teashop for lunch, they dropped Sybil and her parcels off at the house to the care of Ivy before continuing on for Rose's own shopping. Sybil was starting to droop and was only too happy to be back to play with the toys in the nursery.

"I must say how very surprised I was by your daughter," Victoria commented after they had left the house and were on their way to one of Rose's favorite dress shops. "She's polite and well behaved, but allowed her own opinions at the same time."

"She has her naughty moments like any other child," Rose said. "For the most part she is a dear. I'm seeing to the children's formal training myself. We have a good nanny and I have no desire to subject them to an overly strict governess as I was."

"It is a very modern approach," Victoria commented.

"Like me," Rose replied with a smile.

It was later afternoon when the two women arrived back at the house. James had already returned from the office and was sitting in the library with Tom who was bouncing Dylan on his lap. The men stood as the women entered the room. The children were all off with Ivy having their dinner. The three eldest were all worn out from their day in London and would be having an early night.

"All decked out for the upcoming holidays?" Tom inquired when Rose came into the library.

"One or two items more and I'll be all set," Rose replied reaching to take Dylan from Tom's arms as she gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "Men don't know how lucky they are. You can get away with a tuxedo and a set of hunting tweeds."

Rose's brother was standing there speechless staring at his fiancée.

"I thought I would try one or two new items, myself," Victoria said with a smile.

"You look, quite…lovely," James finally managed to get out before he gave her a peck on the cheek.

Victoria was wearing a dress that came to just below her knee. It wasn't as short as Rose's skirt but it was considerably more current than the dress she had started the day in. They had stopped at the beauticians as well and Victoria had her hair in pin waves rather than the bun she had favored previously. Her face was still devoid of makeup and her selection of dress was conservative by any stretch of the imagination, but she had taken a step into the modern. She was dreading her parent's reaction but at twenty-six she had to admit she was a more than a bit tired of the strictly controlled life she had been leading. She'd had to fight a hard battle to be involved in the suffragette movement. A new look was going to be a hard battle as well.

"I hope it's not too shocking," Victoria said batting her lashes slightly at James.

"Not shocking at all," James said appreciatively.

"Very nice," Tom commented.

Rose introduced her brother's fiancée to her son before they went through for their tea. Victoria was amazed again as either Rose or Tom had the baby on their lap throughout the entire meal. About the time they were almost finished the meal, there was a tap at the door and all three of the eldest children came in to say good night to their parents before they left for the evening. Victoria found the older two boys charming and couldn't help but marvel again at the how Rose was coping with four children all so close in age when she wasn't that old herself. The boys all had fair complexions and she would have never guessed the oldest two were adopted. The little girl was the only one who had dark hair. Victoria guessed she took after her natural mother. It wasn't long before Rose and Tom left for a dance studio for one of their lesson sets.

"My very modern sister seems to be rubbing off on you," James commented as he was seeing Victoria home.

"She is much different than Annabelle," Victoria commented. "She does have her own opinions about things and she certainly is good with the little girl. She is strict but kind at the same time."

"We've never spent much time together," James said. "I rather like her. I was a bit alarmed when I found out she was marrying a confessed Irish rebel, but then I was told our Great Aunt Violet, the Dowager Countess Grantham had seen to his training personally and approved of the match. I must say he is a rather interesting fellow and a good match for my sister. They are one as modern in their thinking as the other."

"Good gracious," Victoria replied. "I hope you don't expect me to become that modern."

"Not at all," James replied. "I am a solicitor and a member of the old school after all. I quite like you just as you are, although I must admit I do like your new look quite a lot."

"It will take some getting used to. I can't imagine what Mama and Papa are going to have to say." Victoria patted her hair.

"They should say the same as I. You look beautiful and just as you aught as the future Lady Newtonmore," James said. "Let's throw a party while Rose is here with her family."

"Oh, James do you think we should?" Victoria asked.

"Why not? Some of our set could do with a little shaking up. Rose is the daughter of a Marquess after all. She can hold her own with the best of them."

"I'll make out the guest list tomorrow," Victoria said. The cab had arrived at the door to her home. "Wish me luck. I'm going to need it," she said before she headed inside.

-0-

"Could your brother's friends be a stuffier lot if he tried," Tom said quietly to Rose during the cocktail party and dinner James had thrown in his sister's honor.

"Smile and nod and get through it, the same as you at the Abbey. He is trying his best to be welcoming," Rose whispered back. "We'll dance a number or two after dinner. Try to relax and have a good time."

It was times like this Tom stood back and admired his wife's aristocratic and diplomatic training for what it was. She could handle a crowd like a seasoned professional that ranged anywhere from the aristocratic elite that made up this dinner party to a group of working class servants who had come for some dance lessons without the slightest wrinkle in her manners. Rose's dress was an older one she had from just before she moved to the Abbey. The blue fabric shimmered with hand-sewn beads and when Rose smiled she turned every head in the room.

He couldn't understand what his mother-in-law found to criticize. Lady Flintshire had eased up on Rose with Dylan's birth and praised Rose behind her back, but he hadn't heard one word of reassurance come out of the woman's mouth in the six weeks she had been at Downton that was directed at Rose personally. Rose's sister and her two aunts hadn't been much better. Rose was so polished she even managed to cover his bouts of discomfort in this type of crowd. Tom had to admit that over the years he had gotten better at fitting in. He carefully directed most conversations towards the new trends in music, cars or modernization of farming that was going on all over England and steadfastly avoided Irish politics. There was no changing these people's minds about Northern Ireland and he had found it was better to direct conversation away from the issue than to engage them in a social atmosphere where he was attempting to fit into yet another aristocratic family.

One difference Tom did notice in James' home as compared to the Abbey was that he had streamlined the dinner. When the Crawley's were entertaining it wasn't uncommon for the dinner to have seven courses with port and cigars afterwards. Such a heavy meal often gave Tom indigestion and the smell of the cigar smoke afterwards had made him feel rather green on more than one occasion. James had things down to three courses with the desert course served in the drawing room during dancing and music so the guests could serve themselves. Things were still formal but they were relaxed compared to what James' life would have been before the war.

"Do you still dance the tango?" one of the women asked Rose about half way through the evening. "I was at a party last year where you and your husband, then finance won a contest hands down. I remember it was quite the talk of the circle for a while."

"We still dance regularly," Rose replied. "As a matter of fact we are taking in a few dance classes while we are in town."

"Perhaps you would grace us with a repeat performance?" the woman's husband inquired.

"I'm afraid I'm not dressed for it," Rose said with a smile. "Another time perhaps?"

"The Blue Dragon has a tango contest Friday night. You should enter if you're as good as the rumors say you are," one of the men commented dryly.

"Perhaps we will," Rose replied. "What do you think, darling? Should we enter a tango contest while we're here?"

"As long as it is for fun," Tom replied. "Nothing too professional."

By the time the evening wound up Tom and Rose had promised to enter the tango contest at the Blue Dragon and the majority of James' friends had decided to come along for the night out. Tom was groaning a bit at the prospect of spending another evening of their time off with James' friends, but at the same time he did have to admit Rose's brother and his crowd were making a much greater attempt to be accepting of their marriage than he had encountered years before when he and Sybil had returned from Ireland and run the gauntlet of the stuffed shirts at the Abbey. Tom couldn't help feeling proud of his wife and a bit lost at the same time. This more mature Lady Rose Branson could easily be the Queen of London society, but her husband would never be anything more than a glorified farmer.

Chapter 27 – The Blue Dragon

"Tom, what's wrong?" Rose asked him a few days later. He'd been quiet and withdrawn since the dinner party. They were in bed and she had curled close in hopes of a romantic encounter but he didn't seem interested.

"Nothing," he replied with a sigh. "I'm just tired."

"Don't you lie to me," Rose snapped. "You never don't want to make love to me. Something is wrong and you're going to tell me what it is."

Tom rolled to face her. He stroked the side of her face in the dim light.

"You're so beautiful," he said almost wistfully.

"Since you're my husband, I'm glad you think so. Now out with it," Rose said. "I know you well enough to know when you're avoiding a topic."

"Do you ever regret marrying me?" he asked.

"No, never, not for one minute," Rose said. "I love you. I love how we are and our life. What's brought this on? Have you gone off me?"

"Of course not. How could anyone ever go off you? It's just being here, in society where you're accepted among the peers and the center of attention. It makes me wonder if you settled too soon. You could have done a lot better than me."

"I settled for the man I love," Rose said. "I'm not as accepted as you think. There's more going on than you realize. It takes training in diplomacy to be able to read it all. Some of James friends are just that, friends and they are attempting to accept his sister at face value for his sake. I would include his finance in that group as well. So far I've been the only one of my family that she has met that has accepted her in return. Half of the people he invited over the other night are trying to get in good with James and myself because of who our father is. You haven't met him yet. Daddy is wonderful. He's kind and sincere, but he also has the King's ear and he can get almost anything done he wants in Parliament within reason. They're social climbers kissing up to advance their careers."

"I don't really understand this world and all the nuances, I don't think I ever will," Tom replied. "You on the other hand navigate it without the least difficulty. It makes me feel inadequate. You could have married anyone you like. Instead I rushed you into a marriage with someone who will never be anything more than a gentleman farmer. That's it. It's as far as I'll ever go."

"Honestly Tom Branson. You make me so annoyed at times I could spit," Rose said. "You didn't rush me into anything. I fell prey to a social climber when I was younger. If I hadn't met you I would most likely still be ignorant to it. I loved you then and I still do. I don't want the type of life my brother leads. I never did. If I wanted that, we could move back to the Abbey tomorrow. You know how Cousin Cora is always asking us to move back in. I wanted to marry you and build a life for the two of us more than anything I've ever wanted in my entire life. If I had known London would have unsettled you so much I would have never brought you here. We'd have gone to Brighton and walked on the pier and eaten so much candy the children would have been sick to their stomachs. You're stuck with a wife who is a terrible cook and won't change a soiled nappy to save her life."

"Your happy then? You don't regret being with me?"

"Do you regret marrying me?"

"Not for a second. I just want you to be happy," he said.

"I am happy. I'd be even happier if you made me feel very, very good," Rose replied mischievously.

"You think Victoria's eyes are going to bug out of her head when we dance the tango?" Tom said getting a crooked grin as he pulled Rose a little closer.

"Too bad I can't be in two places at once," Rose replied with a smile. "I'd love to watch the look on her face."

"Love me?"

"Always," Rose murmured against his lips.

"We don't have any French letters," Tom mumbled between kisses.

"I don't care. Just make love to me like you mean it," Rose said with a sigh.

"I always mean it."

The only answer was her lips claiming his yet again and her hands pushing his undershirt over his head.

Later that night Tom laid in bed with Rose curled against his chest fast asleep. He was thinking about what she had said. All these years later Larry Grey calling him a grubby little chauffeur man still got to him. Rose had chosen him. She was his wife in every sense of the word. From what she had said a discreet call from her brother or herself to her father could make or break someone's career. They weren't on equal footing with her family and both she and her brother knew it. They had a power even the Crawley family didn't wield and as such they wouldn't allow anyone or anything to threaten their family in anyway.

Rose had matured a great deal in the last two years. She was a good mother and wasn't putting up with any nonsense from her family or from him. With her curly blonde hair fuzzed out in her sleep she reminded him of a lioness protecting her brood. She had claws under that pretty exterior. She just hadn't been old enough or wise enough to use them when she lived in London years ago. It didn't matter that her father had lost everything. He was still a force to be reckoned with and so was his daughter. Tom wasn't afraid to admit, he was proud of his wife and he couldn't love her more.

-0-

By the time the dance contest at the end of the week came around, Tom was ready to go back to Downton to take a vacation from their vacation. They had invitations from some of James' friends who had attended the dinner at the house and had been on a constant social whirl that made Tom dizzy. The days were filled with taking the children here and there, dance classes and Rose's shopping. She had stopped by to see a few of her old friends that had attended their wedding, but now as a mother of four and leading a life almost foreign to the London flapper set she had found almost nothing to talk to them about and certainly hadn't wanted to attend any of their social gatherings. Victoria had accompanied Rose out twice more on outings with the children. The two women were becoming friends despite the fact that one was as reserved as the other carefree. Tom was starting to suspect James was as equally spontaneous as his sister but kept it hidden under all of his formality. He'd mentioned more than once wanting to come up to see the motorbike. Tom had a feeling away from the restraints of London his brother-in-law could be quite a character.

One afternoon Rose had been going over the information and recordings she had researched for the highland dance class she wanted to start while Tom was reading a news paper. James had wandered in. The next thing Tom knew the music was on and there were the brother and sister dancing about in the drawing room laughing at each other's antics.

"You don't mean your going to torture your own children making them do this?" James laughed while dancing around. The next thing Tom knew James had pulled a sword off the wall and thrown it on the floor. The two of them were dancing some intricate pattern around the sword with the sound of bagpipes squalling from the phonograph.

"I am," Rose replied. "You'll see. I'll have a class and my students will win every competition."

"Dance torture. It's emblazoned in my memory," James said laughing. "All these years and I remember every step."

When the music finally ended the two of them collapsed on the sofa laughing. Tom applauded. It wasn't a few minutes and Sybil showed up at the door to see if she could dance too. Rose and her brother spent the next hour dancing a few reels with Sybil, Davin and Redmond with Ivy and another maid they had roped into dancing making up the couples. There was no mistaking the brother and sister were a great deal alike and were quickly forming a bond that was obviously missing with their mother and other sister. Tom couldn't help but wonder what his father-in-law was like and what would happen if Rose, her brother and father were in the same place for any amount of time.

Tonight the Blue Dragon was packed with spectators for the tango contest. The dance had become popular and was attracting a crowd wherever there was a contest. They had heard a few rumors that there would be some very skilled couples attending tonight. The instructor at the dance studio had advised them to stick to footwork and a few simple but dramatic drags in the first round and save the more dramatic complex movements for the second round when they would dance as an individual couple and not share the floor with anyone. Tom watched the couples on the floor that were warming up for the dance. The instructor was right about sticking to footwork at first. From what he saw there were only one or two couples out on the floor at the moment that could match them.

Victoria gasped when Rose took her coat off and gave it to the coat check girl. Rose's skirt was half way up her thigh with only a beaded fringe that came down to her knee.

"Victoria, have you seen the tango before?" Rose asked her.

"Well, other than the very basic moves, no," Victoria replied slowly.

"Oh, I have," the woman who had remembered seeing Rose and Tom dance previously said. "It's quite the show. Lady Rose and Mr. Branson were quite wonderful the last time I saw them. We should be in for quite the performance if the others here are anywhere near as good."

"Relax, Victoria," Tom said with a slight smirk. He was trying not to laugh. The poor girl was in for a bit of a shock. "I keep telling everyone, it's just a dance. Everyone has their clothes on. It won't hurt you one bit. You might try learning a bit yourself with James here."

"The first time we danced in public, we made the papers," Rose said gaily. "Poor Cousin Robert, he almost had apoplexy."

"I rather think that was your Great Aunt Violet," Tom said with a chuckle. "We had best go take a turn or two around the floor after we get signed up. If you'll excuse us."

"Our old routine for the first round," Rose said as they made their way to the table after dancing a few rounds on the floor. There had been some couples that were fairly skilled out on the floor. It was going to take more than some fancy footwork to win.

"You want something that complex to start?" Tom asked as he guided Rose through the crowd.

"They are good but we have an advantage."

Tom could only raise his eyebrows questioningly. The place was almost at capacity and there was a good half hour before the competition was to start. The noise level was going up.

"I would bet you, not a one of the other couples out there are actually lovers," Rose said into his ear.

Tom narrowed his gaze and watched the other dancers carefully while Rose was chatting to the women at their group of tables. She was right. Not a one of them was dancing in a way a married couple who was comfortable with each other's bodies would move. When he thought about it, it was part of what made the two of them together so compelling. Even when they hadn't liked each other and had first started dancing together the chemistry between them had always been there. All he had to do was think of her pulling his shirt off last night, or the time they had first been together when they were stranded while they were dancing and every other person faded away. They could have been the only two people in the room for all he paid attention to anyone else. Their attraction was still as strong as when they had first been together. If anything it was getting stronger the longer they were together.

"Getting a bit competitive are we?" James asked Tom when he noticed him frowning at the other dancers.

"Actually just thinking about when we first started dancing together," Tom replied turning to the table. "Rose and I didn't like each other at first. We started dancing together and that was it. I fell for her on the dance floor."

"That sounds terribly romantic," Victoria commented.

"We used to fight something terrible," Rose said with a laugh. "He threw my cigarettes out of the train window the first day I met him."

"And when did you know you had fallen for your husband, Lady Rose?" one of the women asked.

"My first motorcycle ride," Rose said dreamily. "I'd never felt so free in my life. I knew I was out being daring with a rebellious heart that matched my own."

"This night calls for champagne," one of the men said.

Rose turned down a glass then exchanged a secretive smile with Tom. She wouldn't be drinking any champagne for the next while. Last night they'd thrown caution to the wind. It was time to play the waiting game yet again.

"Time to go line up. Wish us luck," Rose said.

Tom stood up and took off his coat, tie and cufflinks and left them at the table. His actions received a few raised eyebrows but no one made any comment. By the time they were to the dance floor he had his sleeves rolled up.

"If we're going to do the old routine, we might as well do it properly," he said to Rose with a wink before they stepped onto the floor.

"What are you thinking about?" Rose whispered to him from her starting position.

"A rainy evening we spent stranded," Tom whispered back.

They hadn't done their old routine in a while, but it didn't matter to either of them. Tom guided Rose through the moves with their usual precision, neither of them needed to look anywhere but into each other's eyes to complete the dance. When they finished the first round they looked up to see all but three other couples had stopped dancing and were staring at them. Tom's face turned bright red before he helped his wife up. As they returned to a standing position there were loud applause for the last few couples remaining in the competition. The announcer indicated the four couples that would be dancing in the next round after a short break.

They headed for the bar to retrieve a drink, then made their way back to the table.

"I'm speechless," James said. "I knew you could dance, but that was…well it was."

"A married couple who are in love dancing together," one of the women said. "Bravo. You were amazing."

"You call that just a dance?" Victoria finally stammered. "You were very, very good."

"I wouldn't dance in that particular manner with anyone but my wife," Tom said. "The next round we'll do the more difficult patterns."

"More difficult?" one man asked. "You don't call that difficult. I would pull something if I bent like that."

"No you wouldn't, Nigel," Rose said. "Tom and I could teach you to dance like that in a few evenings if you have a knack. Oh, we had better get back or we'll forfeit."

The other couples had been good with some elaborate tricks but Rose was confident they could win as long as they didn't trip or miss a step. Their second set began with a combination of elaborate footwork interspersed with quick lifts and fancy drags. Rose registered more than one gasp as she and Tom danced without a hairs breath between them. They struck one elaborate suggestive pose after another and went into some of the more complex lifts. For the finale he lifted her in a quick flip that had her rolling over his shoulders and them landing in a deep stretched out pose. There was dead silence for a moment followed by a round of loud applause with half the club on their feet giving them a standing ovation.

"Do you think we were good enough?" Tom whispered in her ear.

"I don't care one way or the other. It was fun," Rose replied. "I do like to win though."

James was on his feet waiting for them when they got back to the table with a large smile.

"If you two weren't already married, I'd be dragging you to the vicar about now," he said slapping Tom on the back.

"I…I don't know what to say," Victoria stammered. "That looked very, very difficult."

"It's rather fun actually," Tom said. "It just takes a great deal of practice." He was rolling down his sleeves and getting his jacket and tie back on. Rose was bouncing on the balls of her feet to try and peer over the crowd and see if the judges had made a decision. They went back up and were declared the winners.

"As if you had any doubt," Tom whispered to her. His only answer was a large smile.

The rest of the evening whenever they got up to dance together they cleared the floor as people wanted to see more of the flashy moves they had seen earlier from a pair of skilled dancers. Tom danced with each of the women at the table in turn. Rose danced with her brother more than once. When Tom asked Victoria to dance she shrunk back.

"I...I couldn't possibly do any of those elaborate moves," Victoria said.

"Nothing elaborate," Tom reassured her. He guided her through a basic foxtrot, only adding in a few quick turns when he felt she was comfortable enough.

"It's hard to believe you're not professionals," Victoria commented while they danced.

"I'm afraid not. I'm an Estate Agent. Just a glorified farmer with a pretty wife and a house full of children who happens to like to dance," Tom replied with a small smile.

"Having a good time, darling?" Rose asked him once they were seated back at their table. Tom had his arm around her protectively. There wasn't a great deal of room since the club was packed.

"I am," he said. "I'm glad we came to London."

"Think you're up for a private tango tonight behind closed doors," she whispered.

Tom's only answer was to lean over and kiss his wife. At that moment he didn't care who was watching. He was married to Lady Rose Branson and tonight there couldn't be anyone in London who was shining brighter than her.

Chapter 28 – Loss

"Would you like to come with me today?" Tom asked Rose in mid-January. "I need to go into Ripon. I thought we might make the day of it."

"Yes, I think I will," Rose replied. "I seem to be feeling a bit better. I just can't seem to shake this bug."

"Did you make an appointment for the doctor?" Tom asked. "You don't think you're pregnant but you could be."

"I don't feel anything like I did when I was pregnant with Dylan," Rose replied thoughtfully. "I'm not really sick, I just don't' feel right. If I don't feel better, I'll make an appointment tomorrow."

Tom sighed and took her hand where it was sitting on the breakfast table.

"You're sure you don't want to wait to have another child? You wanted to go to college this fall. More children can wait," he said seriously.

"If we have a family all close together it will be more running around when they're little but they won't have a big age gap," Rose replied. "College has always been more your dream than mine. I'm perfectly happy being a wife and mother and teaching a few dance classes."

"I just want you to explore all your options," Tom said with a faint smile. "I don't want you to feel I held you back in any way."

"You're not holding me back," Rose replied with a reassuring squeeze to his hand. "It's been nice getting to now my brother during our visit to London and when he came up for two days during the holidays, but it does seem a shame it has taken us this long to find each other. Fifteen years between eldest and youngest is too much."

"You must both take after your father," Tom commented. "James is not as stiff when he's away from London and he's certainly nothing like your mother and sister."

"I am rather enjoying him," Rose replied. "I'll just get a few things together and let the nanny know I'll be out today." Rose had finished her breakfast and headed off to speak to Ivy.

They had finished Tom's errands and were going through a book shop looking for a few new children's books to add to the nursery and one or two for their own library when Rose suddenly grabbed Tom's arm.

"Rose, what is it?" Tom said in alarm.

"I'm dizzy. Something is wrong," Rose said almost doubling over when a cramp assailed her abdomen.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Tom said.

"Just let me sit. Hopefully this dizziness will pass," Rose said weakly. "Then you can take me to the hospital in Downton."

Tom quickly scooped her up and got her to a chair in the shop. The clerk dashed off for a glass of water.

"I'm getting you to a doctor," Tom said as another cramp hit her almost spilling her off the chair.

"Have the clerk…" Rose's speech trailed off as she passed out.

"Rose, Rose," Tom called to her as he patted her cheek trying to bring her around. He was about to pick her up and rush her to the car to get her to the hospital when the clerk returned with the glass of water.

"I'll ring for the ambulance," the woman said.

"Tell them to hurry," he said as eased Rose to the floor. He wet his handkerchief with the glass of water and wiped her face. Rose slowly opened her eyes and closed them again.

"I'm so dizzy," she slurred.

"Help is on the way, love. Just hold on," Tom said to her. He felt incredibly helpless waiting for the ambulance. It seemed like forever although it was only minutes when the ambulance attendants arrived with a stretcher. They checked Rose over quickly then got her on the stretcher and out to the ambulance.

Tom wanted to go with her but the attendants told him to follow along behind. He would only be in the way. They would be taking Rose to the Ripon County Hospital.

"Do you know where the hospital is?" the woman from the bookstore asked Tom. She had closed the door to the shop and put up the "Gone for Tea" sign.

"No, but I'll find it," Tom said. His eyes were wild and he was about to dash to the car.

"I'll show you where it is," the woman said. "Do you have a motor near by?"

Tom nodded and escorted the woman to the car. He cursed when the car didn't start the first try. He was so distraught it was making his movements awkward. When the car finally started he looked up to see the woman from the bookstore in the driver's seat.

"I'll drive. The state your in you'll run yourself into a light post," she said. "Try not to panic. She's most likely already at the hospital. Is the lady your wife?"

"What, oh yes," Tom replied. He was looking down the road to see if he could spot the ambulance. The woman had the car moving and was headed to the hospital. "She's my wife, Lady Rose Branson."

"We'll be there in a minute," the woman said. "I'll just get you parked then walk back."

"I feel I should compensate you for your inconvenience," Tom said.

"Heavens no. Just being neighborly," the woman said. "I'm Mrs. Waters. I've heard of your wife. Isn't she involved in some dance thing or another?"

"Yes, we give lessons at the Catholic church," Tom replied distractedly.

"Here we are. The entrance is just over there," Mrs. Waters said. "She handed Tom the keys as soon as she had switched off the car. "Good luck, Mr. Branson. I'll say a prayer for your wife."

"Thank you, Mrs. Waters," Tom said before he jogged the few steps inside the hospital.

Tom inquired at the desk as to Rose's whereabouts. He was given an admission form to fill out and another form to sign. It felt like a mountain of useless papers when he all he could think about was getting to Rose and making sure she was all right. Once he had the forms filled out, he was directed to a waiting area. Tom took a seat. His hands were shaking and he felt as though he was going to be ill. He was thanking providence people were as helpful as Mrs. Waters at times like this. He was in no shape to drive. He had to squeeze his eyes shut to block out flash backs to the night Sybil had died. He kept trying to tell himself Rose was getting help in time, but it wasn't helping the knot of dread in his stomach. Finally the doctor came out of the emergency receiving room and flipped through the forms he had filled out that were attached to a board.

"Mr. Branson?" the doctor inquired.

"Yes," Tom said jumping to his feet.

The man indicated an office. He closed the door behind them.

"Were you aware your wife was pregnant?" the doctor inquired.

"No. We've been thinking about another child. Rose hasn't been feeling good but she hasn't had any of the symptoms she had with our son. She was going to go to the doctor tomorrow or the next day," Tom replied.

"How many children do you have?" the doctor inquired looking at his notes.

"Rose and I have one child together," Tom replied. "We have three more but Rose isn't their natural mother."

"Your wife's last pregnancy proceeded normally? Any problems with the birth?"

"Completely normal. She had no problems with our son. She was only in labor for a short time. Three hours I think. Is she going to be alright, Doctor," Tom asked.

"Yes, she will be fine in a few days. You're wife will require surgery, Mr. Branson. She is in the process of having a miscarriage. If things were left to proceed naturally, your wife could be in considerable distress. As it is with a minor surgery, things will be taken care of and she should be on the road to recovery in a few hours," the doctor replied. "We won't know her prospects for having children in the future until the procedure is complete. With the surgery and a few days rest, your wife should make a complete recovery."

"Can I see her?" Tom asked.

"In a few minutes. She is being prepared for the procedure," the doctor replied. "I'll just have you sign here and then a nurse will take you to see her."

Tom nodded his understanding and signed the papers. He went back into the hall and waited until a nurse took him to see Rose. She was laying on her side on a gurney waiting to be wheeled away dressed in a hospital gown and covered with a white sheet. Her face was as white as the sheets she was covered with.

"Lady Rose has been sedated," the nurse told Tom before she left them for a few minutes alone.

"Tom," Rose said weakly as she opened her eyes. "The baby is gone."

"Hush, love, I know. The doctor says you will be fine in a few days," he replied taking her hand and stroking her cheek.

"I should have gone to the doctor sooner," Rose mumbled.

"Don't say that," Tom said quietly. "Just think about getting better. You have to get well for me and the children."

"You fret too much," Rose replied with a sigh.

Two nurses approached and sent Tom back to the waiting room before they wheeled Rose off through a set of doors.

Tom couldn't take the stress of sitting in the waiting room for the next hour or so. He made his way outside then leaned on the side of the building. He was fighting his emotions. He wanted to scream in frustration. It wasn't fair. They were so happy. Instead of hope all he could feel was a sense of dread that Rose would be taken from him and he would be alone again. _"Not alone,"_ he reminded himself. _"You have four children. You have to be strong for them."_ He pushed aside his dread and the tears that were threatening to come and went inside to find a telephone to call the house and the Abbey to let them know what was going on and to check all was well with the children.

By the time the doctor came from surgery to let Tom know Rose was in recovery and the results of the procedure, Tom had been joined by Lord and Lady Grantham and Isobel Crawley. Robert and Tom stood up as the doctor came towards them.

"Mr. Branson, your wife is out of surgery and in recovery. She will be coming round in a few minutes. You can see her then," the doctor said.

"Is Lady Rose alright, Doctor?" Robert inquired before Tom had a chance to open his mouth. "Will she be able to have more children?"

The doctor looked at the group with Tom questioningly.

"This is Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham and Mrs. Crawley. They are my wife's family," Tom said.

"Very well," the doctor nodded. "Lady Rose suffered a placental abruption. In the early stages of pregnancy it only means the part that would become the afterbirth wasn't attaching itself correctly. The pregnancy could not have continued, no matter what measures were taken. It's fortunate things started to come away naturally this early. In later stages the condition can be fatal. It will be easier on her body. She will make a full recovery and should have no problems having more children."

"Thank God," Tom ground out. "Do you know what caused it?"

"There's no way to be sure," the doctor replied. "I would suspect your wife may have been pregnant with triplets. It would explain why a young healthy woman who should be able to carry a child normally otherwise would have problems. It simply is too much in many cases for the body to cope with and the fetus abort themselves naturally."

"How long will Rose be in hospital, Doctor?" Cora inquired.

"Two days at most. She should be up and around and able to resume her normal activities by the end of the week. Now if you'll excuse me. Handling this emergency has put me behind schedule."

"Of course. Thank you for your time explaining all this to us," Robert said.

Tom sat down and put his hands over his face. _"Not one baby, but three,"_ he thought to himself in shock. _"She could have died."_

"Tom, you've got to pull yourself together," Cora said moving to sit beside him.

"You heard the doctor, Rose will make a complete recovery and be able to have more children in future," Isobel added.

"But she could have died," Tom said through his hands. "It would have been my fault."

"You did everything right," Robert said with a sigh. "You got Rose to a hospital at the first sign of trouble. You've given her every possible opportunity to recover and she will." His normally rigid stance and straight back suddenly slumped. "I didn't do that with Sybil. I didn't give you the choice until it was too late," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It wouldn't have done any good," Tom replied with a serious expression. He stood up and looked his father-in-law in the eye. "I forgave you long ago. I won't take any risks with Rose or the children."

"You're a better father and husband than I gave you credit for back then," Robert said.

"I made mistakes as well," Tom replied. "I could have done a lot better."

"We've all made mistakes," Robert said. Tom reached out and squeezed Robert's shoulder. It was the only apology he had ever gotten from his father-in-law in all this time. He knew it wasn't easy for a man as proud as Robert Crawley to admit that he had been wrong.

Tom and Cora went in to see Rose once she was awake. She was pale and groggy from the anesthetic but awake enough Tom was reassured she was going to be fine. After the brief visit, Cora and Isobel decided they would stay at the hospital for the next few hours while Tom and Robert headed back to Downton. Tom wanted to stay but at the same time he had a house full of children to return to and reassure their mother would be home in a few days.

-0-

"How is Rose doing?" Cora asked Tom. It had been a week since Rose was released from the hospital. Cora had been to see her twice before that week. Today she was just leaving Clairehome House when she met Tom in the yard as he was arriving back from a work related outing. Rose had her aristocratic façade up and wasn't letting on anything had been wrong. Cora knew from her own miscarriage, although later in pregnancy that inside Rose had to be grieving for the loss of her unborn child.

"Dr. Clarkson has given her the go ahead to get back to her usual activities," Tom replied. His expression turned worried. "The doctor at the hospital said she could go back to teaching dance as soon as she was released but I made her take a week off."

"It's for the best," Cora replied. "I am rather concerned. I'm only saying something because we've all been through so much, but Rose doesn't seem to be letting herself feel the loss."

Tom sighed.

"She's never lost anyone or anything close before," Tom said quietly.

"She isn't alone in this but right now it may not be how it feels to her," Cora said. "I know you'll try and be there for her."

Tom could only nod his understanding.

"The house seems rather quiet," Tom said as he came into the drawing room and gave Rose a quick kiss in greeting.

"Dylan is down for a nap and the others have gone to Great Aunt Violet's for a tea party," Rose replied distractedly. She was busy making a list out. "Redmond has learned to read the first two pages of his primer and wanted to show of his prowess."

"I don't know why Redmond is so fond of the old girl. She scares the living daylights out of most people," Tom commented.

"Apparently she was quiet the social butterfly in her day and could charm the birds from the trees," Rose replied putting her things to the side. "Redmond is an old soul trapped in a little boy's body. Luckily Great Aunt Violet returns his affection. Unluckily, Sybil can be just like her."

"What did she do now?" Tom sighed in exasperation.

"She's decided her Christmas dress is perfect for afternoon tea. She insisted she wear it today. I thought it was harmless enough. She might as well wear it up."

"She is a character," Tom replied with a chuckle.

"I was just making a list. We'll have to get Redmond new clothes for spring and summer. He's growing like a weed. Davin should be into Redmond's clothes from last year," Rose said. "Redmond will need a uniform for day school as well this autumn. I was thinking I would do a few lessons with him, printing his name, simple sums that sort of thing to get him ready."

"If you think it's best," Tom replied. He went over to sit beside Rose. "Are you feeling rested?"

"Tom, stop clucking," Rose replied rising and moving away from him.

"I'm sorry. I'm just concerned," he said. He stood up to follow her.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you're trying to be helpful. It just feels like there isn't anything anyone can do at the moment. I'll go back for another check up in a month and then if everything is fine we'll get back to normal and get on with the business of raising a family."

"Rose you need to take a bit of time to digest what's happened," Tom said.

"I'm fine really," Rose said. "I don't see what the fuss is about. It wasn't a viable pregnancy anyway. The doctors said it would have never made it to term."

"It was our child. Perhaps more than one," Tom said quietly looking away from her.

"It was only a few weeks. Not even a child yet," Rose said. She turned to look out the window. "I'm going to go up and go through my closet and check if I need anything for spring. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"I always need you," he replied quietly but she had left the room already.


	9. Part IX

Acts of Defiance - Part IX

Chapter 29 – Answers From the Past

"Tom, I don't need to be held when I sleep everyday," Rose said. She shuffled back to her side of the bed. It was almost three weeks since she had lost the baby and she was still trying to continue on as if nothing had happened. She was distant without realizing it and her smile lacked its usual warmth.

"You don't, but I do," he said. "I miss you when you're not close."

"You're so silly," she said rolling over to curl against him and put her arm around his middle. "It will be another three weeks before we can do anything."

"I know that. There are times I need to feel you and know you're there," Tom replied.

"Better?"

"Much," he said.

Rose waited until Tom's breathing had evened out and she was sure he was asleep before she moved away from him. She was wide-awake yet again. Over the last week she'd had a terrible bout of insomnia. It was getting to the point where it was hard to lie in bed and do nothing. She got up and went downstairs to find a few saltines and a glass of warm milk. _"Perhaps it might help me calm down enough to sleep,"_ she thought. She curled up in a chair in the drawing room with a blanket, her cup of milk, saltines and a book. When she glanced at the clock it was one in the morning. She put out the light and made her way back upstairs to try and get at least a few hours sleep.

Rose rolled out of bed the next morning feeling like nothing on earth. She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open but at the same time if she slept in she knew she would never get to sleep that night. Today was Ivy's free day and the older children had a morning riding lesson. Dylan was teething again. His colic had finally subsided but he had been running a slight temperature for the last few days.

By the time everyone was up, dressed, fed and ready to go, Rose felt like she could go back to bed and sleep for a week. Tom headed off with the three children with a promise to be back as soon as he could. The housekeeper had left as soon as the breakfast dishes were done to go to the grocers.

Dylan was fretting and rubbing his face with his fist. Rose decided to try rocking him in the chair in the nursery and see if it would settle him down. She settled him on her lap and opened a children's book with brightly colored pictures. With the pictures, the sound of her voice and the rocking it seemed to sooth the irritated baby. Rose was almost asleep herself when the most horrible stench she had ever smelled in her life came from her son. She quickly looked down to see her lap completely covered in brown oozing baby poop with more gushing from the sides of his nappy.

"Oh no, Oh no, no," Rose exclaimed. She quickly set the book to the side then attempted to lift Dylan up by the under arms while holding her hem up at the same time to make a dash for the washroom. No matter how she held him and the hem of her dress the brown gooey mess had spread to her hands and some was smeared on her arms. She was gagging as she got Dylan and herself maneuvered into the bathtub.

"At least it will all run down the drain," Rose said out loud. "Dylan how could you have made such a mess for Mummy?"

The only response was a contented gurgle. She set the baby in the tub, unpinned his nappy and tossed it into the toilet. The stench made her nose curl and she gagged more than once. There was a good reason she never changed a soiled nappy. The smell alone made her gag. The odor this time was a soiled nappy multiplied by ten.

There was no salvaging what he had been wearing so she stripped him bare, got the water running and washed off the squishy mess the best she could. Finally when Rose had the baby free of poop, she tossed a towel on the floor, set the baby on it and got her own dress off. She looked down to see the brown muck had soaked through her dress and soiled her slip as well. She pulled everything off as carefully as she could so as not to get any poop in her hair. She had just gotten her hands and arms washed when she heard Dylan pass gas. She looked at him to see him lying in another large puddle of poop on the towel. He looked up at her and gave a big gummy baby smile, with his front teeth showing and chortled while waving his arms and legs in glee.

"Dylan it's not funny," Rose exclaimed with a sob. She rinsed him off again with the tears rolling down her cheeks and blurring her vision so she could barely see what she was doing. She got him into a fresh nappy and back into his crib while crying with hiccupping sobs the entire time. She went back to look at the mess in the washroom. There was poop now on the knees of her stockings from when she had kneeled down to rinse Dylan off the second time. She slid down the door of the washroom and sobbed great wracking sobs that wouldn't stop.

She had been sitting there sobbing for a few minutes when suddenly Tom was sitting on the floor beside her and pulling her into his arms.

"I lost the baby," she sobbed. "Why, why did it happen?"

"I don't know, love," he said quietly. "It's not for us to question. It all happens for a reason."

"I want to die, too," she sobbed against him. "I should have gone to the doctor sooner. I should have listened to you."

"Rose, Rose, listen to me," Tom said placing a hand on either side of her face. "It wouldn't have made any difference. If the pregnancy had lasted longer you could have died. I couldn't have borne it. You have to live for me, for our children, for all of us. You give me hope. You're why I get up in the morning. You don't know how much you mean to me. To all of us."

"There's no reason," Rose sobbed. "I can't find a reason."

"There is a reason. Sometimes it takes a long time to find it," Tom said gently. He was rocking her slightly with her head on his shoulder. He suddenly became aware of a horrible odor coming from the washroom. "What is that pong?"

"Dylan had diarrhea. It got everywhere and the housekeeper is out," Rose hiccupped against him.

"I had best open the window," Tom said. "Are you all right to sit here on your own for a moment?"

Rose nodded against him. Her crying had stopped.

Tom quickly pushed the window open. He rinsed out the nappy in the toilet by pinching a small piece of the fabric between his forefinger and thumb and pulling the cord on the loo at the same time. He then tossed the nappy into the pail they had in the washroom to soak the nappies and put the cover back on. He looked at the soiled pile of clothing and towel in the tub. He quickly bundled it all up in the towel then took it downstairs and put it in the back garden for burning. When he got back upstairs Rose had gone into their bedroom. He quickly washed his hands. The rest of the mess would be left for the housekeeper to clean up. She would be earning her wages today.

He took a quick look at Dylan who was fast asleep. He found Rose sitting at her vanity. She had pulled off her stockings and was sitting looking dejected. Tom crossed over to her and kneeled in front of her taking her hands.

"Rose, nothing about the baby we lost was your fault," Tom said.

"I didn't go to the doctor," Rose replied despondently.

"The doctor at the hospital said they didn't know why it happened but you could have been carrying triplets and it was too much for your body. There was absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent the miscarriage. All the doctor visits in the world wouldn't have stopped it."

"The baby will never see the light of day. It won't grow up. It won't have the chance to poop on me," Rose said the last bit with a slight laugh. She could see the humor of Dylan pooping all over her now that it was all over.

"Reasons, Rose. You asked for a reason. Get dressed. When Mrs. Blackwell gets back she can clean up and watch Dylan for a few minutes. There is somewhere I think we should go," Tom replied seriously.

Rose nodded and then slowly got up to select another dress. As soon as Rose was dressed they headed downstairs. The housekeeper was back. Tom let her know about the remaining mess in the washroom. He told her he would burn the soiled items out back when they got back.

They went out the front of the house together and walked towards the churchyard. Rose's head was down and the tears were threatening to come any minute. She looked at Tom quickly when they stopped with Matthew Crawley's grave on one side and Sybil's grave on the other. Tom never came here. He wouldn't even walk by the graveyard if he could help it. More than once he'd crossed the street to avoid the place. She knew he was about to share something with her he never had before.

"I know grief, Rose," Tom said at last. He hadn't said a word on the walk here. "When Sybil died…I wanted to lay down in the coffin with her and be buried too. I wanted to die. Something inside me died right along with her. I loved her with all my heart and then she was gone in an instant. The only thing that kept me going was our daughter. Day after day, I got up and went through the motions of life for my daughter's sake, because she needed me. You know what I was when you first met me. I had held onto the grief too long. I didn't feel anything anymore. I was dead on the inside." Tom paused and took a breath. "I was so damn alone and full of grief I could hardly bare it and then you were there. At first you made me mad with your short skirts and cigarettes and puffing cigars and chasing boys and pushing boundaries. I hated you at first because you made me feel. You were so damn irritating," Tom laughed self derisively. "Then I fell in love, and I realized something. I wasn't alone anymore." He sighed and looked at the graves they were standing by then back at Rose. "Why did it all happen? Why did I have to live through that? I think I finally know the answer. It has taken me years, but I finally know. It made me a better father and a better husband." Rose went to say something but Tom stopped her. "The truth, Rose, was I wasn't a very good husband back then. I ran off to be a rebel, I let my wife work when she shouldn't have been and I worked at what I wanted to instead of something that would have made my wife's life easier. I took stupid risks with my life and my wife's and I paid the price in spades. I finally found the answer I needed, I could bare the grief and it didn't hurt so much anymore. It doesn't hurt at all now. I found that in your love, Rose. You aren't alone. Let my love for you be what helps you through your grief as well."

"Oh Tom," Rose said collapsing against him and bursting into tears.

"I know," he said holding her close and letting her cry it out. "There might be more children and there might not. It doesn't make any difference. You still miss the one that is gone."

Rose finally pulled out her hanky and wiped her eyes. She looked up at the grey sky that was threatening to rain then back to her husband. She smoothed the damp spot from her tears on his jacket. She felt as though the grief had seeped out of her body into the ground while they stood there. The greatest joy of her life was the love she shared with him. She could feel that love seeping into the corners of her heart further than it ever had before, healing the rifts. It felt as though the scars of the past were fading into oblivion.

"Do you think the housekeeper has the mess cleaned up by now?" she asked.

"Most likely," Tom said.

"We have a class to teach tonight," Rose said. She took Tom's hand as they left the graveyard. "Let's go home and practice for a bit, then I'll take a nap."

"If you like," Tom replied.

"I do," Rose replied with a smile that reached her eyes. "We do have a great deal of fun together don't we."

"That we do, love," Tom replied returning her smile.

"Have you ever thought about flying an airplane?" Rose asked him suddenly.

"Can't say I have," Tom replied.

"I have. I wonder what it would be like," Rose said.

"Scandalous?" Tom asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yet another act to defy the social norms in the Tom and Rose saga that will raise a few eyebrows," she said with a laugh. "It looks like it would be a wonderful experience."

"Maybe this summer we'll find an airfield and go for a ride," he said.

"Unless, I'm pregnant again and too round to fit in the cockpit."

"Hard to know what life will throw your way," Tom said.

"That's what makes it interesting. You just don't know," Rose said as they reached their home and went inside.

_End of Book One_

Hi All: This is the end of Book One. The sequel to this story is coming up. It will be Tom's life picking back at the beginning of the Great Depression, just after the stock market crash in 1929. I will publish the sequel under this same title as a next chapter so it will be easy to find. I plan the next story to very Tom centric as well.

So many have mentioned they wish they could see the tango. One of the videos on Youtube I used for inspiration for the descriptions is Sexy Tango by nonsolomusica2012. Also there are a few others on youtube that are quite good and there are a few that use the moves that would have been popular back in the 1920's. From what I understand a sensual tango style was very popular in the flapper era.


	10. Facing Change

Facing Change - Part I – Chapters 1 through 4

Chapter One - October 1929

"_Pin stripes,"_ Tom thought in disgust. _"Why did I ever let Rose talk me into a pin stripe suit?" _The next moment he couldn't help but smile when he looked at the family picture they had taken that summer in the garden at the house. There was Redmond age eleven looking as serious as ever with his hand on Tom's shoulder. Davin and Sybil who were both nine at the time standing in the middle looking about like they were about to pull a prank. Dylan aged six was sitting between Rose and Tom with his younger brother Bradley aged four and Rose was holding their youngest three-year-old Garret on her lap. Morgana their yellow Labrador retriever was laying across Rose's feet as ever. _"Five boys and one girl and she can vex the lot of them when she puts her mind to it_," he chuckled to himself.

Davin would be ten in another week. It seemed like time was moving on these days. The stock markets in New York had just crashed, banks in England had closed and there was talk of the government taking the pound out of the gold standard. 1929 was going out like a bear and taking people with it left and right. Already there were layoffs at the factories and shipyards. With everything dropping so rapidly the government had announced unemployment payout would be drastically reduced. Men were desperately looking for work. If Tom didn't miss his guess things were going to get a lot worse before they got better. Tom sighed when he thought of the meeting he would be having the next day with Lord Grantham and Mr. George Murray. Sir Anthony Gillingham would also be there he thought sourly. He wondered what the pompous blowhard would have to say now that his oh so wonderful financial advice that Robert Crawley had fawned over now looked like it had been as worthless as the banks that closed and taken most of Robert's cash with them.

It had been fortunate over the years since Matthew's death the stipulations of George Crawley's trust had put Tom in charge of the farming and rental lands of the estate and the associated accounts. The estate had taken a hit when one of the banks where funds where held was closed, but so far the other two had remained open. Funds to do with the farming operations stayed in those accounts until a yearly review transferred whatever funds hadn't been committed for upgrades and maintenance to the personal fortunes of both George and Robert Crawley as well as paid out the trusts for Matthew's mother and Mary. It was all a complicated tangle. In Tom's opinion the rents of the estate were going to have to be cut. Tenant after tenant had lost every cent if they had their funds held in a bank that had forfeited. Prices were dropping for goods produced on the farms. Some had already fallen by ninety percent. If they didn't drop the rents there wouldn't be anyone left in the cottages, shops or farms. The estate would have the land with no one left to work it.

He tried to put the meeting out of his mind, at least for today. He turned another page in the photo album Rose had put together. There were pictures from their wedding and from their children over the last seven years of their marriage. She had collected the few pictures he had from before they were married and put them in the album as well. One of the pictures that struck him was of him and Kieran as children. He wondered where his mother had scraped together enough for the photograph but there it was. His mother had passed away the previous year. Kieran and his wife with their daughter were still living in the village. He had talked to Kieran yesterday. His business had slowed but there were still farmers who needed their machinery fixed and their lorries maintained to make deliveries. His business would be slow and he was taking a loss on the parts he had in stock but he would survive the crash. Kieran had mentioned Johnny had been laid off. Ivy and Johnny had moved to Ripon five years ago with plans to start a family. Tom still ran into Johnny once in a while at his brother's as the two of them were still fast friends. It looked like Kieran and Liz were going to invite Johnny and Ivy and there two little ones to stay with them and work with Kieran for a time until Johnny found something else. There wasn't a great deal of hope on that score, but in a farming community there was always welding that needed doing and there hadn't been anyone beside Kieran who did a bit on the side in the local area in years. Tom knew neither Kieran or Johnny were lazy. Between the two of them they would dig up whatever work was about and scratch out enough of a living to support themselves. With his own access to farm produce that he sent Kieran's way once in a while, he wasn't worried about his brother and his plans in the least.

There was another photograph of him in a chauffeur's uniform leaning against a wall at the Abbey. Tom wondered where his wife had ever found it. He vaguely remembered Robert Crawley having the staff photographed back before the war. It had been a different time then. Change had been on the winds. He'd had such a strong belief in revolution and the people's voice. The aristocracy thinking they knew best and could throw men's lives away on a whim had been wrong. It still was, but the horrors of the revolution in Russia had finally made the papers. The Bolsheviks had been no better than the ruling elite. There had been mass genocide in Crimea and reports of work camps that made his skin crawl. No matter who was in power, corruption seemed to follow on their heals. For all his previous idealism it was now tempered with a large dose of reality. Being in charge wasn't so easy when you were the one making decisions that could make or break the men around you.

He flipped another page to see one of the few images he had of his late wife Sybil and himself neatly displayed there. It had been taken just before Edith's ill-fated trip to the alter with Sir Anthony Stallen. Sybil had been expecting. They'd had such dreams and hopes for the future then. He smiled faintly at the memory. Just after the war it had seemed like all things were possible. They had been so in love with their rose colored glasses firmly in place. It had been a good year they had together, with everything over too soon. He still had his regrets, but regrets didn't change the past. For all he had lost he had gained as well. He wouldn't change a minute of the time he had spent with Sybil. Everything he had gone through had led him to the life he was leading now.

His daughter with Sybil had found a caring mother in Rose who he would have never met if he hadn't been living with his late wife's family. Love and pain seemed to go hand in hand. He had loved Sybil with all his heart. Now he loved Rose who filled his life like a ray of golden sunshine on even the bleakest day. They were different women and the love he felt for each of them was different as well. He and Rose had built a life for themselves, a good one. He had thanked his lucky stars over and over that she had come into his life and helped him to heal the scars from the loss of his first wife. She had always been a beacon of hope for him and couldn't imagine his life any other way.

Since his second marriage the times had changed as well. There had been a feeling of off with the old, on with the new that ran through society in the 20's. People were no longer content to sit and let others make decisions for them about their lives. Shiploads of immigrants left Liverpool daily carrying those looking for new lives in Canada, the States, Australia and New Zealand. More and more children from working class backgrounds were continuing their educations to the end of grade school and some were going on to college. He and Kieran had both had to quit school at fifteen and go to work. Most of their friends in childhood had quit at thirteen and many who were his contemporaries had been apprenticed out by the time they were ten. It was still going on but more and more people wanted a better life for their children. He counted himself among them.

The biggest change he noticed was in the upper classes. The parties were wilder and more lavish than ever. The popularity of the seven course meals and standing around in tails after dinner was gone. Now people wanted to dance and drink and just have a good time in general. He noticed more than once when associating with the Crawleys and Rose's brother's set in London how there was a pretext of moral superiority among the upper crust but in reality fidelity and staying with one partner for your entire life was almost a foreign concept among them. Sleeping around once the heir was produced was an accepted practice. He and Rose had sworn to each other before they were married they would never stray. After three children they still couldn't keep their hands off each other. There had been more than once when visiting her brother or when the Crawleys threw a big bash that he had received an inappropriate invitation for a visit to the stables or a late night rendezvous. Every time Rose received a similar invitation he knew instinctively, as she would seek him out, her smile would be slightly wider than normal and her fingers would dig into his arm. They had made a commitment and through thick and thin they were sticking to it.

Now they were on the horizon of a new age. An economic down turn that didn't look like it would be over anytime soon was here and he had to deal with Robert Crawley and the finances of the estate. He knew Robert would most likely resist the change that was upon them. He'd had a hard time adjusting to some of the changes in farming methods and running the estate so far. If the cuts were coming as Tom believed they would, he suspected Lord Grantham might be in for an ever harder time of things.

For all the wild abandoned of the twenties there had been more than one aristocratic family that had gone under. Many of his and Rose's friends were from just such families. They were people who had seen the writing on the wall and put their educations to work and looked for a new way of life. They had rebounded and built something new that the old guard couldn't quite accept. Some of those who hadn't been able to accept their change in fortune wound up flitting from door to door, little more than high class beggars. Some of the worst cases wound up in mental institutions when their minds couldn't accept what was before could never be again.

He glanced at the clock. It was almost time for the school bus to be by and drop off their four oldest from the private day school they attended in Ripon. The tuition had been paid in September before things had gone south. For now all was well. He and Rose would have to consider carefully how they were going to pay for school and what they were going to do next year. Rose had finally gone to college and gotten her teaching license. She substituted at the local village school if a teacher was sick now and then and she taught three different levels of highland dance two days a week after school at the parish hall. They still gave dance lessons from time to time, but as other couples had gotten more advanced and their family had grown they had handed over that responsibility to others. It was still a popular pass time. For all people were loosing everything, to go to the parish hall once a week and dance allowed them to forget their cares for a few hours. Rose had mentioned the new parson had been talking to her and the other instructors the other day. People couldn't afford to pay to come to dances anymore. They were going to put on a Harvest Dance and another at Christmas where the price of admission was to bring a plate of something to eat. This was a farming community. Almost everyone had an extra jar of something or spare produce put away. They could come and dance and have a good time and forget their troubles for a few hours and it wouldn't cost them a farthing.

"Tom, where are you?" Rose called from the hallway breaking him out of his reverie.

"In the drawing room," he called back. He closed the photo album and put it on the shelf.

The door open and Rose came in accompanied by Bradley and Garret.

"Daddy, can we go see the horses at Cousin Robert's, _please_?" Bradley begged. He loved horses and always wanted to go to see them.

"Daddy has to go over first thing tomorrow. I'll take you along and you can ride the ponies while I'm at a meeting," Tom replied. Both little boys squirmed in excitement.

"Airplane spin, Daddy?" Garret asked.

"That I can do. One each," Tom replied.

He picked each of the boys up in turn and spun them around making airplane noises.

"More?" Garret asked hopefully.

"That's enough for today. Daddy has run out of petrol," Tom replied with a grin.

"Go through to the kitchen now and get the glass of water you were both asking for," Rose said gently. "You may each ask for a biscuit as well."

"Yes, Mummy," Bradley said dashing for the door. Garret was right behind him.

"You looked worried just now when we came down," Rose said. Tom had retaken his seat. She moved to sit on his lap.

"Just thinking about the estate meeting tomorrow," Tom replied. He pulled her a little closer. Rose rested her chin on the top of his hair.

"You're not expecting it to go well, are you?" Rose asked.

"Not particularly."

"Just remember if Cousin Robert gets mad, he's not mad at you. He's reacting to the position he finds himself in. It can't be easy."

"No, but they can't keep up the pretense that everything is going to fine without any problems with all the servants and the rest of it," Tom replied. "I can't allow them to bleed the land and the tenants dry to do it either."

"Murray will fight on the side of common sense," Rose said thoughtfully. "He always does."

"It's too bad it isn't you instead of Mary who gets to put their oar in," Tom said with a sigh. "She has never had a bit of business sense and openly admits it. She usually can't remember the name of the lawyers or business contacts. She always mixes their names up. It can be a bit embarrassing at times."

Rose pulled back and smiled into his face. "The chauffeur embarrassed by the aristocrats?" she said in her snootiest voice. "My how times have changed."

"Don't you just know it?" Tom replied with a slight chuckle.

Rose frowned suddenly and pulled on a strand of his hair.

"Ouch," Tom said as she pulled one out.

"You're first grey," she said.

"I am thirty-nine. They were bound to come sooner or later."

"I prefer later, my old man," Rose teased him before she dropped a kiss on his mouth.

"Rose, we're going to have to make some plans of our own," Tom said between kisses. "We've lost some of our savings. I'll probably take a cut in wages tomorrow."

"Later," Rose said with her eyes half closed. She was too busy inspecting the freckles along his top lip. "Your top lip is so attractive. It's all I can do during meal times not to lean over and taste it for myself."

"We don't have time," Tom reminded her. "The school bus will be by any minute."

"What do we have time for?" Rose asked him mischievously.

"An airplane spin," Tom said as he spotted their two youngest sons just coming back into the drawing room. He stood up and tossed Rose over his shoulder and spun her around in circles with her squealing and spanking his bottom. Both of their sons were jumping up and down and laughing in delight as well. _"Did it really matter how they lived, or what their lifestyle was like?" _Tom thought when he put her down. They were all laughing and he promptly started wrestling with the boys. _"They were happy and no matter what tomorrow brought they would always have a good time together."_

Chapter Two – At the Abbey

Tom left the house early the next morning with his youngest two along with him dressed for riding. Rose had gotten a call that morning to substitute at the village school when one of the teachers had called in sick. People were so distraught in these early days of the bank closures and falling prices it was making them ill. Every last tenant he had spoken to in the last two days had told him they couldn't possibly make the end of the month rent. Some only had the money that had been in their pockets left. He suspected it was the case with almost every tenant on the estate. The nanny and housekeeper would see the older ones to the school bus. Garret and Bradley were busily poking each other during the walk to the Abbey. There was no sense in driving and wasting the petrol. If every cut he expected today happened, they needed to start economizing right away.

While they walked along and the boys played with sticks they had found by the side of the lane Tom thought of the contrast between his wife and Mary. Mary had married Anthony Gillingham five years ago. It was a marriage Tom didn't really understand. Mary spent a great deal of time with her parents while Anthony attended to his estate. They seemed to get together to socialize in London and travel about but in their world money seemed to be no object. Rose on the other hand was a completely different person to Mary. She was an aristocrat born and bred the same as the others but she was much more practical. She had accepted her reduced circumstances years ago and had learned to stretch her small allowance from her father to cloth herself and all of their six children. At times Tom didn't know how she did it. The boys except for the eldest all had hand me downs from their older brothers. Rose had told him once she had raided the attics at the Abbey and at her brother's for any old boyhood riding gear that was still hanging around. The two boys today were wearing bits and pieces made of up Lord Grantham's boyhood clothes as well as some from what Tom suspected had been Rose's father's and brother's. The others were all similarly kitted out. Sybil had what looked to be pieces made up from Rose's old items that had been left at the London house and most like some of her mother's old things as well. She rode astride and he knew Rose had a dressmaker remake the skirts into something that could be worn as a pant.

Now the boys were all out of nappies Rose was making noises about doing away with a nanny altogether in the next few years. Mary had kept a nanny fulltime even when George had left for boarding school. She now had another two with Anthony Gillingham although Tom rarely saw them as his children were a bit older and he didn't spend time in the nursery at the Abbey as he once did. The biggest difference was that his children all had chores to do. He doubted Mary's would ever make a bed, let alone sweep a floor or wash a dish. Rose still wasn't a maven of housework but she did enough with him and the children helping out it took the load off the housekeeper to the point they had never had to hire a maid.

Everyone was almost assembled in the library when Tom arrived. They were just waiting for Mary to come down. Cora was in attendance, which was unusual. She looked worried but serene at the same time. Lord Grantham was pale and sweating slightly. At the moment he was cash poor. They still had the land but by the end of the day that could change as well even Anthony who was usually talkative wasn't saying much.

"I'm glad my mother didn't make it long enough to be here today," Robert said.

"It's difficult, Lord Grantham but with some major adjustments if you're willing to make them, you should be able to weather this," Mr. Murray said.

"Here's Mary now," Cora said as they heard Mary approaching.

Once everyone was seated Mr. Murray went over what Tom already knew. Lord Grantham's cash reserve was all but wiped out. They had a few thousand pounds left and Mr. Murray had moved it all to a financial institution that was currently on stable footing. As far as the land went it was secure as no promissory notes had been taken out against it. George's trust was also reduced by almost seventy percent.

"That brings us to the matter of allowances, wages and income," Mr. Murray said. "It's going to take a delicate balancing act with a great deal of cut backs to weather this with the estate intact."

"What do you mean allowances?" Mary asked him.

"I don't mean to sound cruel, Lady Mary," Mr. Murray said. "The estate income will be radically reduced due to economic circumstances in the next few years. I will let Mr. Branson speak in a moment as to any recommendations he has in that regard. As far as allowances and staff it will all have to be cut drastically."

"I fully expect to walk away today with a significant cut in remuneration," Tom said as a way of settling Mary. "I think we all have to look at what is today and do the best we can."

"Yes, Tom, you're right," Cora said. She took Robert's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "We will all have to make the best of things."

"Please continue, Murray," Lord Grantham said.

"I suggest all allowances be cut by no less than eighty percent effective immediately," George Murray said.

Mary gasped at his words.

"I don't think it can be helped, my dear," Anthony said. He had been silent up to this point. "As you know my own estate is in an even worse spot."

"I also suggest you cut the staff here at the house down to just those you need to perform basic tasks of cleaning and maintenance," Mr. Murray said. "I would further add wages will need to be cut by fifty percent even with a skeleton staff of say five."

"It all seems rather harsh," Robert said.

"It can't be helped, Lord Grantham," Mr. Murray said. "There simply isn't the money and with the economic forecasts there won't be any in the near future."

"Won't the income from the farms help rebuild things as they have in the past?" Mary asked.

"I'll let Mr. Branson speak to that as it his area of knowledge," Mr. Murray said.

"At the moment," Tom said. "I don't believe there is a tenant on the estate that can make the rent for the first of the month."

It was Cora's turn to gasp. Robert turned even paler.

"My suggestion to that end, is that we cancel all rent for the first of November. Let the tenants know we support them. Give everyone time to make plans. We cut the rent by eighty percent as of today," Tom held up his hand when he saw everyone about to protest. "Please let me finish," he said with a sigh. "Our own farming operation is going to be hit hard. The farmers and storeowners will fare no better. The prices for produce and commodities from the farms have dropped by ninety percent this week alone. At the moment we can't afford to cull the sheep we would normally do at this time of year. It would cost more for fuel to ship them to market than we could sell them for."

"Good God," Robert said in shock.

"We aren't in too bad shape financially with the farms, Mr. Murray can speak to that. We still have about sixty percent of the budget for next year intact. With the change in prices and careful budgeting, we should be able to weather things fairly well," Tom said. "With the price of feed dropping at the moment, we would be better off to keep the feed we would normally sell and the animals over the winter and use them for our own tables. We won't make anything, but no one will go hungry. As far as wool and seed prices in the spring, there is no way to tell. It's going to take a great deal work to come up with solutions to all the problems."

"Mr. Branson's suggestion of a show of faith to the tenants is a good one," George Murray commented hopefully.

Robert could only nod. Everyone was pale and looking at their hands.

"Do it," Robert said at last. "Cut the rents and let the first of the month go. I don't want people on this estate starving or without a roof for the winter."

Tom nodded his understanding. He didn't want to say anything at the moment. He had expected anger but Lord Grantham today seemed broken. He was a proud man trying to hold onto the pieces of what was left of his domain.

Mr. Murray looked at Tom.

"Your wages will need to be cut by fifty percent, Mr. Branson effective immediately. Since part of your compensation is tied directly to the farm profits you can expect a wage reduction of almost eighty percent as well," Murray said.

"I had expected as much," Tom replied with a sigh.

"I suggest we all take a break until after luncheon," Cora said. "We'll take some time and digest the news. Then we'll sit down and make plans for exactly what we're going to do."

"I'll just go down and arrange for one of the grooms to ride the boys back to the house," Tom said.

"Is Rose home?" Cora asked. "She's been managing on less now for years. She may have some good suggestions for all of us."

"She is teaching at the village school today. People are getting ill from all this," Tom replied.

"As well, they might," Mary said quietly. "I feel rather queasy myself."

"It will all come right, Mary," Tom said touching her shoulder as he went to head to the stables.

"I pray your right," Mary replied.

"As do we all," Robert said. He looked broken.

"Why don't you walk down to the stables with Tom, Robert," Cora said. "A breath of air will do you good. You don't mind do you, Mr. Murray?"

"Heavens no, go ahead," Mr. Murray replied. "We all need a bit of a break."

Robert followed Tom slowly out of the room. As they walked he looked around the grounds slowly.

"I suppose most of it will have to go," Lord Grantham said. Tom could hear the grief in his voice.

"I don't think all," Tom replied. "People are going to be hurting. It may come to the point where men will work for a roof over their heads and food on the table. We can provide that." They were approaching the stables. "Horses are more cost effective at times than automobiles. If we can't sell the hay, they can eat it, it's cheaper than petrol. I might borrow one of the horses to keep in the carriage house at home if it comes to it."

"I can't even think straight at the moment," Robert said.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think there is anyone who hasn't been touched by this," Tom said quietly. "You aren't alone among the peers." He knew how much appearances meant to his father-in-law.

"No, not alone," Robert said thoughtfully. He placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "You're here."

"That I am," Tom replied before he went to find the head groom and make arrangements for his sons to be taken back to Clairehome House.

-0-

"How did it all go?" Rose asked when she got home that evening. She had taught dance class after school as well that day. Their own children had been in and out afterschool for the classes they attended as well. One of the best things Rose found about dealing with children was that they were almost totally oblivious to the turmoil going on around them. Tuition for dance classes was paid twice a year, so she would have students at least until Christmas.

"Rather brutal," Tom replied. "My wages will be down by eighty percent."

"It's about what we thought isn't it?" Rose said biting her lip slightly.

"It is," Tom replied with a sigh. "If you're not working tomorrow, I could use your help getting written notification ready for the tenants as to the rental changes. I want to personally deliver every one of them and reassure the tenants. Cora would like you to stop by as well."

"As far as I know Miss Whitney will be back in the morning," Rose said. "Her father had a stroke when he found out his savings had been wiped out. She needs to work."

"I'm afraid Lord Grantham might not fare any better," Tom said. "He looked terrible today."

"They've all been living in a bubble at the Abbey," Rose said. "I knew long ago I couldn't continue on like nothing was changing."

"We'll make our own plans as well in the next few days," Tom said.

"Where is everyone?"

"Homework, baths or getting ready for bed," Tom replied. "I was just going to go up and start stories."

Rose went to him and put her arms around his waist.

"We'll get through this won't we?" she asked.

"We have a sturdy roof, a shed full of wood for the winter and no shortage of food on the table," Tom assured her.

"I'm worried about my father," Rose said. "There hasn't been any word from him yet."

"He's a smart man. He'll make do," Tom reassured her.

"I'd like to telephone James, but I think a note will have to suffice," Rose said.

Tom nodded.

"I'll probably bring one of the horses over and stable it here," Tom said. "Cheaper in the long run and Bradley will be in heaven." He chuckled slightly. "Nothing like an old fashioned Estate Agent mounted on his steed lording it over the tenants."

Rose swatted him then turned to go to see to the children.

"Old fashioned indeed," she said with a small smile.

Chapter Three – Spreading the News

"Rose, it's so good of you to come," Cora said.

"Tom wanted to come by to take Cousin Robert with him to see the tenant farmers," Rose said. "We spent all morning preparing letters. Tom thought Cousin Robert's presence would reassure people the estate isn't going to crumble into ruin along with everything else."

"It does feel that way at the moment," Cora replied with a slight sigh. "Mary was reeling with shock yesterday."

"Has Cousin Mary gone or are they still here?" Rose inquired.

"They're here until tomorrow. Anthony is trying to come to terms with all that has happened, the poor dear," Cora said.

"Why did you want to see me, Cousin Cora?" Rose inquired.

"Advice, Rose. It seems after all this time the tables are turned and I need your advice on how to cope with less servants and cutting costs. I thought you might have some suggestions for Mary as well," Cora replied.

"I can try, Cousin Cora, but Tom and I live a rather different life than you do here at the Abbey or Mary's townhouse in London. I'm not too sure what help I can be," Rose replied.

"You never know," Cora said. "Being American I tend to be a bit more resilient than Robert but Mary is taking this all terribly hard. As a mother you may have some suggestions for her. By the way where are the boys?"

"Bradley and Garret are with Tom's brother's wife today," Rose replied. "It's one of the arrangements I have made."

"Perhaps tell us all about it when Mary comes down," Cora replied hopefully.

"Certainly. I didn't want to mention this in front of the servants or Mary." Rose had lowered her voice and checked to make sure the butler was out of the room. "Tom is going to try to arrange a barter with the tenant farmers for supplies for the Abbey and us. The estate has too many sheep and there are exotic fruits and vegetables here in the greenhouses. He thought he might arrange barter for chicken, eggs and milk plus a few other things some of the tenants produce and the estate farms don't. It will cut costs in the long run and we won't starve."

"Good thinking," Cora replied with a small smile patting Rose's hand.

It wasn't long and Thomas Barrow was back with a tea tray. Mary had come down to join them as well.

"You can leave us now, Mr. Barrow," Cora instructed.

The women talked about everything from cooking lessons, to living without a ladies maid and where Rose shopped for clothing. She still moved in aristocratic circles and her dresses were every bit as lavish as Mary's but she was doing it all on a reduced budget since her father had only been sending her a small allowance for the last eight years.

"I go through the attics quite regularly," Rose told them. "The boys all wear riding clothes and formal attire I've managed to find hidden in trunks and wardrobes. In some cases the pieces go back three generations. I'm surprised you hadn't though of the same thing yourself Mary."

"It seemed easier to order new," Mary said with a slight shrug.

"It's much cheaper to find something that was my own or in Sybil's mother's or yours or Edith's and have it remade than to have a new dress made every time," Rose said. "I usually buy Sybil a dress for the holidays, but this year I might try remaking one for her myself. It might be interesting."

"I don't know if I could do that," Mary replied in alarm.

"You do needlework don't you?" Rose inquired. "It isn't that much different. You can embroider little flowers or bells and make an older dress look quite nice. We have barely touched Sybil's allowance over the years. We have enough put away in a bank that survived the crash. Her university will be covered should she wish to attend."

"Robert and I had planned to offer, but now…" Cora said with a sigh.

"Tom is a great planner," Rose said. "Don't worry about Sybil. Her father always comes up with something."

"Can you tell me about this barter business and how you plan to do away with having a nanny?" Mary asked.

"It's quite simple Mary. I will take care of the children myself now they are out of nappies, or the housekeeper will watch them when the need arises. As well I trade dance classes with my sister-in-law for child minding. Today she has both boys. She does that two days a month on the nanny's day off at present. I'm planning to arrange a trade with the local music teacher as well. Tutoring or dance classes for her children for private music lessons for mine."

"Riding lessons here as well," Cora said. "It certainly is a juggling act, but I can't see any of your children lacking for anything. Although goodness knows how long the stables will last."

"Tom says they will have to keep the stables if the price of petrol keeps rising. The horses are cheaper to keep and use on the farm to get around. They can eat for free on the pastures if need be. He's already planning to use a horse more to get around. He'll use the motorbike for longer trips."

"It's all so complicated," Cora said. "I'm not even sure who to keep for staff."

"We'll discuss it and figure it out, Mama," Mary said. Her back was ramrod straight. If Rose could find a way to maintain some semblance of an aristocratic life, so could she, she decided on the spot. It was going to take planning and execution. Her Granny had trained her. If there was job to be done, the Crawley women buckled down, stuck together and accomplished the task. The time for moping over what they had lost was done. It was time to deal with reality and get the job done.

-0-

"That was difficult and beyond embarrassing," Lord Grantham commented to Tom after they had left the third tenant farm.

"It's not going to get any easier," Tom replied. "Your presence and reassurance means everything to them." He was driving his own car with Lord Grantham along as a passenger. He would have preferred to use the motorcycle and save on fuel but it would have been too much for Robert Crawley in one step and Tom knew it. The tenants had all viewed their approach with dread so far. When they told them their rent had been lifted for the month and the future payments reduced, two of them had broken down in tears. The last man had put his arms around Lord Grantham and wept. Everyone of them so far had agreed to a barter of sheep and fresh produce from the green houses through the winter in exchange for the goods they were producing. There were some who could still sell their products for a break-even price but for most shipping was outweighing the profits at the moment. Tom assured them all he would set up a town hall meeting the next week so all the farmers could discuss the problems they were facing and try to come up with some inventive ideas of how to face them. They had to keep people on the estate from starving this winter. It was a monumental task no matter how he looked at it. He and Rose hadn't even sat down to discuss their own finances yet.

By the time he dropped Lord Grantham off at the Abbey and picked up Rose he was exhausted. He had another hour and a half before the shops in town closed. He wanted to visit as many of them as he could that afternoon. It was going to be a long day and tomorrow would be another just like it if he didn't miss his guess.

"Tom, you're exhausted," Rose said as they got home. Liz had dropped the younger two off with the housekeeper.

"People need a personal touch, love. They need to know there is hope. You should have seen it today. It was beyond horrible. Some of the tenants broke down. This has all reduced grown men to sobbing wrecks. Lord Grantham didn't know what to do at some of the stops. I thought he was going to break down himself more than once," Tom replied tiredly.

"At least let me help you," Rose said. "I can do shops on one side of the road while you do the other."

"Rose, it might not be safe."

"I agree the farms and cottages might not be, but there are people in the shops. I can do this," Rose said putting her chin up.

Tom finally agreed. Sybil wanted to go into the village with Rose, but was firmly told to stay at the house and help with her younger brothers. If there was a repeat performance of what Tom had described at the farms in the village, the children didn't need to be witness to it.

Tom took the stack of envelopes addressed to the shopkeepers. They divided the stack and set off through the village. It was taking all of Rose's drawing room training to deal with the tears she was encountering and the despair. Tom was forever saying there was a reason for things. For her this day was one of discovery. She knew why she had gone through the years of severe formal training and neglect. It had made her strong, in a way the people in the community needed. She was one of the noble family and the Estate Agent's wife. Her presence and title alone were providing the hope these people needed. News of the rent reductions was spreading through the village like wildfire. People were coming to their doors to receive their notices and kissing her cheeks before she had a chance to speak. She had to stop and dab her eyes with her hanky more than once before she crossed the street and collected the last half of the envelopes from Tom.

"How are you holding up, love?" Tom asked her.

"It's a very emotional process," Rose said. "But I'm glad we're doing this. The village needs it."

"It's going to need a lot more over the winter if I don't miss my guess," Tom replied.

"There are older ones that remember the famines and some go as far back as when people were put off the land," Rose said. "They need this. They need to know the estate supports them."

"If they only knew it was the estate who needs them," Tom said with a sigh. "For now this will have to do. We'll finish these and I'll do the cottages and the larger land holders in the north part of the estate in the morning."

Rose's last envelope was her brother-in-law's. She stopped to talk with him for a bit and allow Tom to catch up with her. The news had already reached Kieran and he dropped a kiss on Rose's cheek when he saw her.

"I knew that brother of mine would come up with something," he said.

"It isn't much, but it's enough to give people at least a little hope," Rose replied.

"There isn't much work, but the lower rent is enough to make it so what work there is will at least allow everyone to pay something and still be able to feed their families over the winter, Rose. It's a lot more than you might think. You've never gone without. For those of us that have it's a load off our shoulders," Kieran said.

"Tom's taken a substantial pay cut as well," Rose said. "We haven't had a chance to even discuss our own situation. I hope it doesn't come to any of us doing without, but it could."

"One good thing about being a farmer's wife, there's always something to eat," Kieran told her.

"Glorified farmer," Rose reminded him.

"I would lay money there are all sorts of estates that aren't doing this," Kieran said suddenly serious. "They'll squeeze the tenants until they bleed."

"Don't say anything in the village," Rose replied. "But the family isn't faring so well either. If people think they are going to be able to carry on like nothing is wrong they have another thought coming."

"I won't say anything, but I think people are figuring that out for themselves," Kieran said. "There's not a grocer order coming out of the big house at the moment. People talk. They're waiting for the axe to fall."

"There's not a thing that gets past you in this village is there?" Rose said.

"My brother the gossip, now you know his secret," Tom said as he walked up and overheard Rose.

"How are you, Tom?" Kieran asked.

"Exhausted. I'm going to go home, eat my dinner, take a bath and fall into bed. If one of the children tries to head me off into the bathroom, they'll have to wait their turn tonight," Tom said.

"I'll let you get to it," Kieran said. "By the way, Johnny and Ivy and there two little ones will be moving in our cottage with us the first of the month. The women used to work together. It should work out."

"It will be cheaper to share costs," Tom said. "I've got to see to the tenants first. Then we'll make a few plans of our own."

"Good luck," Kieran said.

"Thanks, I need all the luck I can get at the moment," Tom replied. "We all do," he said to Rose as they headed towards home.

Chapter Four – Early Days

It had been ten days since the news of the stock market crash had broken and Tom had been working steady to try and get people organized on the estate and prevent people from starving to death over the winter. He had been a small child during the famine in Ireland in the 1890's but to this day he still remembered his stomach twisting in painful knots from hunger and the sight of the wagons collecting the dead in the streets. This was a farming community. As far as he was concerned there was no reason for people to starve to death. The fare might not be fancy or have great variety but there was food as long as everyone was willing to do a bit to help their fellow man.

He and Rose had decided they could no longer afford a nanny. When they had reviewed the finances and calculated what he would be making over the next year, they had a meeting with the housekeeper, Mrs. Blackwell. She had agreed to stay on for a lower wage. She had no close family to go to, only a distant sister and she didn't want to burden her. She had breathed a sigh of relief after the meeting with Mr. Branson and Lady Rose. There were rumors of those in service on other estates who were left without a roof over their heads or a farthing to their names. She was in a much better position than many at the moment. She knew Mr. Branson was smart enough and had access to a wide variety of farm products, no one in this house would go hungry. This winter she would have a roof over her head, a warm bed and a full stomach. It was more than many others could say.

It had been hard to let their nanny go, but she was a local girl and could return to her family farm. If Rose was called for substitute teaching for the rest of the year she could always leave Garret and Bradley with Liz and Ivy for the day. With the economic downturn Liz had little to do at Kieran's shop and Ivy was out of work completely. Both women had quickly agreed to sit for Rose when the need arose. They were relying on Tom finding them a box of groceries from time to time that winter. Without the supplies he normally sent over and would be through the winter, they would be hard pressed to put enough food on the table for their families. Rose had made arrangements for both women to go with her to the Abbey to pick winter apples in a few days. There were a number of late apple trees in the orchard there. They might as well find what they could and store it for their families.

"We'll all go tomorrow afternoon since it's Saturday," Tom said while they were having family dinner.

"But Daddy," Sybil whined. "I don't want to pick apples on Saturday. I would rather go riding."

"If you want to eat this winter, you'll pick apples with the rest of us," her father informed her.

"I don't care if I ever eat an apple," Sybil replied stubbornly.

"_Oh, oh,"_ Rose thought inside her head. _"Here we go."_

"That is just too bad," her father said not batting an eyelash. "You will walk to the orchard at the Abbey with the rest of us and pick one basket of apples. If you refuse to do it, I will personally sit with you in the orchard until you do. I don't care if it rains or takes all night. You will do it."

Sybil slumped back in her chair and stuck out her lip.

"Sit up straight and eat properly or excuse yourself," Tom informed her not bothering to look her way.

"May I be excused," Sybil said.

"Yes, you may," Rose replied. She knew there was no dealing with Sybil when she got like this.

Sybil folded her napkin and left the dining room. Redmond promptly devoured his own meal and everything that was left on Sybil's plate. He wasn't in puberty yet, but if his appetitive was any indication it wouldn't be long. The only thing that kept him from wolfing it down was his mother's stern eye and all the lessons in dining room etiquette he had received over the years.

Tom and Rose were in bed when they heard someone moving around downstairs.

"I'll go," Tom said in exasperation as he threw back the covers and pulled on his robe. He had been busy trying to push Rose's nightgown over her head with her wiggling and squirming while he was tickling her.

"I would bet it is a Sybil sized mouse," Rose said then pulled the covers over her mouth to stifle her laughter at the look on Tom's face.

He entered the kitchen and clicked on the light to find a very guilty looking Sybil with an arm behind her back.

"What have you got there?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sybil tried to say with her mouth full.

"Sybil," he said sternly.

She slowly produced a partly eaten apple from behind her back.

"U-huh," Tom said.

Sybil looked at him sheepishly and giggled.

"Just for that, you can pick two baskets of apples tomorrow afternoon," he said.

"All right. Can I go visit Grandmamma and Grandpapa afterwards?" Sybil said. She knew when she was beaten.

"If you like," Tom said putting an arm around her neck and playfully dragging her towards the stairs while he messed up her hair with the other hand. He poked and tickled her as she climbed the stairs.

"Daddy!" Sybil squealed, squirming and giggling. She still had her apple in her hand.

"Give me a bite, then go back to bed," he said with a grin when they were at the top of the stairs. Sybil handed over her apple then took it back. She gave Tom a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, Daddy," she said before she happily bounced off into her room.

"Good night, Sybie," he said.

"Don't call me that baby name," Sybil called from inside her room.

He only laughed as he went back to his own room.

-0-

"Lady Rose and Mr. Branson haven't changed one bit since they were first married," Ivy said quietly to Liz on Saturday afternoon while they were picking apples. They had two children's wagons with baskets on them, a baby in a pram, another in a stroller, Kieran and Liz's daughter and all of Tom and Rose's brood were along for the day as well as all the adults. Business was so slow Kieran and Johnny had easily finished all the work in the morning. There wasn't a great deal of work, but it was better than what Johnny had in Ripon, which was nothing.

"They never seem to age," Liz said. Rose was dashing madly about in the orchard picking apples from the trees and playing tag with one child or another. The baskets were filling up quickly although it seemed like Rose and Tom spent most of their time flirting with each other or playing one silly game or another with the children. Sybil had been overjoyed when she found out Johnny was going to be there. She was still as taken with him as she had been when she was a little girl. She had spent the entire walk to the orchard chattering away to him telling him all about her school projects.

They had all of the baskets filled and were ready to start the walk back when the party ran into Lord and Lady Grantham out walking the Abbey grounds. Tom noticed Lord Grantham still wasn't looking too good but there was slightly more color in his face than there had been the other day when they went out to visit the tenants.

"What have we here?" Lord Grantham asked.

"Cousin Robert, we're picking the left over apples for winter," Rose replied with a smile. She kissed them both hello. "You remember Tom's brother Kieran and his wife Liz. This is their daughter Ella."

"Lord Grantham, nice of you to let us come and pick apples," Kieran said.

"Mr. and Mrs. Branson I trust you're keeping well. You're quite welcome to anything the gardeners don't collect," Robert Crawley replied.

"Quite well, thank you, Lord Grantham," Liz replied. She caught herself just before she curtsied.

"I don't know if you remember Johnny and Ivy Bradey. They used to live with us," Tom said.

"Yes, it's been a long time," Robert said with an incline of his head in their direction.

"Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, thank you for the apples," Johnny said in greeting.

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Bradey," Cora replied. "Are you living in the local area?"

"With Kieran and Liz these days," Johnny replied.

"People are doubling up to save on winter fuel," Tom commented.

"I do wish you would come and stay here Rose and Tom," Cora said. "We have more than enough room."

"I'll bring everyone over for riding tomorrow, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "We can discuss it then."

They bid Lord and Lady Grantham goodbye and continued on the way towards home.

"Don't you think we should discuss things first," Tom said quietly to Rose.

"I didn't say we would, I just said talk it over," Rose whispered back. "Besides I've been dying to find out how Cousin Cora is doing with her cooking lessons." Rose couldn't help but sputter in an unladylike manner when she tried to hold back her laughter.

"You should laugh," Tom teased.

"I've graduated to roast chicken, mashed potatoes and carrot coins," Rose said sticking her nose in the air. "You didn't complain the other night."

"The gravy had lumps in it," Davin commented. He still wasn't an overly talkative child but he and Sybil were forever playing jokes on the others especially Redmond.

"Next time you can make the gravy," Rose informed him.

"I know how. Mrs. Blackwell showed me. I made it yesterday and you didn't even know," Davin replied.

"You're elected," Tom said ruffling his hair. He reached over and took the handle of the wagon Garret and Bradley were pulling. They had started out with great determination but were now worn out. Garret plunked himself on the end of the wagon so he could be pulled home. Rose took Bradley by the hand. Dylan and Sybil were so busy pushing the stroller and pram they were oblivious to their surroundings.

They bid goodbye to Kieran and Liz's household when they reached the village. When they got inside the house and set their five baskets of apples on the table Rose's eyes opened a bit in shock. It hadn't looked like that much when they were picking them. Hopefully Mrs. Blackwell would have some idea of what to do with all of the apples.

Rose went upstairs to get the twigs and bits of leaves out her hair. She wound up looking through Sybil's closet with her for half an hour and then spending another half hour going over Redmond's homework with him. By the time she got back downstairs and went into the kitchen, the apples were gone. All that was left was a pretty bowl in the middle of the kitchen table filled with apples.

"Where did they all go?" Rose asked in surprise.

"In the cellar wrapped in old news paper, milady," Mrs. Blackwell replied. "Sawdust works better but with six children I'll be surprised if they last until after Christmas."

"You mean we should have picked more?" Rose asked in surprise.

"If you could milady, it would allow fresh fruit well into February, perhaps March even."

"Oh my," Rose said. "Still more to learn."

"Never you mind, milady, you're doing well in the kitchen," Mrs. Blackwell said.

"You would think with six children I would know how much they eat," Rose replied ruefully.

"Begging you pardon, milady, they're children. They would gnaw the legs off the table if they could," Mrs. Blackwell said.

"I suppose you're right," Rose said with a wrinkled brow. Stretching their now limited funds was going to be an even bigger learning curve than it had been before.

-0-

"For this winter, I think we'll be staying where we are," Tom commented the next day while they were discussing the possibility of them moving in with Robert and Cora at the Abbey. These days the Abbey seemed particularly empty. Mary was in London with her husband. They were trying to sort things out with his finances and estate. There was no word on Edith and Michael's situation yet. "We have four attending school this year and their bus passes right by our door."

"It seems foolish to be baring the cost of a separate house when we have so many rooms," Cora commented.

"We'll have to see where we are with the children's schooling in the spring and make a decision then. We are down to just the housekeeper," Rose commented. "How are things here at the house with the staff?"

"We've had a few move out," Cora said. Some are staying in exchange for room and board until they find something else." Her expression said she didn't think they would be having much luck.

"Could you locate cottages for Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes this week?" Robert asked Tom. "A sturdy roof over their heads is not much after all the years of service, but at least it's something." His face spoke volumes about the personal distress he was going through. "They have both decided to take retirement."

"Of course, I'll see to it tomorrow," Tom replied.

"Who have you decided to keep as staff?" Rose inquired.

"Barrow will be staying on as butler," Robert replied. "The footman James is staying as well, Mrs. Patmore and two junior maids."

"My ladies maid is already gone. Bates and Anna have moved on as well," Cora commented.

"It's quite a shift, but I know you'll do well," Rose encouraged. "Have you tried cooking yet?"

"Not yet," Cora replied with a slight roll of her eyes. "I'm thought I'd get used to doing without a ladies maid first."

"Why don't you come by Clairehome House on Wednesday?" Rose invited. "I could show you a few simple things, like how to make a cup of tea or a slice of toast. It's our housekeeper's day off."

"How kind. I'll be over after luncheon," Cora replied.

"_The blind leading the blind,"_ Tom thought inside his head. _"But then if anyone understands how difficult the transition is, it's Rose."_

"What did you come up with at the farmer's meeting?" Robert asked Tom.

"Not much, it was mostly everyone voicing their frustration. We did decide to have a market day through the winter instead of just summer to allow people to continue to purchase directly from the farms or at least arrange barter. It will draw more people into the village to the shops as well. It is going to be in that empty warehouse near the station. I've already put the crew on checking it over to make sure it's sturdy and cleaned up."

"At least that's something," Robert replied with a sigh.

"The problem at the moment seems to be getting the products to the end consumers," Tom said. "Victoria, Rose's sister-in-law wrote there are already shortages in the stores in London. There are queues everywhere for basics like eggs or bread."

"And here we have almost too much," Robert replied with a sigh.

"It's a balancing act," Tom replied. "Things haven't leveled themselves out yet. The agricultural ministry will have to sort it out. I'll be sending stores down to James and Victoria once a month. It's cheaper for them to pay the freight than to try and get things in London."

"They're weathering things well otherwise?" Robert inquired.

"It would seem so," Tom replied. "James is a smart man. His business will slow like everyone else's but he protected himself well before all this happened."

"One of the few who did," Robert replied despondently.

"No one is completely unscathed," Tom reminded him.

Robert could only nod his agreement. He was fighting his emotions.

"Rose has just had a wonderful idea," Cora said. "I'm going to give a dinner party next Saturday and invite some of the families from around."

"Do you think that's wise?" Robert asked.

"Robert, you can get your tails brushed and get yourself dressed," Cora scolded gently. "Rose pointed out we have all kinds of pheasant and produce from the estate. Mrs. Patmore should be able to come up with something with all that. People need a bit of fun during all this gloom."

"And the shortage of fuel to run the generator for the lights?" Robert asked.

"Candlelight. It will be like when we were first married," Cora said enthusiastically.

"Hardly that," Robert replied despondently.

"Cousin Robert, where's that stiff upper lip," Rose scolded him.

Robert suddenly smiled for the first time since everything had happened. "By Jove I think you're right. A dinner party might be just what this county needs. We have a fully stocked wine cellar. We might as well use it."

"Now who can we invite that knows how to play the piano?" Rose inquired with a smile.


	11. Facing Change Part II

Changing Times – Part II – Chapters 5 through 8

Chapter 5 – Desperate Times

"Would you look at that," Tom exclaimed as he pulled the horse drawn cart to a halt in Ripon. Thursday he and Rose had decided to try some of the second hand dealers to look for instruments for the children for their music lessons. It wasn't raining so they had brought one of the small horse drawn carts from the Abbey. It was slow but cost effective. Bradley and Garret were along and thought it was a grand lark for Daddy to be driving a cart instead of the family car.

The area they had arrived at was one with second hand dealers and pawnshops along the street. There were lines of people outside every one of the shops with items they were trying to sell. Some of the pawnshops had signs up, "No purchasing or loans today." Money was gone and winter was setting in. There was a feeling of desperation in the air. Tom found a place to park the buggy then helped everyone down. Each of them had one of the boys firmly by the hand. They headed towards one of the shops that carried musical instruments. They didn't even make it inside before they found someone in the line hoping to sell a violin. When people realized they were buying not selling they crowded around. Rose finally made a small announcement as to what they were looking for. The crowd thinned out again to leave four hopefuls with a variety of instruments they were hoping to sell.

"Perhaps we could go over to our cart to take a look?" Tom said.

Rose opened the first violin case on the back of the cart and checked the instrument over. Her acquaintance that was going to give the children music lessons had told her what to look for when purchasing instruments. She had also given Rose an idea of what prices had been. With the drop in prices of almost everything, instruments were a luxury item and would go quite low now.

Rose nodded to Tom and he began negotiations with the man for his violin. She went through the other instruments as well. She rejected one flute that had an obvious crack in it, while she asked the other two people to wait to speak to her husband. Each of the people selling their instruments tried to hold out for the pre-crash prices but Tom stuck to his guns and was able to purchase a violin and a flute for something they could afford. The one man who held out for a higher price returned to the line to try his luck with the pawnbroker.

"May I have a _tumpet_, Mummy," Garret asked when they went inside the shop.

"Or a bugle," Bradley said a large hopeful grin and wide eyes.

"I think not," Tom said with a wink in Rose's direction.

"Mrs. Patterson said either a flute or violin was a good beginner's choice," Rose said. "I think we'll stick to those and both of you are a bit young. You won't start music until your ready to go to school."

"And less noise," Tom said with a slight smirk.

The man behind the counter was practically drooling when he realized he had paying customers. They picked out another violin and flute. Rose took the boys off to look around while Tom did some very hard negotiating. It took quite a while but they finally left the pawnshop with another two instruments. When they returned to the cart, Tom got out the picnic basket they had brought along with apples, a flask of warm milk for the two boys, a flask of tea and a collection of cups and napkins.

"Are we poor now too, Daddy?" Bradley asked. There was so much talk and things going on around them the children had picked up on things as well.

"No, not poor," Tom said with a soft smile. "How often have Daddy and Mummy brought along a picnic basket before?"

"We do in the summer," Bradley said.

"We do in the winter, too," Rose said. "We'll be going to the tea shop less but we'll still go once in a while for a special treat."

"I'd like an insramen, too," Garret said sadly.

"How about these," Tom said. He reached into a paper bag and pulled out a recorder for each of the boys.

"Tom, you didn't," Rose said with a slight eye roll.

"Yay," the two little boys cried taking their recorders and immediately making a great deal of racket that startled the horse.

"I think they had best wait until we get home," Rose said collecting the recorders and putting them back into the paper bag while Tom settled the horse.

"Tom, they're too young for recorders," Rose scolded during the ride home. Both little boys were in the back of the cart curled up in a blanket. The fresh air and steady movement had lulled the pair of them to sleep. "Think of the noise."

"You don't think there isn't going to be noise with two violins and two flutes in the house?" Tom quirked an eyebrow at her. "I got the man to throw the recorders in as a bonus. He was desperate to make a sale. It won't hurt anything."

"Except my ears," Rose said with a grimace.

Tom's only reply was a chuckle.

-0-

There were some marked differences at Cora's dinner party on Saturday Tom noticed right away. He drove the car over with Isobel Crawley in the back seat since it was pouring rain. When they arrived there was an assortment of cars and buggies outside. One or two still had chauffeurs but the majority the owners had driven themselves and some looked to have been cheaper models kept for the staff. Some of the shirts were slightly less starched with less staff to see to them and the ladies hair was not as perfect as would have been expected a few months before as many of them were struggling without the benefit of a ladies maid. Lord and Lady Grantham were in fine form welcoming their guests while Thomas Barrow collected the coats and hung them in the cloakroom. Rather than Jimmy offering guests cocktails on a tray, the drinks were set out on trays at the side of the room with Jimmy standing by to collect the dirty glasses. It was a good show and no one would have guessed things were less than perfect with the House of Grantham.

Tom smiled when he thought of the tea he had been presented with when his mother-in-law was over on Wednesday. Rose had been quite proud of the fact that she could help her Cousin Cora learn to make toasted cucumber sandwiches with the produce Cora had brought over from the green house. Some of the bread had been cut crooked when Cora had tried her hand at it and one of two of the slices of toast on the sandwiches where distinctly toasted more on one side than the other depending which way you looked at the sandwich. The cucumbers were sliced in all different thicknesses as well, but Tom had smiled and nodded encouragingly. Rose did quite a bit better on her own after all her years of practice and Cora would learn as well.

The dinner served at the Abbey was still up to Mrs. Patmore's high standard but the complex combinations of sauces were missing as she simply didn't have the staff to pull off anything that involved. The menu had been adjusted to reflect the produce and supplies that were available locally. It didn't seem to make any difference to those in attendance. They dined and gossiped and discussed local events as though the outside world didn't exist and the creditors weren't knocking on their doors at least for the next few hours. After the meal the ladies went through to the drawing room for bridge while the men played billiards. Cora hadn't been able to find a guest who played the piano that was available. By the end of the evening the women had been planning another dinner party before the holidays and were busy discussing who would host what over the upcoming Christmas season.

"I'm so glad you suggested this," Cora said to Rose as they said their goodbyes that evening. "Robert is so much more himself."

"It doesn't have to cost the world to have fun, Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "I'm very glad you enjoyed yourself."

"An outstanding idea, Rose," Robert congratulated her.

"I'm glad to see you looking so much more yourself, Cousin Robert," Rose said with a smile as she gave him a hug goodbye.

"They've all had rather a come down," Tom commented once they had Isobel dropped off and had the car parked back at their home.

"Be kind, Tom," Rose scolded softly. "It's hard to loose everything. The aristocracy needs to know there is something left of their old life as much as the farmers and shop keepers."

"I know," Tom said with sigh. "I feel so damn caught in the middle with all of this. Lord Grantham is counting on me to find solutions on the one hand and the tenants are looking to me as well on the other."

"You'll do the best you can. It's all you can do," Rose said. "I think I'll get a hold of our friends and have a bit of a dance party here next weekend. I'm in the mood for a tango or two."

"Not a rumba or foxtrot?" Tom teased her.

"Not exactly," Rose replied with a smile and a laugh.

-0-

"There's so much here," Victoria exclaimed as she Rose and Tom walked through the farmer's market just before Christmas. Rose's brother and his wife had come to Downton for the Christmas holidays. James would travel back and forth for work, as things were busy in parliament. They were staying at the Abbey. They had their one-year-old boy, Reginald with them at the Abbey and his nanny along as well.

"It's the distribution network that is the problem at the moment," Tom commented. "We can produce without problem. The markets are depressed and the distribution hasn't straightened itself out yet."

"There are all kinds of families we know who would die for this selection at the moment," Victoria commented. "If it wasn't for the monthly shipment you send us, Tom. I don't know what we would do. I was to my parent's the other day with the baby. The housekeeper went to the shops but couldn't get any milk. We had to feed baby Reginald with watered down milk in the creamer we were going to use for our tea. I almost wept."

"We could arrange to have milk sent down to you as freight," Tom said scratching his neck in thought. "The only problem it would be in large quantities. There isn't anyone here who bottles it."

"How large?" Victoria inquired.

"I believe the smallest can is five gallons. I think the standard is ten gallons," Tom replied. "The dairy operation is over there today selling cheese and butter."

"Butter?" Victoria questioned. "The housekeeper hasn't been able to get any in over a month."

They continued to walk around. Rose selected a few items they would give to their friends as gifts for the holidays as well as a selection of items for the house. Mrs. Blackwell had given her a list of things to look for. Regularly putting in an appearance on market day had become a regular part of connecting with the people in the village. Lord and Lady Grantham usually showed up as well at some point throughout the day.

"Rose do you think there would be a way to place a weekly order from here?" Victoria questioned her. "My parents would be over joyed as would some of James associates. Every last one of us can still afford the food. Our housekeepers simply can't find it and the prices in the shops with the shortages are going through the roof."

"If you made a selection today for your parents, Tom can put it on the train this afternoon," Rose replied. "I'll ask Tom if there is a way to fill a weekly order."

"If you would be so kind," Victoria said.

They walked back to the house to drop off Rose's basket of items. There was a horrible racket coming from upstairs and the drawing room as they entered the house.

"What on earth?" Victoria questioned.

"Music practice. They've all just started lessons. It doesn't sound like much yet," Rose replied. Sybil was in the drawing room with her flute. She had her two youngest brother's sitting on stools with their recorders attempting to make a sound that somewhat resembled Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. "She's playing teacher," Rose said with a nod and smile in Sybil's direction.

"I remember piano instruction somewhat differently," Victoria commented.

"I remember the governess using a ruler to rap my knuckles if I played a sour note," Rose said.

Victoria's only answer was a nod.

They headed back to the market to select items for Victoria's parents. They found Tom talking to one of the men Rose recognized as the head of the local Farmers Association. Tom introduced Victoria as Lady Newtonmore from London to the man who politely tipped his hat to her before he went off to speak to one of the other farmers.

"What did you come up with?" Rose asked Tom.

"He says they could put together a weekly bulk order, but the quantities would be too large for one household to make it worthwhile for the freight. He'll put together a list of available items. If you could pool your buying, say among four or five households, he can easily put together a shipment for you. Unfortunately, the farmers wouldn't be able to extend you credit. They simply can't afford a thing at the moment."

"How large would a bulk order be?" Victoria asked in dismay.

"Say twenty gallons of milk, twelve pounds of butter, a side of mutton, twenty dozen eggs," Tom named some of the lots farm produce was regularly sold in. "There are other products as well."

"In other words, easily enough for seven or eight households," Victoria replied thoughtfully.

"Pretty well," Tom said. "I'm sorry they couldn't offer you anything better. It's the time to put something together and the shipping."

"Get me the list when you have it and I'll see what I can come up with when I get back to London," Victoria said with determination. "Too much is better than not enough. I'll just get a case or two together for my parents today. It will make their Christmas."

Chapter 6 – No Chauffeur

"What the devil?" Tom exclaimed in mid-January 1930. The snow had cleared off leaving the ground wet and mucky. He had arrived at the Abbey to talk to Lord Grantham about the upcoming projects on the estate for March. He found Lord Grantham behind the steering wheel of the town car with Edith beside him in the passenger seat. Her mother was in backseat and the driveway in front of the Abbey was a mess of skid marks and squiggly tire lines. Just then Lord Grantham let out the clutch on the town car too quickly causing it to take three giant lurches before it stalled. Tom walked over to the window of the car. Lord Grantham rolled down the window to talk to him with a disgusted look on his face.

"Having a spot of trouble?" Tom asked with a straight face.

"I don't know how you get this blasted thing to run so easily," Robert Crawley grouched in frustration.

"Hello Tom, Edith is giving us a few lessons," Cora said from the backseat.

"Hello Edith, Lady Grantham. Perhaps if you started with something a bit easier to work, say the staff car," Tom suggested.

"I hadn't thought of that," Edith said with a sigh.

"Why don't I set up a series of lessons for both of you," Tom said. "Someone with experience teaching driving might make things a go a bit easier, no offense Edith."

"That would be splendid," Lord Grantham said jumping at the chance to have instruction from someone who wasn't a terrible driver. Edith had never been the best driver although she thought she was. "I think that is about enough for today." Robert got out of the car quickly. "Did you have something you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Yes, the work schedule for March," Tom said. "I thought we should review it and see if there is anything we could cut back on or perhaps add."

"Yes, of course," Robert cleared his throat. "I'll let you two get the motor back to the garage. I'll see you later my dears." He almost drug Tom inside the house.

"I take it the chauffeur is gone?" Tom inquired.

Robert made a bit of a grimace.

"Yes and Edith thinks she should take over as the family driver," he said with a slight shudder.

Edith and Michael had come hat in hand at Christmas. His paper had closed their doors and they had lost a good chunk of their savings as well. With Edith's reduced allowance they simply couldn't afford to live in London any longer. They had come home to the Abbey in hopes of taking up residence there. Michael had sufficient contacts with editors he was still able to write freelance and get his articles published but it would be a significant come down from the editorial position he had enjoyed at The Sketch and at the moment the papers were paying a pittance.

Robert had somewhat accepted Michael over the years but hadn't been too taken with the idea of his daughter and her paramour under his roof. It had been enough years of Edith going by Mrs. Gregson that everyone in the county thought they had married in secret at some point. There was still gossip, but neither Robert nor Cora could turn their daughter away when she was in need.

"Best to learn to drive yourselves," Tom commented.

Robert could only sigh in exasperation.

"I can't help thinking of a time years ago when everyone was giving Rose trouble for learning to cook a bit and everyone was certain they would never have to do for themselves," Tom said. His eyes were dancing with devilment. "It seems almost prophetic now."

"Don't remind me," Robert Crawly grumped. They entered the library to find Michael Gregson there working on an article.

"Oh, am I in the way?" Michael inquired. "There isn't a fire on in any of the other rooms and I didn't want to light one and waste the wood."

"No, you're not in the way," Robert said with a bit of a sigh. "We're going to have a bit of a meeting, just ignore us."

Robert took his seat at his desk. Tom sat in a nearby chair and opened a folder. They went over a list of projects Tom had planned for the spring and made a few changes.

"Is there any good news?" Robert asked hopefully.

"Well, yes there was one thing," Tom replied. "Victoria has sent an order through to the local Farm Association. She has ten families rounded up for a group purchase in London. She and her housekeeper are taking care of the details at that end. It's a fairly large order and the association is happy, but we would need another ten or twenty a month just like it to make any difference."

"What's this?" Michael asked. He hadn't meant to eaves drop but he couldn't help but overhear.

"Victoria MacClare has organized a group of her family and acquaintances in London to purchase directly from the farms," Lord Grantham said. "It's a spot of good news at long last."

"When Victoria was down at Christmas she wanted to put in a weekly order for her own household and her parents," Tom commented. "Unfortunately no one here is equipped for smaller orders but we can sell direct in larger quantities. Victoria has set up a bit of purchasing co-operative on her end and the farmers have formed a bit of one on this end as well."

"What other marketing ideas have you come up with?" Michael asked putting down his pen and papers moving across the room to stand by Lord Grantham's desk. Lord Grantham was eyeing him warily.

"We've extended a market day through the winter, which is helping a bit," Tom said. "Everyone still has too much farm product they can't get to market for any kind of profit. It's been going on since the commodities market dropped at the end of October."

"So what you're saying is you can sell direct to the end user at a fair price, but only in large quantities?" Michael questioned.

"That's correct," Tom replied.

"What type of product?" Michael asked.

"If you take in all of the farms on the estate there is mutton, an assortment of root vegetables stored for winter, chicken, beef, turkey, duck, milk, cream, hard cheese and eggs," Tom said. "There is also fresh pork but not cured pork and raw wheat and oats. We prefer to sell live animals, but they can be killed and dressed."

"You gentlemen have a distribution problem," Michael said.

"A piece of news we didn't already know?" Lord Grantham huffed.

"Lord Grantham, newspapers are all about supply and demand and most critically distribution. The Sketch didn't close because of lack of management. It closed because the owner invested in some steel scheme with faulty collateral," Michael said. "I know distribution. There are shortages in every major city in England at the moment. From what you're saying you could sell direct to the stores at a reasonable price with little problem."

"That's right," Tom said frowning slightly at Michael.

"I, gentlemen, may have the contacts to achieve that goal," Michael said. "If you will permit me to work with you on this. Together we can see what we can come up with."

"We wouldn't be able to pay you," Tom commented. "At least not until the estate farm turns some kind of profit."

"That is the least of my worries at the moment," Michael replied. "I can spend my time writing an article that might earn a small compensation if accepted or I can apply my time to Edith's heritage and support the enterprise that is currently keeping a roof over my head and clean sheets on my bed. People aren't wasting their money on newspapers at the moment. The choice seems quite clear."

Tom and Robert exchanged a look.

"Pull up a chair," Robert said. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

-0-

"Tom where have you been all day," Rose questioned. It was almost dinnertime later the same day and he had just come in the door.

"In a meeting with Michael Gregson and Edith believe it or not," Tom said dropping a kiss on his wife's mouth before he almost collapsed into a chair in the drawing room in exhaustion. He leaned forward and pulled a recorder out from behind his back before he leaned back again. "Michael has had an idea for distributing the farm products that just might work."

"For all Cousin Robert is always looking down his nose at him, it would be ironic if he was the savior of Downton at the moment," Rose said.

"Hardly that, but we need to try every idea we can come up with to find a way to turn some kind of profit and get things around here moving again," Tom said tiredly. "We are going to get back at it tomorrow. I have to call a meeting of the Farmer's Association." He yawned.

"You need to stay awake long enough for the children to play you a tune they've been working on," Rose said. "They've been waiting for you to get home."

"Do I need ear plugs?" Tom asked with a worried expression.

It didn't take Rose long to call the children down to do their performance for Tom. Sybil first lined up with her two little brothers and played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with them very slowly and carefully. Tom was surprised as Garret and Bradley only made one or two screeching notes throughout the entire song. Next was Dylan's turn. He picked up his violin and played a short melody that Tom couldn't recognize. Tom applauded approvingly anyway and praised all three of his youngest sons for their efforts. Davin and Sybil played a very slow duet on their flutes and Redmond played something that sounded vaguely familiar as a folk song on his violin.

"You'll all be good enough by next Christmas to put on a pageant for the family at the Abbey," Tom praised them. After a great deal of praise from their parents the children all trotted off to put away their instruments and set the table for dinner.

That evening after they were in bed Tom described the scene he had come across with Robert trying to learn to drive. Rose laughed until she was almost crying.

"I shouldn't laugh, poor Cousin Robert," Rose said kicking her feet in glee.

"All I could think of was them telling you they would never live without a cook or a ladies maid," Tom replied still laughing. "It's pathetic but it's funny at the same time."

"You are going to teach them to drive aren't you?" Rose asked rolling over to lay part way across Tom's chest.

"I will," Tom said. "I'll take Lady Grantham out for a bit tomorrow. I think I'll let Lord Grantham squirm a bit for another few days. Once I get through these meetings with the Farmer's Association, I'm going to take a week or so off. I'm exhausted."

"What are you planning to do with a week in the middle of winter?" Rose asked him. She was fiddling with the buttons on his undershirt.

"Lay in bed and make love to my beautiful wife," Tom replied.

"Tom, I don't want any more babies. We already have six children," Rose said.

"It seems to me you count the days and it's worked for the last three and a half years," Tom said.

"And we wound up with Garret how?"

"I had a week off and we misplaced the calendar?" he replied with a cocked eyebrow.

"Which I found?"

"Where I hid it," he replied sheepishly.

"You're impossible," Rose said with a smile.

"I'm randy," he said. "In case you hadn't noticed."

"After all these years I think I've noticed," Rose said. "I thought you were tired."

"Not that tired," he said grabbing the hem of his undershirt and pulling it over his head.

"Is that an invitation?" Rose teased.

"No, but this is." Tom tossed his pajama bottoms on the floor to join his undershirt.

"Mmm," Rose murmured. "You're nice and warm."

"I'll warm you up," Tom said as he pulled off her nightgown. He was about to toss it on the floor as well when Rose grabbed it and stuffed it under her pillow.

"I don't like cold clothes," she said a hair's breath from his lips.

"God forbid," Tom murmured before his lips claimed hers.

Rose sighed into her husband's kiss. No matter what was happening around them, his slightest touch reassured her everything would be all right. She hadn't tired of his touch one bit. If anything she craved it more now than she did when they had first been together. The closer they got the more the desire burned between them. Her body was slightly different after three children. The dancing had kept her body strong and agile but her breasts were larger than they had been when she was younger and stretch marks marred her fair skin. Tom never seemed to notice. He made love to her in a way that made her break apart in his arms every single time.

Tom knew Rose's body and what she liked. He touched, tasted and stroked until Rose was digging in her nails and nipping his shoulder and ear with her teeth. Tom chuckled slightly at her impatience. He took his time and waited until he was almost frantic himself before he pushed her over the edge. His last thought before he fell asleep with Rose curled on his chest was that he hoped this part of their life together would never fade.

-0-

"I don't see why Robert was making such a fuss," Cora said to Tom who was in the passenger seat of the staff car at the Abbey. He was giving Cora her second driving lesson. So far she was doing quite well and had the car up to second gear. Garret and Bradley were in the back seat as Rose had been called in to teach that morning.

"We'll do a few turns around the house before we try anything faster or a higher gear," Tom replied.

Cora was dressed to the teeth complete with kid gloves and a hat with feathers. She looked every bit the Countess driving about in a car that over the years had seen considerable wear and tear from the servants. Cora drove around the grounds for another thirty minutes before she returned the car to the garage. With a great deal of instruction from Tom she got the car into reverse and parked it in the garage.

"That was ever so fun," she exclaimed as she switched off the engine.

"May we go see the horses now, Cousin Cora?" Bradley asked.

"Why yes, you've been such very good boys, we will," Cora replied. They walked as a group to the stables. They found Robert there talking to the head groom.

"How was the driving lesson, Cora?" he asked her.

Cora's expression turned sober.

"Oh Robert, I don't know how we'll ever manage," she said soberly. "I was just dreadful."

Tom had to turn around and hide a smirk.

"No you weren't Cousin Cora," Garret piped up. "You said it was fun."

"You kept saying whee," Bradley added seriously.

Tom was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

"I'm afraid I've been caught," Cora said with a smile. "It was quite wonderful. Tom said I did marvelously."

"Ugh," Robert groaned. "Am I the only one on the face of the planet that can't operate a motor car?"

"It will come, dear," Cora said comfortingly taking his arm.

"You two need to learn when to keep quiet," Tom said taking the boys by the hand. He was still grinning.

"We were quiet," Bradley said with a confused look on his face. "We didn't talk the entire time Cousin Cora was driving."

"You were very good," Cora said.

"Perhaps the boys had best come on my next lesson. They may bring me better luck," Robert said.

"Mummy said Cousin Edith must have inherited her driving skills from you Cousin Robert. How come Cousin Edith can drive and you can't?" Bradley questioned.

"I see little pictures have big ears," Robert said. He couldn't help but chuckle himself at the children's lack of guile.

They walked up to the house. Tom needed to collect Michael then get the boys to Kieran and Liz's cottage before the meeting with the Farmer's Association. He caught Bradley just as he was about to pick up a small-framed picture.

"You know better than to touch the things on the shelves here," Tom scolded him.

"But Daddy, Cousin Robert said it had ears," Bradley replied in earnest. "I wanted to see."

Tom shook his head and made a mental note to drop the two of them off at Kieran's before he gave Robert or Cora their next driving lesson.

Chapter Seven – Seeing to One's Self

Tom was surprised by Michael Gregson's ability to organize the Farm Association. Michael was a soft spoken man who was always polite but had stayed in the background at most family gatherings and only put in a short appearance for Edith's sake. Now his experience as an officer in the Great War and his years in the business of managing a smaller newspaper were coming to the forefront. He was still soft spoken, but his modern ideas made the Farm Association sit up and take notice. By the end of two weeks, Michael had an order form ready for the printers and a list of at least a hundred businesses he had dealt with on a regular basis as advertisers in the newspaper.

Michael had suggested a cash on delivery billing system, but the Farm Association had struck fast in their resolve that all orders be paid in advance. There wasn't a one of them that could afford another loss at the moment. Tom was over to the Abbey for a final meeting with Michael in February before he left for London to visit his contacts personally. He estimated it would take at least three weeks to get around to all of them. He would stay with Victoria and James as he had never gotten along well with Mary and Robert's sister, Rosamund was in the process of closing up the London house to move back to the Abbey.

"This is going to take a great deal of time," Michael said. "I'm not making any promises. If I get one order from ten visits we will be doing well at the moment, I fear."

"Anything will be a boon," Tom replied. "The estate farm alone has one hundred sheep that should go before April. We're running too much stock. It's straining the land. Paying out shipping to take a loss is poor business, but it may come to that."

"Just so you know, there are no promises. A supplier system like this could take a year or more to get running to the point where it is a viable business alternative to the older distributers and auction system."

"I resisted change for so long," Lord Grantham said. He was looking greyer and more drawn all the time. "If this works and you do manage to build an alternative trade system for the farms in the area, I'll be in your debt."

"The debt is mine," Michael said. "You provided for Edith and myself when we would have had no where to turn, but I must admit the older ways of doing business on a hand shake are gone. It only took one man who lied about his business dealings to topple banks and bring down business after business in this country."

"It was only part of it," Tom said. "But I have to agree with you. People are a lot less trusting now the slightest default or unsavory dealing can destroy your livelihood."

"Well, gentlemen if that is all," Michael said. "I had best get packed. I'll bring you a first week report on my activities in London when I return on Friday. Let's hope I get at least one or two orders in the first week."

"Good luck," Tom shook Michael's hand.

Lord Grantham slowly took Michael's hand to shake as well. It was the first time in all the years he and Edith had been together that Robert had made the gesture.

"Good luck," Lord Grantham said. "We're all counting on you."

"I can only try my best," Michael replied.

"The Abbey seems quieter than normal," Tom commented.

"We've had more of the staff move on," Robert said with a sigh. "Mrs. Patmore was up to speak to Cora the other day. It seems she's having problems getting flour. The more that leave the less we have to feed."

Tom made a note in his book.

"I'll see what I can do about the flour," he said. "I know for a fact one of the tenants is storing grain. Perhaps I can arrange something."

Robert inclined his head in a nod.

"How are you planning to manage the spring planting?" Robert asked.

"I think it is most prudent to save the petrol for the tractors for the plowing. Any hauling can be done with a horse cart. It's slower but more cost effective in the long run," Tom said. "The root vegetables have been selling well at the farm market. Our winter stock is almost all sold. They're inexpensive to plant and to grow. People favor them because they're a staple and they're filling."

"Just not at the old prices."

"No," Tom said. "We all have to forget what was and concentrate on what is."

"I think I'm too old to change," Robert replied.

"No one is too old to change," Tom said. "You're learning to drive. You really aren't doing that bad for all the ribbing from your wife and Rose. Your managing well enough without a valet."

"I must admit I miss Bates, but the transition to living without a valet has been easier than I expected it would be," Robert said feeling at least a little encouraged. Tom was right. He wasn't having any problems dressing himself or brushing his suits. It was a simple thing to put his shirts and things into a laundry hamper and Mr. Barrow collected the dry processing once a week and picked it up. All he had to do was sort out what he wanted to wear for the day and it wasn't so bad walking into the village for a haircut every once in a while. "I had thought about moving us all to the Dower House, but with Rosamund moving back and with Edith and Michael here the house is starting to fill up again."

"Any idea what Mrs. Crawley is going to do?" Tom asked. Isobel Crawley had let all her staff go except her housekeeper. Tom knew what her allowance was now and that her savings had been at a bank that closed. If it wasn't for the groceries she was receiving from the estate every week, he knew she would be hard pressed to put food on the table.

"She may move over as well. She's not a young woman," Robert replied. "I do wish you and Rose would come here with the children. The house always seems more alive with children in it."

"You'd have to listen to their music practice," Tom said with a slight grimace. "It can be a trifle hard on the ears especially when Sybil decides she's going to teach the younger two a tune."

"The house is large enough I doubt they'd be heard," Robert said. "But it is up to you of course."

"It's still early, fancy taking the motor for a spin around the grounds?" Tom asked.

"I suppose I must," Robert replied getting to his feet and going to retrieve his hat and coat for himself.

-0-

It was just over a week later when Tom walked into the kitchen on his second day of his week off, to see Rose, Cora and Lady Rosamund Painswick standing by the sink peering into a large basin in confusion. There was a large bundle of what looked to be soiled laundry on the floor beside them. When the women heard him come in both Cora and Rosamund turned around with a blush staining their cheeks while Rose looked up at him then back at the basin. It was the housekeeper's day off. Cora was over for one of her lessons on all things managing without staff. _"Whatever they were up to must have stumped Rose as well," _Tom thought.

"Good morning, ladies," Tom said.

"Good morning, Tom," Cora and Rosamund both replied.

"Oh hello, darling," Rose said.

"You look like you're having a spot of trouble," Tom said. He wandered over to the basin to see two ladies bras and some under drawers floating in the water.

"We're trying to figure out how to wash them," Rose said with a frown. "I've never hand washed anything. I only know how to use the agitator and I seldom do. The housekeeper usually sees to the wash. Cousin Rosamund is without a ladies maid now and the laundry maid who did the ladies things at the Abbey left two weeks ago."

"I see," Tom said. He glanced at the older women who's faces were red as beets. "You're in luck ladies. I used to wash all my shirts by hand when I worked as a chauffeur. It's not all that different. I will demonstrate if you like."

"If you would be so kind, darling," Rose replied. Rosamund had her mouth open to decline. She was so embarrassed she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. Even her own late husband had never seen her unmentionables.

"I'll just get the scrub board," Tom said. "What were you using for soap?"

Rose pointed out a tin of soap flakes sitting on the counter.

"I won't be a minute," Tom said. He was back with the scrub board. He quickly demonstrated how to use the board and how to wash delicate items by rubbing them together. He told Rose to run a basin of lukewarm water as a rinse. He demonstrated rinsing and wringing out the two items he had washed as quickly as he could to save the women from embarrassment.

"Any more problems, just call. I'll be in the drawing room reading," he said.

"Thank you, darling," Rose said giving him a relieved smile. The two older women were trying their best to hold onto their composure.

"Thank you for your assistance, Tom," Rosamund said with a regal incline of her head.

"There are just so many things you would never think of coming to the surface," Cora commented. "It can be a tiny bit confusing."

Tom turned to leave and then turned back when he got to the door.

"Oh by the way. When you press everything after they've dried. Don't use too much starch it might prove problematic," he said. He couldn't help but chuckle at the alarmed look on the two older women's faces.

When luncheon rolled around he was presented with most mangled looking roast beef sandwiches he had ever seen in his life served on their best china with elegantly presented plates of pickles and sliced vegetables. Cora had gotten slightly better at sandwiches and could boil an egg these days and had even produced a fairly tolerable cup of coffee during one of Rose's lessons. Tom could only guess it must have been Lady Rosamund's turn to try her hand at sandwiches. The three women joined him and the two boys at the table with wet spots all over their dresses that had soaked through the aprons they had been wearing but without a hair out of place. Their manners were in place and there wasn't one comment on Lady Rosamund's first attempt at making sandwiches. For all they let on there was anything wrong they could have been having lunch with the King himself.

The women continued to visit through the afternoon and discuss this and that. Tom wandered out to the back garden to go check on the mare he was keeping at the house. The two clotheslines full of slips stockings, bras and drawers greeted him the moment he stepped out the door. He got a grin on his face. The women reminded him of spoiled children who had never had to pick up after themselves who suddenly had the rug pulled out from under their feet. The most mundane thing the average person took for granted, they could barely cope with and yet there wasn't a one of the three gracing his drawing room at the moment who couldn't hold court and charm the socks of any diplomat.

By the time he was finished filling the horse's water bucket and making sure it had enough hay, he spotted the three women attempting to take the clothes off the line. Rose had a straightforward approach and unpinned and folded as she went. She'd help the housekeeper take in the laundry enough times, she knew what to do even if she wasn't the fastest in the world. Cora and Rosamund on the other hand were a sight to behold. Cora was picking the clothes pegs off the items then neatly set them in the basket. Her items were all folded perfectly and could have been presented at a store. Lady Rosamund was gingerly pulling the pegs off the line and jumping back every time the line sprung back. She was holding the items she was taking off the line gingerly between her thump and index finger with her pinky stuck in the air, then letting them flutter down into a pile in the laundry basket.

Tom glanced at the sky to see it was about to rain. He quickly unpinned most of the remaining clothes on the line and put them into Rose's basket.

"Tom, I was folding those," Rose scolded.

"Another minute and you'll be hanging them to dry inside the house," he said.

Rose quickly hurried the other two inside with their baskets while Tom collected the last few items and hurried in just as the first drops of rain were starting to fall. He immediately spotted Rose with the ironing board down and the electric iron plugged in. Tom was quite proud of the fact they had many gadgets and machines in their home that made their existence easier. They had a newer electric agitator for washing clothes, an electric iron and a an electric cooker, but he new the nuisances of the difference between a middle class home and a working class one were completely lost on Cora and her sister-in-law.

"Be sure you don't try to iron the silks with the iron too hot," he reminded Rose.

"I know a bit of how to do this part," Rose commented. "I've ironed the boys' shirts when Mrs. Blackwell was busy."

"Just remember to dampen things first and don't use too hot an iron," he said as he reached over and turned the temperature on the iron down a notch before he left the room.

"I do wish my Cyril would hurry up and rescue his dear Mama from this dreadful middle class existence," Rosamund said while she was folding and sorting the stockings into piles for herself, Cora and Edith. Rose was standing by while Cora tried her hand at slowly ironing a pair of cotton drawers.

"Have you heard anything from your son?" Cora asked as she finished the first pair, then neatly folded them and reached for the next. There was absolutely no way she was adding starch to anything today. No one would see their undergarments since they dressed themselves these days. It was one less thing to worry about.

"Not a word," Rosamund replied. "I had to leave Eaton Square with his creditors knocking on the door. It was all rather dreadful and embarrassing. Who's is this?" She held up a slip.

"Edith's," Cora replied.

"Middle class isn't the end of the world, Cousin Rosamund," Rose said. "We still dress for dinner when there is an occassion and we don't have to share our meals with people who's manners resemble a hog." She shuddered slightly at the memory of when Davin and Redmond had first arrived from Ireland.

"This manual labor is most unbecoming," Rosamund replied.

"Oh Rosamund, we don't have to wash floors or sweep. Making a bed and seeing to ourselves a bit isn't that horrible," Cora said. She had her under drawers neatly pressed, folded and stacked. She started in on Edith's.

Rosamund's stomach did a most unladylike rumble. Tom had started in on making a mutton stew for the dinner that night. The smell coming from the kitchen was making her mouth water.

"Has your husband always cooked?" Rosamund inquired of Rose. "It seems most unfitting for a member of the family."

"Ever since we've been married," Rose replied. "I can make the recipe he's working on at the moment. I'll show you how once you get so you can do eggs and a few other simple dishes."

"There. I'm all done," Cora said proudly moving the two stacks to sit beside the other of folded items. Your turn Rosamund."

Rosamund looked at her stack of drawers and the iron with dread. She moved towards the iron as though it was going to bite her. It wasn't too long when Tom heard a great deal of commotion coming from the laundry room. Lady Rosamund rushed out and put her finger under the tap and ran cold water on it. Cora was wringing her hands.

"I'm sure it will be fine Cousin Rosamund. I'll just get you a bandage," Rose said. She was just reaching for the first aid box from the cupboard over the icebox when everyone turned to look in alarm at the acrid odor coming from the laundry room. Tom rushed into the room, unplugged the iron and returned with a pair of drawers with an iron shaped burn mark on them.

"Lesson two. Never leave the iron sitting on what you're ironing," Tom said dryly.

"I'd say our next laundry day, I do the folding while you do the ironing Cora?" Rosamund inquired.

"I think it would be best," Cora agreed as she returned to the laundry room to air the smoke and finish the laundry.

Edith arrived with the town car to pick her Mother and Aunt up just before teatime.

"How did the lesson go?" she inquired once she had the box with everyone's clean things loaded in the back seat and they were all set to head back to the Abbey.

"I need a scotch," Rosamund said leaning back against the seat in near defeat.

"I think I'll have one as well," Cora agreed.

Chapter Eight – Mary's News

"Early strawberries from the greenhouse," Rose said. "This is a treat."

"There's not a dot of fresh fruit in the local shops," Tom replied setting the two baskets of strawberries on the counter. "Hasn't been for months. Since the economy in South Africa crashed I doubt we'll be seeing much for winter imports."

"There isn't imported anything at the moment," Rose replied. "How is Michael making out?"

"Slow but steady," Tom commented. "He managed to find six consistent with another half dozen occasional buyers in the three weeks he spent in London. Lot's of inquiries for spring lamb though. It looks like we'll be eating mutton, mutton and more mutton. I'm going to sell the lambs for as much as I can this summer and keep the sheep I was going to sell. I've got a deal going with the local butcher to take a few off our hands in exchange for cured pork."

"Cousin Cora tells me Mary and the children are coming for the summer as soon as George is out of school," Rose said.

"I wonder how they're making out," Tom said. "Other than seeing them at Christmas for a short time we haven't heard much about them which is odd. Mary is usually down at least once a month."

"Most likely busy adjusting to the change in fortune the same as the rest," Rose replied.

"Isobel Crawley has decided to move over to the Abbey. I'll be putting her house up for rent," Tom said.

"I really don't want to move over there with the children," Rose said with a sigh.

"I don't either but it might come to it," Tom said. "I was thinking if we did it would be better to have our own sitting room and keep to one wing except for meals."

"Tom do you really think it is a good idea?" Rose asked.

"We're over so often and the children go over at least three times a week for riding and even more in the summers, it might cut down on some running back and forth. We won't have to pay for wood for next winter either or the electricity."

"And we have activities and things here in the village as well as our own friends," Rose commented.

"And my current wage is barely covering our expenses since your father has had to stop sending you an allowance. It won't go up again until the farm starts to turn around," Tom pointed out. "Any word on tuition for next year for the children."

"Not yet," Rose replied.

"Strange isn't it," Tom said thoughtfully. "The night clubs are closing one after the other but the community dances and house parties are more popular than ever."

"People want their families around them," Rose replied. "You can take your children to a community dance. You can't to a night club."

"True. What are you up to this afternoon? You look like you're dressed for going out."

"Helping to organize something called a jumble sale at the parish hall."

"A what?"

"People donate clothes and odd things they don't have use for anymore. The church sells them for a few pennies and makes a bit of money. People can buy clothes and things cheap so they keep their pride. The mission barrels are no more now."

"Sounds interesting," Tom commented. "What have they got you doing?"

"Making posters to hang around the village," Rose said. "The penmanship and all the rest the governess had me do is coming in quite handily. I had best get going."

Mrs. Blackwell came in from outside with a basket of folded sheets. Her eyes opened wide as soon as she saw the strawberries. She got busy making some sweet scones to serve with them as a dessert. Tom headed to his desk to get through some of his paper work. It looked like wool prices this spring would at least be high enough there would be some profit. It wasn't the profit margin they had enjoyed before but there was no looking back he had to keep reminding himself. There were all sorts of problems these days with imported products which was pushing the demand for domestic up and the demand for wool was going up as well.

He got out the sale figures for the estate farm and went over them. They weren't doing too badly. The vegetables had sold for what the seed cost. While they hadn't made they hadn't lost. The bartering and the mutton sales they had done over the winter had kept losses to a minimum as well. His position had been lucrative over the years and he and Rose still had a good pile of savings. They would make do as long as they were careful. Eventually things would even themselves out and the farm would start to prosper again and his family along with it. Tom sighed as he reached for the rental book for the estate.

Rentals were his least favorite part of his job. He rather be out on the land discussing seeding and where animals were to be grazed than deal with tenants but it couldn't be helped. There were a few that couldn't make their rent and he was going to have to deal with them. At the moment the rents were covering the maintenance, which was about as much as could be hoped for. The maintenance on the roads on the estate this year would have to be scaled back to repairing only what was absolutely necessary. Anything beyond that was absolutely impossible.

He made out his list of tenants who had defaulted on their rent he had to visit. He grimaced slightly at the thought. The hard times everyone was facing was drawing people together. More and more you could notice people spending time with their children and families. Neighbors were helping neighbors, but for some they couldn't face it and were finding their solace in the bottle. This wasn't the first time there had been mass unemployment in the last few years. In 1925 there had been men searching for work everywhere during the general strike, but the shopkeepers and merchants had been able to extend people credit and they got by. Not this time. There wasn't anyone who was really any better off than the next. Those who had a roof over their heads and food on the table were the lucky ones. There were a very few that had managed to maintain their fortunes and remained in the wealthy elite, but they were few and far between. Everyone else had to face change or fall apart.

Tom went to check on his two son's before he walked down to visit his brother. He found the two of them busy pulling up handfuls of grass along the back lane to feed to the horse. He collected the two boys and headed towards Kieran's. He was glad his brother had moved to Downton all those years ago. Kieran always had a common sense view of the world. He teased Tom something terrible about his _"fancy pants"_ way of life as Kieran called it and still played the odd joke on Tom from time to time. For all of it he made Tom feel grounded. He was the one person Tom knew who didn't give a damn about what people thought. He said what he thought whether it was what you wanted to hear or not.

-0-

Tom arrived at the garage to find both Kieran and Johnny busy with work.

"Tom, what can we do you for?" Kieran asked as he straightened up from under the hood of a lorry.

"I was wondering if Johnny was available day after next to come out and go over the farm machinery for the estate farm. I thought I'd get it all seen to in one day," Tom said.

Kieran went to check his appointment book.

"He's got a job to do that day but I'll get him to reschedule it," Kieran said.

"Things seem to be picking up," Tom said.

"People are getting ready for planting. It's given us more work than we had over the winter," Kieran replied. "A few jobs on trade are keeping the meals on the table as well."

Tom nodded.

"I'll get the cars from the Abbey over to you as well. I don't have time to see to them myself."

"They aren't still expecting to keep that old Renault up are they?" Kieran asked. "I don't think I could get parts."

"I'll make a list of what's left at the garage at the Abbey," Tom replied. "I don't know what the chauffeur did before he left. It wasn't my affair anymore."

Johnny had finished the piece he was working on and came over to speak to Tom as well. He agreed to rearrange his schedule to accommodate the day of work Tom was giving him.

"You know if there is any applesauce under your roof?" he asked Tom. "We're down to the last bit for the bairn."

"Hard to say. Have your wife go by and ask the housekeeper," Tom said. "She can always check up at the Abbey as well if you're really stuck."

"Aye, I'll do that," Johnny replied.

Tom could feel his own speech slipping back into the familiar brogue when he was with the two men. Davin's accent had faded over the years until only the odd word had a slight Irish lilt to it. Redmond had been older when he came to England but from his years of formal training and schooling his Irish accent sounded more like something from the upper classes than his working class heritage. Every last one of Tom's other children had English accents exactly like Rose's.

"I hear the auto manufacturers are starting to pick up back up down south," Tom commented.

"I don't know who to or how they're planning to sell automobiles at the moment," Kieran replied.

"We're both better off here," Johnny added. "We've already talked it over. Better to stay where there is access to the farms and limited work than to gamble on a fools errand and sit on the dole with nothing on the table."

"You're right about that," Tom said. "I'll let you get back to it."

He stopped at the playground at the local school with Bradley and Garret to let them play on the swings and teeter totter for a bit. He had to hang on to Garret to make sure he didn't fall off the teeter totter and knock himself silly when Bradley got too rambunctious.

Tom's thoughts drifted back to Ireland while he was minding the boys on the playground. Rose's father had arranged a conditional pardon for him two years ago when he was home for a stint on English soil. Even though he could now return to Ireland he had six children to consider. There was no way he could ever find a position that paid as well as his current one. While he wasn't making that much at the moment he still had all sorts of benefits that was keeping his family in a fairly comfortable existence compared to many others. Rose had partially stepped out of the aristocracy to be with him but not totally. He didn't think she would be too comfortable away from England either. She might do well in Scotland as she considered herself Scottish rather than English but at the same time there was no point in uprooting everyone from the life they were now leading.

He collected the boys once they had worn themselves out a bit and headed back to the house. Tomorrow he would be up at dawn checking on the shearing sheds, then off to make arrangements for shearing plus a host of other activities that filled the days of an Estate Agent. There wasn't any time to long for another way. This was his path and he had to follow it.

-0-

Easter landed at the end of April that year and with it Mary, Anthony and their three children arrived at the Abbey. George was now eight and a year younger than Sybil. Elizabeth their daughter was four and their youngest a boy named Edward and Anthony's heir was two and a half. Tom and Rose had spent Good Friday with Tom's brother and his family since Tom and all six of their children were Catholic. After the men took the boys fishing in the morning, they had all gotten together for a meal of trout. Over the years they had found it was easier to divide their time between the two families and kept many of the more religiously centered holidays with Tom's brother. This year there hadn't been any question about their meal. A trip to the fish mongers was out. It was either catch it yourself or do without.

Today was Easter Sunday. They had gather just after luncheon for an Easter Egg hunt in the gardens at the Abbey. This year there were a few marked differences. The women had gotten together in the kitchen and dyed the eggs themselves after Mrs. Patmore had boiled them for them. There were considerably less candies than in previous years, with only one sweet hidden with each child's name on it. Tom suspected the adults had come out and hidden the eggs themselves rather than have the footman do it as had been done over the previous years. He noticed right away the dress Elizabeth was wearing looked vaguely familiar as having been one of Sybil's years ago.

Once the older children had the younger ones organized into a game, he was free to sit down and catch up with the adults. Anthony was busy boasting about his latest scheme to turn his estate house into a hotel. Some things just didn't change. From what Tom had heard he had lost over half his land. There had been stories around of more than one manor house being converted to a boy's school or a hotel as more and more grand families couldn't afford to keep what was left. Robert Crawley was listening to Anthony with a sour look on his face while Michael was sitting to the side politely not saying a word.

"To listen to him you'd think he was opening the Ritz," Michael murmured to Tom as he took a seat. Over the last few months the two men had gotten to know each other well as Michael worked on the marketing for the estate. He'd gone with Tom to the wool sales and managed to negotiate a higher price for the wool than Tom would have been able to with the buyer for a mill. People had a tendency to underestimate Michael Gregson because he was soft spoken, but underneath he was an incredibly shrewd businessman who wasn't adverse to new ideas.

"How many rooms are you planning to have?" Michael asked Anthony when the conversation had turned towards estate business. The last thing either Tom or Michael wanted was Anthony putting his oar in when they were just starting to get things turned around a bit.

"Twenty, although the house has thirty bedrooms," Anthony said.

"People aren't moving around much these days," Tom commented. "Are you sure you'll be able to fill the place up? We hear of so many now converting to hotels."

Anthony boasted a bit more how his hotel would only cater to the most exclusive clients. Tom wasn't really listening. From the look on Lord Grantham's face he had had about enough as well. They almost breathed a collective sigh of relief when Rose called to Tom from where she was sitting with the other women. Edward was on a blanket in the middle.

"Mary says they'll be staying on. Their having a spot of trouble with George's school similar to what we'll have next year," Rose said.

"You'll have one more student next fall then?" Tom asked. The men had all wandered over to join the women.

"We haven't decided," Rose replied. "I thought we should all discuss it."

"What decisions have you made?" Cora asked. "You haven't mentioned anything before now."

"We've only just decided this week to take everyone out of private school this fall except Redmond," Tom said. "The school they were attending has decided not to adjust their fee. Redmond will be going to a public grammar school this fall and changing schools. Rose will teach the other three herself at home. We haven't even told the children yet."

"Do you think that's wise?" Robert questioned.

"I am a qualified teacher for elementary school, Cousin Robert," Rose said. "It's no different than private tutoring and since our children already receive music, riding and dance lessons, it is one more expense we can cut if only until they attend grammar school. Almost all of the children's friends are moving to other schools as well."

"George won't be going back to boarding school on Tuesday. We've decided to start his summer break early," Anthony intoned. Mary rolled her eyes slightly.

"Anthony don't gloss over things'" Mary said bluntly. "We can't afford to keep him at school any longer. We've already been two months without paying the fees. The school won't take him back."

"Oh Mary," Cora said taking Mary's hand in alarm.

"So much for business as usual," Rosamund said peering over the rim of her cup at Anthony. Isobel was trying to hide a slight smirk behind a hanky.

"A minor cash flow problem," Anthony said smoothly.

"Oh Anthony, stop it," Mary snapped. "This is family. The truth is everyone, the housekeeper from our London house walked out the day before we came up. I'm not going back to London, let the creditors take the house."

Everyone gasped in shock except Tom and Michael who exchanged a look that spoke volumes.

"I expect the house will be gone by Tuesday," Anthony confessed.

"You'll stay here, of course, with the children," Robert said.

"I was hoping you would say that, Papa," Mary said. "Anthony can stay at his club in town and come up on weekends when he gets a break from setting up his hotel."

"This doesn't solve what to do about George's education," Cora pointed out. "He needs to finish his year."

"I'll set up a schedule of lessons for him," Rose volunteered. "I have copies of all the primers at the house. He can finish the year at home quite easily with a little private tutoring."

"Rose I can't ask you to do that," Mary said.

"Mary, I expect if George is here with little to do he'll be over to play with Sybil and Davin or they here constantly anyway," Rose said. "I can work with him one or two mornings a week."

"I'll help out as well," Isobel said. "It will give me a chance to spend more time with my grandson."

"I can dig out my old piano studies," Edith volunteered. "There are enough of us. We should be able to come up with enough to educate one small boy for two months."

"One problem solved at least for the next two months," Robert said.

Edward had woken up from where he was asleep on the blanket and had started dancing on the spot.

"Mary aren't you going to take Edward inside?" Rose asked.

"Isn't there a maid who can do it?" Mary asked obviously clueless.

"Inside for what?" Anthony asked just as clueless.

"Never mind," Tom said scooping the little boy up and jogging to the washroom with him before he wet. _"It's no wonder the housekeeper walked out with those two,"_ he thought. He could just imagine the habits George had developed living with the pair of them.


	12. Facing Change Part III

Facing Change – Part III – Chapters 9 through 12

_I think it is really important to remember when your reading this, people who lost everything didn't just face having to take care of themselves, they had to learn to take care of their children. It wasn't unusual for members of the aristocracy to almost never see very young children. There was a documentary on the other night that mentioned Queen Elizabeth spent more time with Queen Mary when she was very young than her own parents. She didn't start spending more time with her own parents until she was older. The hard parts of being a parent would have been completely foreign to them._

Chapter Nine – Making it Fun

Rose walked to the Abbey on Tuesday morning with a stack of books for George's lessons, after she had seen everyone off on the school bus and dropped her two younger sons off with Liz. Today was washday for the linens and she had supervised while all of the children took the sheets and pillowslips off their beds before they left for school and neatly stacked them in the laundry room for Mrs. Blackwell. The towels had been changed and collected and piled for washing. This evening when they got back everyone would make their beds once the sheets were dry and pressed. Everyone helped each other and the job was soon done. Being a mother of six with a husband who was out the door at the crack of dawn in the spring and summer and only limited help took planning on Rose's part. She'd shaken her head more than once on Sunday with Mary's awkward attempts to deal with her younger children. Mary had been about to send her children off for dinner with one of the maids when Cora had told her the children would be eating with the adults as there were no guests outside of family attending. The family had gotten used to the practice with Tom and Rose's children and it made things much simpler when there were no guests.

The reality was there was no nanny anymore and the two maids and footman who were left at the Abbey did more housecleaning and heavy laundry than anything else these days. The butler served the meals, organized the cleaning and did a host of jobs around the house that had previously been left to the junior members of staff. The maids didn't have time to see to every whim with such a large house to clean. The adults living at the Abbey were doing their own hand wash, making their own beds and doing a host of other small jobs they wouldn't have dreamed of a year ago. The other day Cora and Rosamund had quite proudly told Rose they had managed to get tea for themselves after they had returned from a hospital board meeting and Rose knew Isobel Crawley and Edith had attempted a simple recipe one day last week when Mrs. Patmore was off. They didn't see to themselves totally but coming up with little ways to make their lives easier such as fixing each other's hair before they went out or had guests had become a game of strategies.

Isobel Crawley and George met Rose by the door when she arrived. Rose spotted a maid with a bucket and rag wiping up a puddle that looked very much like piddle in the grand hall. A very annoyed Thomas Barrow came out of the library and said something to the maid before he came forward to see to Rose's coat.

"Thank you Mr. Barrow. You needn't trouble yourself. I've already hung my coat up," Rose said.

"Thank you, milady," Thomas said with a slight bow before he headed off to another part of the house with the maid following behind him.

"Edith will be down in a minute. She's just gone with Cora to get Edward cleaned up," Isobel said.

"There's a desk in the morning room, that's nice and bright at this time of year. Why don't we work there until your mother and Aunt can join us?" Rose said to George.

He nodded and led the way to the morning room.

Rose went through the readers and compared where George should be to what he could remember doing. She made out a weekly reading list for the next eight weeks and went over the corresponding writing assignments George should be working on each week with Isobel. He had been reading about legends of ancient Greece before he left school, so she set up a report for him to complete over the next few weeks as well. They were part way through setting up George's school calendar when Edith came to join them. After another half hour they had something Edith and Isobel could follow with music and riding lessons penciled in and two mornings a week with Rose.

"I had French lessons at school but I didn't like them too well," George said with a shrug. "I'm going to miss the cricket with the lads at school." He sighed.

"There is a boys cricket team in the village. You must speak to Grandpapa to see if you may join," Rose told him. George's roundish face that was reminiscent of Matthew's perked up considerably with a grin. He had combed his dark hair that morning but it kept springing up in a cowlick. "That's enough with me for today. You have your assignments for today and tomorrow. Grandmamma Isobel will check them over when you are done. I'll see you Thursday morning, eight a.m. sharp at Clairehome House."

"Will the car take me?" George asked.

"No, Myself or Grandmama will drive you if it is raining but otherwise you'll walk or ride over on a pony," Edith said. "We have a bicycle but I think it is a bit big yet."

"Mama said if I went anywhere here the car would take me," George said.

"Grandpapa is the current Earl and he walks quite regularly," Edith informed him. She set her lips at the conversation she was going to have with her sister.

"All right," George said with a shrug. He opened the book that Rose has assigned and started reading while the women headed through to the drawing room.

"A few issues with what is?" Rose said to the other two quietly. Cora and Mary weren't down yet.

"George has been at boarding school, so he knows to make his bed and dress himself," Edith said in a low voice. "Mary's only just lost her nanny a few weeks ago and the housekeeper saw to the younger ones until Friday when she left."

"I thought as much on Sunday," Rose said quietly.

"I spent a great deal more time with my son, as you do Rose," Isobel said. "I have a much better idea of what to expect with small children than I'm afraid some of the others do."

"Mary is going to have to learn like everyone else," Rose commented. "Small children take a great deal of attention as you know. It's a bit easier when they're older. I should get going back to the village. I promised I would have Bradley and Garret picked up by noon and it is already after eleven. I have dance classes to teach this afternoon as well."

"I don't know how you do it," Edith said with a slight shake of her head.

"It's simple Cousin Edith. I'm organized, everyone has chores they are expected to do and we make a game out of things. It's not so hard when you make work fun."

Edith thought about what Rose had said. She didn't have any children herself. It didn't seem to be in the cards for her and Michael, but the way it looked she was going to be doing a great deal of parenting with Mary's children. Make it fun, Rose had said. She would do that. There had to be a way to make going piddle on the pot fun. She didn't fancy cleaning up the next puddle when there wasn't a maid about to do it.

-0-

"Mary, things have changed," Cora said to her daughter. Once Rose had left Rosamund and Edith had gone upstairs to find them. Isobel's arthritis bothered her too much to make numerous trips upstairs in a day. She had gone to see how George was getting on with the lessons Rose had set out. "We all do chores we never would have before or at least attempt them and you have to see to the children yourself. There isn't anyone to do it and I'm afraid the remaining staff will leave if you try and push too much on them."

"Mama, I am trying really," Mary said dabbing her eyes with her hanky. "I've cut the children's clothing expenses down to next to nothing. I haven't bought any new clothes all winter."

"I know you're trying," Cora said comfortingly. "We've all struggled with this. You have to be willing to try doing things and find out what you can do."

"What would Granny have said?" Mary questioned attempting to dry her tears.

"She would have said batten down the hatches and full steam ahead," Rosamund said. "Mama was a realist if nothing else."

"How am I going to learn everything everyone expects of me?" Mary said.

"Bit by bit, the same as the rest of us, Mary," Edith said. "Where are Elizabeth and Edward?"

"Papa took them for a walk," Mary said.

"I'll go and join them," Edith said. "I'll see to the children through lunch. Isobel is keeping an eye on George's lessons."

"Mary you have to try and do for yourself," Cora tried again. "We all make our own beds and hang our towels."

"Edith and I dusted our own rooms the other day. Then we dusted the drawing room and the library," Rosamund added cheerfully. "Afterwards I sat down and had a jolly, good read as a reward."

"Aunt Rosamund, someone of your rank shouldn't be dusting," Mary said horrified.

"Truthfully, Mary, I shouldn't be ironing," Rosamund said. "I almost burned the house down when I tried. I do the washing, unpinning and the folding. Your mother does the rinsing, hanging and ironing."

"You do what?" Mary asked in shock.

"Mary dear, you have to learn to wash your delicates. The electric agitator ruins them. Whatever your ladies maid did, you have to learn to do for yourself. Who has been doing your things all this time since you lost your maid?" Cora asked.

"The housekeeper," Mary replied bashfully.

"Is it a wonder she didn't bolt sooner," Cora said firmly. "Now pull yourself together. We'll start with something simple like making your bed and tidying your room and bath. You'll see. You'll have it figured out in no time."

"You'd best put the children on a bathroom timetable to avoid anymore puddles," Rosamund added before she left the room. "We can't have that. We're having guests on Friday."

"One thing at a time, Rosamund," Cora said. "Come along Mary it's time to start learning to do for yourself."

-0-

Friday evening Tom and Rose arrived at the Abbey for the dinner party Cora and Robert were having. Spring lettuce and a few early greens were up in the green house and Tom found himself actually looking forward to the meal and what Mrs. Patmore might have done with fresh greens. It had been a busy week. They had made sure the children had their dinners and baths before they left them in the care of Mrs. Blackwell. It wasn't an unusual routine for them and with Kieran and Liz in the same village, Mrs. Blackwell could always ring them if there was any fussing or issues if she couldn't get ahold of Tom and Rose.

Rose had been busy as well that week with the children. Her children's dance classes were still popular as she had cut the fees down and the parish hall had reduced the usage fee drastically as the church was trying to keep families looking towards better times instead of at the hard times they had all endured that winter and probably would again next.

Cora, Edith and Rosamund hadn't been over to see Rose. George had walked over from the Abbey on Thursday. Rose hadn't wanted to ask him how his Mama was getting on. She had gone over the work he had did, indicated the corrections and given him pointers on the report he was working on, then given him a math lesson. He had stayed for luncheon and walked back when his Grandfather had stopped by to collect him.

"I wonder how they're all getting on," Rose said to Tom on their way to the Abbey. "It's been quiet this week."

"Learning how to see to young children themselves I should suspect," Tom replied dryly.

Edith wandered over to them during pre-dinner drinks.

"We took your advice, Rose. We're making things fun. It seems to be working," Edith said.

"So you're helping out with the care for little ones?" Tom asked raising his eyebrows.

"A bit, at least until Mary gets the hang of things," Edith replied. "Mary is good with stories and organizing play time but not the baths and all the rest of it."

"At least you don't have nappies to deal with," Rose said. "They're just too dreadful. I did learn to change a soiled one eventually but it took a near catastrophe to get me to do it. I only ever did with the last two if I absolutely had to."

"Where are the children now?" Tom asked.

"Fed, bathed and into bed," Edith said. "George is still up reading. He can put himself to bed I think. One of the maids will look in on them later."

"Not too hard once you make it fun," Rose said giving Edith's hand a squeeze.

Tom noticed some odd looks on people's faces throughout the evening when they returned to the party when they must have gone to the powder room. He didn't notice anything amiss with the food, service or any of the rooms until he went to the powder room himself. He flipped up the lid on the commode to jump back and almost wet himself when he spotted a picture of a rabbit with a smiling face from an old children's book stuck to the underside of the lid with cellulose tape. When he went to the sink to wash his hands there was another stuck to the wall under the towel and a face had been carved into the bar of soap. He did a double take when he noticed a large smiling rabbit face had been embroidered onto the towel as well.

"What advice did you give Edith about handling children?" Tom whispered to Rose.

"I told her things go better when they're fun," Rose whispered back.

"You've got to see the powder room," he said with a grin. "Somehow I can't imagine Lord Grantham in there."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it is preferable to piddle on the floor," Rose said.

She and Tom quietly exited the drawing room. He waited for her in the hall while she went into the powder room and came out. Rose put her face against him while she laughed.

"I could just imagine my mother in there," she said into his chest while her shoulders shook with mirth. She had to use Tom's pocket hanky to wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"At least the little ones are getting some attention," Tom said finally once they had stopped laughing.

"I suppose Cousin Edith wants them to hop to it," Rose said starting to giggle all over again.

They headed back to the drawing room. Thomas Barrow was just pushing the gramophone in from the grand hall and everyone was pairing up to dance. As Tom danced with his wife, the voices in the room faded away as did all the troubles of the estate. Their children were home safe in their beds, there was food on the table and Mary's children were receiving attention, if it was a little offbeat. Tomorrow would bring what it would bring, but for tonight he was content.

Chapter Ten – Appreciation

Saturday morning Tom and Rose had a family announcement with the children and told them they would not be attending their school the following year. Redmond had already known he was moving up to a public grammar school and wouldn't be affected. Bradley was still too young for school but the younger two would most likely join in for a few of the simpler activities. Davin and Sybil had looked at each other with a slightly wrinkled nose.

"Can we still paint pictures if you're our teacher Mummy?" Dylan asked. The only thing he really liked about school was drawing pictures and painting.

"Yes, you'll still have art time," Rose replied.

"OK," Dylan said. He was easy to please and nothing ever really bothered him.

"What's bothering the two of you?" Tom asked directing his question to Davin and Sybil.

"I like to be with my friends," Davin replied sulkily.

"I do as well," Sybil added with a similar expression.

"Most of your friends aren't attending your school next year," Rose said calmly. "The fees are just too high."

"But we'll never see anyone," Sybil groused.

"You'll see George everyday when he joins you for lessons," Rose replied. "You'll all have birthday parties and visit back and forth and you see your dance friends."

"It's not the same," Sybil said slumping down.

"I like school where I am," Davin added with his head down.

"We can't afford it and that's the end of it," Tom said. "You'll still have riding lessons, music and dance which is a lot more than other children have."

"No one else in my class has a list of chores to do on weekend," Davin moped.

"No one in my class does either," Sybil added.

"You two need to appreciate what you have," Tom said. He was starting to get annoyed.

"Not another lecture on how you had to go to work when you were fifteen Daddy," Sybil said rolling her eyes.

"That's it," Tom said banging his hand on the table. "You two get your coats on. You need a lesson or two in appreciation. Change that. Get your riding clothes on. We'll do this by horseback."

"Tom where are you taking them?" Rose asked him in alarm once the children had dispersed.

"I think they should see how some people are living," he said quietly. "There are one or two tenants in cottages that haven't been paid by their employers in months. They can't pay their rent and they aren't doing so well. I was going to take them each a hamper and offer the men jobs on the estate in exchange for rent and a weekly hamper for the summer. I can't offer them much of a wage but at least they'll be able to feed their families. It won't hurt those two to learn a little charity."

"They're not drinkers are they," Rose asked. She had been out with Tom often enough when he was going to see tenants that she knew how dangerous it could be when drinking was involved.

"No, just people who are down on their luck," Tom said. "They'll be fine."

"Right," Tom said when he met Sybil and Davin back in the hallway ten minutes later. He was wearing his riding clothes as well. "We'll saddle my mare, then walk over to the Abbey and get another two mounts. You two are going to see how other people live. Davin you don't remember when you lived in Ireland, but you would be hurting now if you hadn't come here to live with us, and Sybil," Tom shook his head. "You're just lucky I have this job and you've never done without. You need to learn to appreciate what you have. You'll both do your chores when we get back."

Both children were looking down and shuffling their feet. It wasn't long and they were headed down the lane towards the Abbey with Tom leading his mount. He had been out and fed and watered the animal first thing that morning. It didn't take long and they had another two horses saddled. Tom collected some cloth grain sacks and tied them behind his saddle. He rode with the two children to one of the storage areas where there some vegetables left the house and they were using until the fresh vegetables were ready. It was still too early in the year for new potatoes or carrots. He had the children fill three sacks half with potatoes and the other half with carrots. He then went to the game house at the Abbey and selected three pheasants he put into the sacks as well. Another stop added a large packet of mutton to each of the meat sacks.

"Now we go pay a few calls," Tom told them. There were two heavy sacks tied behind each saddle. The first stop took well over half an hour to arrive at. Sybil and Davin were used to dashing around having fun while they rode. They weren't used to heading somewhere at the fairly fast pace Tom was setting to prevent the meat from spoiling. They came to a cottage where their father told them they could get down.

Sybil and Davin could only stare at the boy and girl of about their same age that were clinging to their mother while Daddy offered the man a position working on the estate. The children were thin and were wearing clothes that were so worn in places they could almost be seen through. The amount the father would receive for working each month sounded awfully low. Davin had been bothering his father for a toy airplane since last year that cost more than the man would make in the entire summer. There weren't any toys or things about the cottage that he could see.

"Daddy, they'll be all right won't they?" Davin asked once they were all mounted and headed to the next stop.

"Yes, it's a hard time of year for most. The fresh vegetables aren't ready yet. Now that he has a job on the estate and they'll have food on the table, they'll survive. I'll try to keep most of the people on through next winter if I can."

"But he won't get hardly any money," Davin said.

"The estate can't pay what it doesn't have," Tom replied. "We have food that we grow, for now it's the best we can do."

Sybil wasn't saying much as they headed to the next stop. Her eyes opened wide when two of the children at the house were wearing her old dresses that her mother had put out to the jumble sale rather than pass them to Ella because they had stains on them. The four children at the house were out in the yard. They weren't wearing any shoes and the ground was cold and muddy. Again her father handed over two sacks of food and arranged for the father of the family to work for what sounded like nothing.

"Aren't your feet cold?" Sybil asked one of the girls who had come over to pet Sybil's horse. She was a year or two younger than Sybil.

"Aye," she replied. "What's your 'orses name?"

"Starlight," Sybil replied. "Because she has a star on her forehead. Where are your shoes?"

"Don't got none," the girl replied.

When they were leaving the girl ran to the stone fence in front of the cottage.

"Bye," she called and waved. Sybil looked back and waved.

"Daddy why don't those children have shoes?" Sybil asked.

"They're probably saving them so they last. Their parents most likely buy them shoes once a year so they'll have them for school and church. They might have grown out of them already. There could be other reasons," Tom said.

"Did you have shoes when you were little?" Sybil asked.

"I did most of the time until I grew taller than my brother, then only sometimes," Tom replied.

"Oh," Sybil said.

The third stop was no better than the first two. The children and parents were obviously malnourished but they were clean and tidy and the yard was kept. A garden had been planted but little was up yet. The children took Sybil and Davin to see their vegetable garden while their parents were talking.

"Those are the tatties," the boy pointed out. "These are going to be peas and that's carrots. Over there, them poles for beans. Do you have a garden?"

"We do at our house but it's not this big," Davin replied.

"Our Daddy brings food from the farm," Sybil said.

"Caw, you're lucky," the boy said. "We ran out of tatties before Easter."

Sybil and Davin both didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," Sybil said finally. "Our Daddy brought you some in a bag today. There's a pheasant and some mutton too."

"I love mutton but we hardly ever have it," the boy replied. "Let's see who can throw a rock the furthest."

The two boys amused themselves until Tom collected Davin and Sybil.

"I'll never complain about eating mutton again," Sybil said while they were on the way back to the stables.

"I don't think I'll ever ask for a toy again, either," Davin told her.

"Daddy, why can't you do more for those families," Sybil asked when they were walking back to their house from the stables.

"I do as much as I can, Sybil. On some estates people fear the Agent because he brings bad news. Your grandfather and I don't believe it should be like that. We do things on this estate differently," Tom said.

Neither of the children said anything else as they walked home. They went off to do their chores as soon as they got in the house.

"How did it go?" Rose asked.

"I think it was an eye opening experience for the pair of them," Tom said.

Later that evening Sybil had a stack of out grown shoes sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"What are you doing with those," Rose asked her.

"I want to give them to the children we met today," Sybil said.

"We have to go through them. Some will go to your younger brothers and some of your things will go to Ella or Elizabeth," Rose told her.

"They have shoes. I met a girl today that didn't have any," Sybil said.

"We'll go through them and then you may pick a pair to give her," Rose said.

"She had a little sister and two younger brothers," Sybil said sadly. "They didn't have any either."

Rose nodded then sat with Sybil to sort out the shoes. When they were done there were five pairs that Rose thought could go. When Sybil told her father what she wanted to do with the shoes he shook his head.

"Their parents will see it as charity. They won't accept them," he said. "It's good of you to want to help others, but it will hurt their feelings."

"Please Daddy. I can't sleep if I think of them walking in mud without any shoes," Sybil pleaded.

"Alright," Tom said with a sigh. "You can put them in a box and leave them on their door stop tomorrow after church."

"Thank you, Daddy," Sybil said hugging her father.

The next morning Sybil had added a doll to the box of shoes and a picture book. Tom didn't think it could hurt as there were enough dolls in the day nursery for six girls with all the dolls, books and toys his children had received as gifts over the years.

"I think we'll leave church to next week," he said to Rose. They had cut down on going to church to once every five or six weeks since it was too far to the Catholic Church not to take the car. "I'll take Sybil on her mission instead. Hopefully, we'll arrive while they're at the church here in the village."

Tom put the items into his saddle bags once his horse was saddled then gave Sybil a hand up on to the horse behind him. Tom took a round about way so they wouldn't meet the family on their way into the village. Sybil put her stack of items neatly at the door then quickly ran back to her father to be pulled back up behind him. She looked back at the cottage as they rode away. She thought she saw a curtain flutter but it hadn't looked like anyone was home. She felt better. _"It wasn't charity. It was a fairy leaving things at the door like the tooth fairy did when you lost a tooth."_ she thought. "_Going to school at home next year wouldn't be so bad and she would be old enough for Grammar school in another few years. She really didn't like the lady who taught the next class up from hers that Davin had this year anyway. It wouldn't be so bad at all."_

It was two weeks later that Sybil spotted the girl she had left the shoes and doll for in the village with her mother and sister. Both girls were still wearing the dresses that had been Sybil's. She recognized the shoes on their feet as the ones she had left and the younger girl was carrying the doll under her arm. Sybil had Garret, Bradley and Dylan with her and was just walking them back from the playground.

"Your Miss Sybil aren't you, Lady Sybil's daughter?" the mother asked her as she approached.

"That's right," Sybil said. "These are my brothers Dylan, Bradley and Garret. My mother was Lady Sybil, but she died."

"Bless you, dear. You're just like your departed mother," the woman said to her smiling at her.

"I don't know. I've only seen a picture," Sybil replied.

"There's a doll like that in our day nursery," Bradley said to the girl. "My sister has all kinds but she doesn't play with them much anymore. I like cars better."

"Me too," Garret added.

"The fairies brought it," the little girl said.

"We had best get home," Sybil said. "Mummy said not to be too long."

"Goodbye, Miss Sybil. Thank you," the woman said.

"Bye Miss Sybil," the one girl said. The other one made her doll's hand wave.

"Goodbye," Sybil replied.

"What was she thanking you for?" Dylan asked.

"No reason," Sybil replied while trying to hide a smile.

Chapter 11 – Aristocrats to the Bitter End

"You've done very well with your studies, Cousin George," Rose said to the little boy when he had finished everything she had assigned for the year. "You may have the rest of the summer off until we begin class in September."

"Will Davin and Sybil be off soon as well?" George inquired.

"Tomorrow will be their last day. Then you may all get together to play as much as you like."

"Hello Mama, Cousin Rose says I am done for the summer," George said to his mother as she entered the morning room.

"Then you may go outside and play," Mary told her son.

"How did he do really?" Mary asked once George had run off to investigate the gardens.

"Quite well really considering the disruption to his year," Rose replied. "Average level in spelling and math. Above average in reading and retention and slightly above average in history."

"Not up to Anthony's standards then," Mary replied with a slight sigh.

"Mary, average to above average is quite good considering George's world has been turned upside down over the school year," Rose said. "How are you doing?"

"Getting along slowly," Mary replied honestly. "There is just so much to learn with doing for myself and the children. No one here has really dealt with young children one on one before. We were raised with nannies and I've been doing things the same way."

"Children are amazingly resilient," Rose commented. "I've been retched on, wet on and to my horror pooped on over the years and I've survived and so have the children."

"You make it all sound terribly unromantic," Mary said.

"Motherhood has it's rewards as well as you know," Rose replied.

"Papa says we may loose the footman and another maid," Mary said. "I don't know what we're going to do."

"Solider on," Rose said. "We have eight people with only one housekeeper under one roof. You have seven and most of you are adults. You can manage, do a little more all the time and eventually you'll be able to do more and more of the things you took for granted."

"I'm feeling overwhelmed just making a few beds and keeping my room and the children's tidy," Mary said.

"You're having a bit of a crash course," Rose said sympathetically. "It's taken me years to get organized to the point I am now and learn to do as much as I have. I don't want to alarm you but you need to prepare yourself for someday being completely without servants as a possibility. I myself am trying to prepare myself and the children for that possibility although I hope it won't come to that. Tom and I had discussed at one time possibly going with no help and just having someone come in one or two days a week."

"None!" Mary squeaked in alarm.

"I know it's frightening. It is to me too. We've been trying to prepare the children and their father has always insisted they learn some practical skills. At first I thought it was a bit too much but now I'm glad the can change the sheets on their beds and set the table. Even the youngest two take laundry down to the laundry room and carry the sheets back up when they're dry and pressed. They help out a bit. The elder four all do a bit of cooking and the eldest three can cook almost as well as I do, although that isn't saying much."

"It certainly is more than I can do," Mary said. "I've always prided myself on being so practical, but now… I feel so lost."

"How are you making out with the children?"

"Edith is helping out a great deal," Mary said. "She's managed to get Edward to stop piddling everywhere."

"I saw the bunny powder room," Rose said. She couldn't help a small laugh.

"It is funny now, but we were so desperate at the time," Mary replied. "It is working. We had to do every powder room in the house. Meal times are difficult but we're all working a bit on the table manners."

"You know the level Redmond and Davin were at when they arrived. Now you would never know they haven't been sitting to a formal table for their entire lives."

"We do have some skills we can pass on," Mary said.

'The housekeeper asked if Davin and Redmond would beat the rugs for her the other day," Rose said with a smile. "They didn't want to do it until I sent them out with cricket bats and told them it would improve their swing."

"Did it work?" Mary asked incredulously.

"I don't know if it improved their swing or not but there wasn't a dot of dust left in either rug when they were done," Rose said with a chuckle.

"Do you happen to have a set of out grown cricket whites?" Mary asked. "George wants to play so badly this year. After loosing his school it's the least I could do for him."

"We most likely do," Rose replied. "I'll have Davin try his on from last year and let you know. We should have a day when we get together with Redmond, Davin, Sybil, George and Dylan and have them practice their conversation skills. I won't make them start conversations with walls and chairs like I was made to do."

"My training was rose bushes. Not quite as demeaning as walls but equally as awkward," Mary replied. "There is no reason for them not to receive the same type of training as we had even if our circumstances are diminished."

"My feelings exactly," Rose replied.

-0-

Tom quickly found out that for all Mary was struggling with the changes in her life due to finances, she was general when it came to the formal education of her son and his own children. He had thought his children's table manners were good under Rose's tutelage but now with Mary thrown in the mix, Edith, Cora and Rosamund as well their manners, conversation skills, how to enter a room, sit, stand and even applaud at a cricket match was now being polished.

"Rose is all this necessary," Tom complained when Dylan had corrected his father on how he was holding his knife.

"We've undertaken formal training as a group project," Rose said. "You know I want the children to have every opportunity. They'll be able to mix with any dignitary when they're older without the least problem. Whatever they choose later in life they won't struggle."

"What's wrong with Sybil?" Kieran asked Tom half way through the summer. "I saw her earlier today. She sounded like she had a pole up her arse."

"Lady Mary has decided to take part in my children's formal education and Rose is right in the thick of things," Tom said with a disgusted sigh. "I came home the other day and there they were, Rose, Lady Rosamund and Mary in the drawing room with all of mine and two of Mary's. They had each one starting a conversation in turn, then ending it while politely telling someone off. The only reason little Edward was spared was because he can barely speak."

Kieran couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you going to put up with it?" he asked.

"You know for all it sounds ridiculous, to be able to handle a conversation at any level and think fast enough to do it is a good skill," Tom replied. "It's one I've wished for more than once since I became the estate agent. Don't get me wrong. I can tell someone off when need be, but they make an art of it."

"Don't let them get too far from our side," Kieran said.

"I won't there's still enough of me in there, they can't train it all out of them," Tom replied with a grin. "You look like you're a bit busier."

"A bit," Kieran replied. "People were holding off on maintenance over the winter trying to stretch things out. Now the weather is better and they're moving around more business is starting to pick up at least enough for a few hours a day. Johnny's picked up a couple contracts for scrapers and the like. We're both doing so, so. How's things with the farm?"

"Hard to tell," Tom replied. "We won't really know until harvest if things will pick up again or how we'll do. It will all depend on prices. I tell you though, that Michael Gregson is a Trojan. He's not adverse to knocking on doors and lighting a fire under people. He's got the idea a brewery might be just the thing the estate needs."

"A brewery? Here?" Kieran asked in puzzlement.

"It seems for all things are down the pubs are still doing a brisk trade. Gregson is of the opinion give the people what they want."

"Smart man," Kieran said.

"Keep it under your hat," Tom said. "We haven't broached the topic with Lord Grantham yet. He'll probably go through the roof. Michael wants to see if we can attract a pickle works to these parts as well."

"Odd combination," Kieran replied.

"Apparently the shops in London and the other cities are snapping up pickles and they're cheap to produce. I don't know all the details. I have sheep to see to, crops to tend and men to supervise, never mind my biggest problem tenant who runs the local garage," Tom said to get under his brother's skin.

"I could give you real problems if you like," Kieran replied good-naturedly.

"Thank you, but no," Tom said with a slight grin.

-0-

Summer was coming to a close and the children would all soon be back at school. Lord Grantham called a family meeting in late August. Anthony had been at the Abbey most weekends and had been quite a bit quieter this last while. Tom had actually been glad of his presence when George and three of Tom's sons had wanted to practice cricket. Tom had very little skill at the game. Often when Anthony was down he and Michael would wind up out on the grounds coaching the boys in the finer points of the game. Anthony had mentioned on one occasion it was more time than he had ever spent with his own father who had traveled abroad for most of Anthony's childhood only seeing his son a few times a year.

Tom and Rose's three eldest organized a game with the younger ones while the adults sat as a group on the lawn furniture under the shade of a large tree. Tom had a pretty good idea of what was coming but hadn't discussed it with anyone as it was Lord Grantham's decision that was setting the course of things at the house.

"I've asked everyone to come today so we can talk over our living arrangements for the winter and make some plans," Robert began. "Let me just say first the land is secure as is the house. No one will be without a home, but we need to make some changes."

There were quite a few worried looks.

"What kind of changes, Papa," Edith questioned.

"The biggest change is the staff here at the house will be cut to a butler and a cook only," Robert replied sadly. "We will have day staff come in two days a week for the laundry and heavier cleaning."

All of the women except Cora gasped who had known about the cuts for most of the week.

"Is the estate really doing that poorly?" Rosamund inquired.

"Not too poorly Rosamund. It's doing quite well for the economic times we live in," her brother replied. "Thanks to Michael's marketing efforts the estate farm is managing quite well."

"There will be a small amount of profit this year," Tom commented. "It will all need to be reinvested in the estate and the priority at the moment is to keep as many men working through the winter as we can."

"To that end," Robert added. "Live in staff has the added expense of room and board, including the cost of heating their quarters and a host of other things. It has always been my desire for the Abbey to be a major employer. The house can no longer afford live in staff, it is simply much better if employees supply their own lodging and come in only through the day and I have put Michael on the payroll as he is working diligently for the benefit of this family and estate."

"What does this mean for all of us?" Mary asked worriedly.

"It means we'll have to each assume duties around the house, Mary dear," Cora said. "We are going to have to create a schedule and stick to it for who is taking care of the children, who will prepare the meals on the cook's day off and a host of other jobs around the house that need to be done on a fairly regular basis. As well we will cut back on entertaining to one dinner or the occasional weekend party per month."

"Oh my," Mary said.

"We've had some other news," Cora said. "Mrs. Patmore has decided to take retirement and is going to her sister's. We'll have to hire a new cook. It will leave Mr. Barrow as the only live in staff member. We wanted you all to know about the changes and have a chance to make new plans if you need to."

"Mary and the children need to stay here," Anthony said. "The hotel isn't seeing the business I would like and we simply can't afford to take up rooms I've set aside for that purpose. George doesn't have a school at my estate nor can we afford a tutor or a proper boy's school at the moment. In a year or two once the hotel is doing better we may be able to move over, but for now. Mary and the children are better off here." He reached over and took Mary's hand. Mary looked grieved at airing their dirty laundry but it was family and the family deserved the truth.

"Edith and I are staying put," Michael said. "We'll make do, won't we dearest?"

"Of course we will," Edith said. "As long as we're together."

"Tom and I have been talking things over," Rose said. "We thought we might try it here at the Abbey for a while. The children are all getting bigger and the house is simply bursting at the seams. We've had more than one disagreement over who's room is who's this summer. Even with Tom's office moved up to one of former servant rooms the house is still rather tight."

"We'd be happy to have you Rose," Cora said. "Are you sure a house full of adults who really have no idea what they're doing won't be too much of a burden?"

"I don't think so Cousin Cora," Rose replied. "Well bring our housekeeper along with us at our own expense. I can teach the children here. It will mean less going back and forth. Tom is using the horse to get around more and more. It would cut down on his work load a bit to have access to the stables instead of taking care of the horse himself."

"If it doesn't work out we can always move to one of the larger homes on the estate," Tom said. "We both felt it would cut down on Rose's work load to be here. If she gets called in to the village school there are enough here who can see to the children's lessons for a day or two."

"We'll be glad to have you," Lord Grantham said. "There's nothing like a house full of children to give life to the place."

"You might change your tune when they all start practicing their instruments at once," Tom said. "You might send us packing."

"I hardly think it can be that bad," Lord Grantham replied.

-0-

"It's sad to see the place go and be let out to tenants," Rose said as they left Clairehome House for the last time. The furniture had all been moved to the attics at the Abbey including the electric washing machine that had now taken up residence in the laundry room at the Abbey to make laundry days easier with two machines instead of one.

"It was a good home," Tom replied, "but we've outgrown it."

"You were so unhappy at the Abbey before, I'm still not totally convinced this is a good idea," Rose said.

"Things have changed," Tom said. "The house has changed, the family and us. It's a different time. Kieran is in the village and I can visit whenever I like. The Abbey doesn't seem so bad now. Besides, we'll be able to save a bit staying there, maybe we can get away to the shore next summer for a few days or up to Scotland. You're always saying how much you'd like to visit."

"A visit would be nice," Rose said. "I'd like the children to see the place I was raised. I'd like them to pay a visit to Ireland as well."

"Maybe someday," Tom replied with a grin. "We'd better get a move on. Goodness knows what Edith and Mary are going to decided is _fun _for the children next."

"Tom, the cake decorated to look like a cricket pitch was adorable for George's birthday," Rose chided him.

"Until they cut the cake and lopped the head off of a player that looked amazingly like me," he replied with a chuckle.

"Just be thankful I didn't bake it," Rose said with a smile as they hurried up to get to their new home for the foreseeable future.

Chapter 12 – Maybe Not Such a Good Idea

"I think not," Rose said reaching over to remove a flute from Elizabeth's hands she was running through the drawing room.

"She just wants to play with it," Mary defended.

"It's not a toy," Rose said slightly annoyed. She went to the door and spotted Sybil, Davin and George up on the landing busily chatting away.

"Who's flute is this?" Rose called to them.

"Mine," Sybil said. She came down stairs to get it.

"Did you put this away in your room like I asked you to do last time?" Rose asked her.

"Yes, Mummy," Sybil said.

"You had best start locking your room and put the key up high," Rose said. "I'll come and pick a help you pick a spot for the key."

While Rose's own children weren't a paragon of virtue by any means Mary's little girl had a destructive streak that wasn't sitting too well with Rose or any of her children especially Sybil. Sybil had brought two of her favorite dolls with her to the house to keep in her room when the others were packed into storage. Elizabeth had managed to sneak one out of Sybil's room and pulled the arm off it. Sybil had cried for a week until Tom had taken it to a shop in Ripon to be repaired. Elizabeth had gotten a hold of Redmond's violin as well and popped a string on it. Mary had been rather blasé about the whole business while Rose found it highly annoying.

Rose's children argued among themselves at times and things weren't perfect but they did respect each other's belongings and were punished when they lipped their parents or did something deliberately naughty. Discipline was part of being a parent and it seemed to be a part Mary and Anthony when he was in attendance preferred to ignore. George was well behaved but had also been raised partly at the Abbey and had two years of a boy's school where rules and discipline were strictly imposed. It was coming on Christmas in another three weeks. Things had gotten to the point where Bradley and Garret were refusing to play in the day nursery with Elizabeth and Edward most days and pleaded with Tom to be allowed to accompany him.

"Tom, I don't know what to do," Rose complained to him one evening. Mary's younger two are so naughty their making our children miserable. I've had the eldest four start locking their rooms. Bradley has been spending more and more time with the children while their doing lessons and Garret is forever following tagging after you."

"Can't you talk to Mary about it," Tom said trying to worm out of the uncomfortable situation of confronting Mary and Anthony about their lack of discipline.

"No, and if I did say anything it would have to come from the both of us. Mary sees them doing things wrong and pays no attention. Her two have practically destroyed the day nursery here at the house and she doesn't pay it the slightest attention."

"I don't know, love. We spend most evenings in our own sitting room as it is and George usually joins our family," Tom replied with a sigh. "I don't think there is much we can do except give our children their own rules. Mary needs to decide the rules for her children. If she wants to let the pair of them be raised as spoiled brats it isn't really our affair."

"She doesn't have a realistic idea of what to expect and has no experience to base things on," Rose said. "She's much to strict with Edward at the table. He's just coming on three. Eating with a spoon nicely and sitting up to the table with a napkin is about where he should be. At that age ours were attempting to butter their toast for themselves and to use a knife and fork once their meat was cut for them. She thinks he should be doing it all perfectly. Then she turns around and doesn't even put him in the corner when he sticks out his tongue at someone or plays with the antiques in the great hall."

"We could try letting her know where our children were in table manners at that age," Tom said. "Otherwise we had best stay out of it."

Rose could feel things coming to a head. She had allowed Elizabeth, Garret and Bradley to join the others for art time. She set the younger ones up with some crayons and scrap paper to draw pictures. There were some books on simple drawing and painting she had found in the library and had each of the older children drawing a scene on a piece of card stock they would color with water colors and fold into a Christmas card. Rose thought things were going well. Her four students were drawing pictures of bells and holly with varying levels of complexity depending on their age and artistic ability.

She turned suddenly when she heard paper being ripped and caught Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye tearing Dylan's card deliberately. This was Dylan's second time working on his card and he had put a lot of work into it, as art was his favorite subject.

"You're mean," Dylan exclaimed raising his voice at Elizabeth.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

"Elizabeth ripped my picture," Dylan said angrily.

"Elizabeth is this true?" Rose asked. She knew it was but wanted to see what the little girl would say.

"No," Elizabeth lied.

All of Rose's children got a shocked look on their faces. Lying was a something considered very naughty by their parents and was punished right away.

"Elizabeth that is a lie," Rose said calmly. "I saw you do it."

"I just wanted to see," Elizabeth said. She went right back to coloring her own picture as though she hadn't done anything wrong."

"The next time you want to see someone's work, you ask politely, May I see your picture," Rose said. "You know better. Now you need to apologize to Dylan."

"No, I don't," Elizabeth said ignoring Rose.

"You have behaved very badly and not in keeping with the rules of the classroom," Rose said

The little girl was in for a shock when Rose removed her paper and crayons from her then quickly took her by the hand and had her out of her chair in a few seconds. Elizabeth started to fight and squirm against Rose.

"Stop it, Elizabeth. You will stand in the corner for five minutes. At the end of that time I expect you to apologize to Dylan for tearing his picture and the class for telling a lie."

Rose delivered the little girl to the corner. Elizabeth immediately pulled away with a giggle and made to go back to the drawing things.

"No, Elizabeth," Rose said firmly. "You will stand in the corner."

After defying Rose at least seven times, the little girl finally stood in the corner for the allotted five minutes. She was still defiant but she did take her punishment. At the end of the five minutes, Rose had her make her apologies. The child stuck her tongue out at Rose's back once she was finished with her, but Rose decided to ignore it.

Elizabeth ran to her mother later that day and made a great show of crying against her because Cousin Rose had been so terribly mean to her when she was drawing and wouldn't let her finish her picture. Mary immediately challenged Rose when Rose went down to join the other women in the drawing room once lessons were finished for the day.

"Mary you know that is a lie," Rose replied. She was feeling more than a little irritated with Mary's defense of her daughter. "Elizabeth deliberately ripped Dylan's picture and she told a lie when asked about it. I saw her do it. There was no question of her guilt. She stood in the corner for five minutes. When she had apologized for her actions and to the class for telling a fib, she was allowed to go back to her drawing. The rules and punishment was no different than anyone else in the room would have received for the same actions."

"You shouldn't have made her stand in the corner without consulting me," Mary said.

"Mary, if you wish your daughter to continue to attend any of the instruction the others are receiving you will have to accept that while the children are under my supervision they are also subject to my rules," Rose said. "Lying is not an acceptable behavior to me and it shouldn't be to you. Standing in the corner more often wouldn't hurt your daughter one bit."

"That is for me to decide," Mary said imperiously.

"Perhaps you should decided to enforce discipline with your younger two more often," Rose retorted. She'd had enough of the naughty behavior. "Let Edward alone at the table and actually do something about your daughter and son telling lies and destroying everything they get their hands on."

The other women in the room had their mouths open at the exchange that was going on between Rose and Mary.

"You have no understanding. My children have lost everything this last while," Mary said. "I'm not going to punish them."

"And you've lost whatever sense you had when it comes to raising children," Rose retorted.

"Rose, Mary," Cora exclaimed. "Stop this at once."

"I'm sorry Cousin Cora, Cousin Mary," Rose said recovering quickly. "I meant to say children need structure and rules appropriate for their age. Breaking the rules has consequences as it does for adults. It is up to you, Mary to decide on those consequences, but when the children are in my classroom it is up to me to make those rules and give out the punishments when I feel it is necessary."

"Apology accepted," Mary said stiffly. "I will consider what you have said."

"If you will all excuse me," Rose said. "I will go and do some marking I wanted to have done before the children's lessons tomorrow. Riding will be first on the schedule for George tomorrow morning, Mary followed by a piano lesson with Edith."

Mary inclined her head in acknowledgement before Rose left the room. Rose went to find her own children and take everyone out for a walk to meet Redmond at the bus. She needed some space from the Abbey for a while. She found her own children with George and Edward standing around the table in the kitchen peeling potatoes or cutting vegetables with Mrs. Blackwell. The smaller children were sitting on stools each with a peeler attempting to peel a potato. Rose went over and took Edward's hands in hers and guided him through the awkward motions until his potato was peeled.

"You look tired, milady. Would you like a cup of tea?" Mrs. Blackwell offered. She was doing the cooking two days a week at the moment, then housecleaning the wing Tom and Rose were occupying the rest of the week plus some other jobs she and Mr. Barrow had agreed upon.

"Yes, I would thank you, Mrs. Blackwell," Rose replied tiredly. "How are you finding things here at the Abbey?"

"Everything is bigger than at Clairehome House," Mrs. Blackwell replied. "There was always something to pick up at the last house with all the children constantly in the drawing room or the dining room, here it seems there is always something to dust."

"The house isn't too much for you I hope," Rose said.

"No milady, Mr. Barrow has things arranged on a schedule and there is a cleaning crew in two days a week for the heavier work."

"That's good. As long as you're satisfied with the situation." She continued to watch the children as they worked on the vegetables while she drank a cup of tea.

"I'm going for a walk to meet Redmond. Would anyone like to join me?" Rose said as she finished her tea.

"Mrs. Blackwell is going to show us how to make a chicken pie," Davin said.

"A chicken pie is definitely more interesting than a walk to meet your brother," Rose said with a slight smile. "I'll see you all when I get back in a bit."

"Bye, Mummy," her children all said distractedly as they were watching Mrs. Blackwell cut up the chicken to go into the skillet to be browned.

Rose set off towards the village with Isis and Mogana wadding behind her. Both dogs were getting a bit long in the tooth, but they were still ready for a walk at a moments notice. She met Redmond about half way as he was walking towards the house along the lane.

"Did you have a nice day at school?" Rose asked him.

"It was quite nice," he replied. "I only got one wrong on my math test."

"You did very well," Rose said. "How many questions were there?"

"Thirty," Redmond replied. "You look tired, Mummy."

"Do I?" Rose replied. "Perhaps I am. Do you miss our old house?"

"Sometimes, but I like having my own bedroom and I like the stables and the big lawn to play on," Redmond replied thoughtfully. "I wish Great Aunt Violet were here though. She would have made Elizabeth and Edward mind."

Rose chuckled slightly.

"Do you think so?" she asked.

"She made Sybil, Davin and I mind and she wouldn't take no for an answer," Redmond replied seriously. His face was so much like his father's it was an almost uncanny resemblance right down to his reddish hair and freckles considering he was a cousin by blood. In a few years he would most likely look even more like Tom.

"You're right, she wouldn't," Rose replied. "You were never naughty very often though when you were younger."

"I was once. I let Morgana in when she was muddy," Redmond said.

"That was a very long time ago. I'm surprised you remember it."

"I've never done it again," Redmond replied.

"No, you never have," Rose said with a slight smile.

-0-

Rose told Tom about the run in she'd had with Mary earlier in the day just before dinner when he got home.

"You have to keep some level of discipline in the classroom," he agreed with her. "If the children can't abide with the rules of no lying and not ruining each other's work they shouldn't be there."

"I shouldn't have lost my temper and told Mary exactly what I think of her parenting," Rose said.

"Rose, there are all kinds in Mary's crowd who leave their children to nanny's or their grandparents and barely see their children. You've said so often enough yourself. You know how hard it is to discipline our own children and they are relatively well behaved. In Mary's eyes she is spending more time with her children then she could have ever dreamed of. I don't know how to give her parenting advice and I wouldn't suppose her mother would have ever dealt with similar issues either. They simply don't know what they're doing and I have a feeling Mary was just like Elizabeth when she was young from the few things I remember Sybil mentioning about her childhood."

"Today is the first day I feel like moving here instead of a larger house wasn't such a good idea," Rose said.

"The children are happy enough here in the evenings," Tom said. "I've been taking Bradley and Garret out with me more and they have their days over at Kieran and Liz's. Maybe we'll have a word with Lord and Lady Grantham. I'll leave you to do the talking though. You're better at saying things without coming right out and saying it." Tom went to wash his face and straighten his tie. "Where is everyone it's almost time for dinner?"

"Redmond and Davin were helping set the table. Sybil was playing music teacher again with Bradley and Garret and I don't know where Dylan has gotten off to," Rose replied.

"Best look around and collect everyone for dinner then," Tom said.


	13. Facing Change Part IV

Facing Change – Part IV – Chapters 13 to 16

_Hi All: This section took quite a while to research some of the different points. Punishment in the boys schools was fairly brutal in this time period. I looked up the entry age for the real Eton and most boys started there at 13. Also saw a documentary on Queen Elizabeth. Hard to believe but she was actually educated by her grandmother who didn't approve of the novels the Queen's mother had selected for her. It is easy in this day and age to forget how hard it was for women to be educated at the time in more serious subjects. Some wanted an education, others didn't and many people resisted the change and uncertainty that was thrust upon them in the early part of the great depression. We think of how hard people had it who were poor, but how hard was it to go from having every whim catered to, to having to do for yourself. In S3 Mary and Robert resist change, but he accepts it in the end. Did Mary? Maybe we'll find out in S4. Meantime have fun with it!_

Chapter 13 – The Truth

Tom and Rose never had a chance to speak to Lord and Lady Grantham about setting up house wide rules to deal with fibbing. Lord Grantham tapped at the door of their sitting room shortly after dinner. Redmond was at a table in the corner doing his homework, while most of the others were sitting in a group on the floor playing a board game and Garret was on his father's knee listening to a story.

"Cousin Robert, I'm surprised to see you this evening," Rose said as she answered the door.

"I've come on a rather serious matter," Robert Crawley said. "One of the snuff boxes in my private collection has been broken and I've been told Dylan was seen coming from my dressing room."

"Oh no," Rose said in shock. "I'm terribly sorry." She turned to the children in the room. "Dylan did you go into Cousin Robert's dressing room?"

"No, I've never been in his dressing room," Dylan replied.

"Are you fibbing, Dylan?" Robert asked. "A very precious object has been broken and I was told you were seen coming from my dressing room just before dinner."

"I wasn't in your dressing room," Dylan said again.

"Where were you before dinner, son? You weren't about when I got home?" Tom inquired.

"I went back to the classroom before dinner to work on my picture. My first one was ruined and I wanted to work on my new one," Dylan said.

"Lying is a very serious matter," Robert said sternly.

"I'm not lying," Dylan said just as seriously.

"Wait Cousin Robert before you decide on Dylan's guilt. Who saw Dylan?" Rose inquired.

"I'd rather not say," Robert replied.

"I think we have the right to know who is accusing our son of damaging a piece of your property," Tom said. "We've always taught the children not to handle the antiques or objects in the house without asking. They do forget from time to time but for the most part they do ask."

"Mary told me Elizabeth had seen him," Robert responded.

"That stands to reason," Rose said with a frown.

"There is an easy way to find out if Dylan is telling the truth," Tom said. "If he was working on his picture as he claims it will still be in the school room. Come along son. Redmond keep an eye on the others."

"Yes, Daddy," Redmond said.

Tom guided Dylan down the hall to the classroom with Rose and Robert following behind.

"My picture! Where is it?" Dylan exclaimed running over to the table where he had been working. "I left it right here."

"Did you put it in your folder?" Rose asked him.

"No Mummy, I wanted to show you after riding tomorrow how much I did," Dylan said starting to get even more upset.

"We'll just have a look around," Tom said.

Rose looked through the art folder where she kept the children's work and on the other table where there were some pictures left out from earlier in the day. After a few minutes Tom stooped down and picked something out from between the wood that had been put to the side of the hearth for the fire tomorrow morning. Tom uncurled the wad of paper to find a partially drawn picture of a bunch of holly.

"Is this your picture, son?" Tom asked.

Dylan looked at his ruined picture and started to cry.

"My picture," he sniffled.

Robert reached for the picture and looked at it.

"It's a very good picture, Dylan. We'll have Mr. Barrow iron it tomorrow while you're out. Perhaps it can be saved. I'll just take it with me," Robert said seriously.

"You go back with the others now," Tom said. "Tell them it's time to get ready for bed. Mummy and Daddy will be there in a few minutes for a story in the sitting room."

"Don't worry about your picture. Cousin Robert will take care of it," Rose added.

"I'm not in trouble?" Dylan asked Lord Grantham.

"No, you're not in trouble," Robert replied patting him on the shoulder. "The person who ruined your picture is."

After Dylan headed back to the sitting room, Rose, Tom and Robert went out into the hall.

"We were planning to speak to you and Lady Grantham in the morning," Tom said. "There has been some fibbing and certain behaviors going on, that have been overlooked. It's making it very difficult to maintain a steady course with the rules when some children are allowed things others aren't. We don't approve of children telling fibs. We thought perhaps a house rule of no fibbing? If the children are caught they could loose a privilege for a day or two."

"There was a bit of an incident in the class this afternoon when Elizabeth ruined Dylan's first picture. I'm afraid Mary didn't agree with her daughter having to stand in the corner," Rose added.

"I've been overlooking things myself. I thought it best due to the circumstances and disruption we have all been subjected to," Robert replied. "I can't overlook naughty behavior any longer. Falsely accusing someone is a serious issue. As well a valuable antique has been damaged. It can be repaired but it will never be the same."

"We had best go and speak to Cousin Mary," Rose said.

"No, I think I will handle this myself," Robert replied darkly. "If you will excuse me, have a good night."

"I'd like to be a mouse in the corner during that conversation," Rose said to Tom in a low voice as they headed back to supervise getting ready for bed and tooth brushing.

"Times have changed," Tom said. "There was a time I couldn't do anything right around here and Mary could do no wrong."

"She is overwhelmed, Tom. This time there is undeniable proof her child is lying and trying to make trouble. She won't be able to turn a blind eye with her father involved," Rose replied.

-0-

The next morning everyone assembled for breakfast, as was now the custom. Gone were the days of married women staying in bed for breakfast. Tom and Rose didn't let on about anything that had transpired the previous evening. Elizabeth was looking quite pleased with herself and kept glancing sideways at Dylan. He was deliberately ignoring her while he was telling Redmond about the jumps he was going to attempt that morning during riding.

"Cousin Robert, I was planning to bring the children down to the library after luncheon," Rose said. "If we won't be intruding."

"I have guests right after luncheon, but our meeting should be wrapped up by two," Robert replied. "What are you needing in the library?"

"George, why don't you tell your Grandfather what we are studying," Rose suggested.

"We are learning the capitals of Europe, Grandpapa," he said. "The countries are different from before the Great War. We're comparing the maps in the older atlas and the newer one and learning why the boundaries shifted."

"We're making a scrap book of current events about it too from your old newspapers, Grandpapa," Sybil contributed.

"That is a very interesting line of study," Robert commented. "There is an even older atlas in the library. I will show it to you when you all come down for your lesson. It belonged to my Great, Great Grandfather. It's quite old and fragile but if you handle it carefully it will be around for your grandchildren one day, George."

"That would be lovely, Cousin Robert," Rose said.

"We should all get going," Tom said. "Redmond you had best get a move on or you will miss the bus."

"I think I'll come into the village with you this morning," Rose said. "Everyone has riding and music practice this morning. Would you mind checking on Sybil, Davin and Dylan and make sure they're set up with music practice after riding, Edith?"

"Go ahead, don't worry about a thing," Edith replied.

Michael, Tom, Rose and Redmond headed into the village with the two youngest boys and Morgana trotting along behind once Tom had helped Dylan get his tie on properly and their family had cleared their places and stacked the dishes on a tray in the dumb waiter to go down stairs.

"Needed a bit of air?" Tom asked Rose once Redmond was dropped off at the bus stop.

"A change is as good as a rest," Rose commented. "How are the newer business ventures coming Michael?"

"Slowly. We have quite a few good steady orders coming through now since the demand for domestic products has increased and people are knowing a bit more of what to expect. With the older methods of selling products as well as the new the farms in the area are doing a fair trade. As well we've managed to attract three new businesses to the Estate that will be setting up next spring. It will take time but with careful management things will transition from the old ways and they will recover."

"It will take time to even out," Tom added. "As long as there isn't a severe drop in prices again like there was just over a year ago things will get better but not as quickly as some would like, I fear."

"It seems a shame to see the Dower House sitting empty," Rose commented wistfully. "Redmond was talking about Great Aunt Violet yesterday and wishing she were here.

"She did have a way of giving things clarity," Tom commented.

"Don't let this business with Mary's youngest two get you down," Michael said. "The thing about boarding school is they are very big on ethics and telling the truth. Edward will get straightened out when he gets there. I suppose it will depend on whether they choose to send the girl to school or not. I'm finding it hard to understand why Anthony would stand for such nonsense. He was educated the same way."

"Perhaps too much on his plate at once," Rose replied.

"Anthony will deal with things I'm sure when he's down on the weekend this time if Mary hasn't," Tom said. "It's not an easy thing to see your child's faults and take steps to correct them."

"Yes, quite so," Michael replied. "There's the man I've come to see now just getting to his shop. Cheerio!"

Tom and Rose had Garret and Bradley dropped off in a few minutes at his brother's. Tom was working in the village for the morning, visiting the tenants and sorting out any repairs that needed doing.

"You're looking tired, love," Tom said once they were on their own with the dog.

"I'm just worried that we made the wrong move by living at the Abbey," Rose said with a sigh.

"If it's a mistake, it's one we made together," Tom said. "I'm concerned teaching four children on your own is too much for you."

"They're not difficult to deal with," Rose replied. "Really the only difficulty I have had was Elizabeth the other day other than a bit of chattering and catching them once in a while sneaking a novel when they are supposed to be reading about history. Otherwise it isn't that hard. There is a laid out curriculum to follow from the Education Ministry and there are all kinds of extras being provided. I'm more worried about the values the children are learning with so many adults in the mix."

"We can only stick to our own values and make sure the children know them," Tom said. "I do know what you mean. I worry that living at the Abbey is going to give them unrealistic expectations. Every one of them is going to have to go to school and find a job later in life. No one is going to hand them a fancy prep school on a platter or a working estate that pays the bills."

"So what do we do?" Rose said. They had stopped near the village square. She laid her hand on Tom's lapel and looked into his eyes.

"You've made a commitment for this school year to be in charge of George's education. We stay put and see it through. Things are starting to do a bit better than last year on the estate. My pay will increase slightly if things stay as they are," Tom sighed. "We'll pick a different house next spring and move into it. Neither of us really belong in that house anymore." Tom paused and looked into her face. Faint lines were starting to show up around her eyes. Rose was now twenty-nine. It was bound to happen sooner or later. "Why don't we pack up and go to your brother's for a weekend visit," he suggested. "We'll get away for a few days, dance and drink a bit and impose on their nanny," Tom laughed slightly. "We'll do all the naughty things that drive us both crazy when someone else does them and we'll come back refreshed."

"I think that may be just the ticket," Rose replied. "I'll call Victoria when I get back."

"Let's send a cable since were here," Tom pointed out. "No time like the present to make a spontaneous decision."

"Tom, do you have to make calls this morning?" Rose asked him coquettishly.

"No, they could wait until tomorrow. What did you have in mind?"

"A personal tour of your old quarters when you were a chauffeur," Rose replied with a mischievous smile.

"There's no fire. It will be cold," Tom replied with a rakish grin.

"Sneak in the servant's stair to our room then?" Rose asked.

"There is something I always wanted to try in the Renault," Tom said thoughtfully.

"Let's get that cable sent and hurry up," Rose said heading for the post office.

"What's your rush?"

"I have to be back by luncheon and I want to have plenty of time to experiment myself," she said with a laugh.

-0-

"Remind me next time I get any bright ideas about getting randy in the back of an old car that I'm getting too old," Tom said trying to work the kinks out of his back when they headed into the main house just before luncheon.

"You're not too old, just out of practice," Rose replied with a slight laugh. They entered the front door to be greeted by the sound of Edith on the piano with the school aged children plus Edward singing a Christmas song. They finished one song and started another they had sung quiet often with Edith in the past. Edward was now almost three. He was happily singing along with the others. Rose and Tom approached as they finished the last song then all went to wash their hands and face before lunch.

"How did everything go this morning?" Rose asked meaning the music studies.

"I was rather glad everyone was at riding. I could hear Papa and Mary all the way downstairs. I took little Edward down to pat the horses," Edith said in a hushed voice.

"I was enquiring after music time," Rose said quickly. "Anything else isn't our business."

"Oh," Edith replied coloring slightly. "Twenty minutes of scales for everyone, followed by practice of whatever the music teacher had assigned for another twenty minutes. We finished up with a few songs. Nothing too difficult."

"For you," Tom said making a slight grimace. "I can't play a note."

"Then you should have a lesson or two," Edith said.

"Dancing only, thank you," Tom replied. "Where is everyone else?"

"Michael isn't back yet, Cousin Isobel has gone to visit friends, as has Aunt Rosamund. Mama, Papa, Mary and Elizabeth I haven't seen since breakfast," Edith replied.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on everyone," Rose said. "It was nice to have a bit of time to ourselves."

"Helping out with the children's schooling almost makes me think I should go to school for my teaching license," Edith commented. "I quite enjoy working with the children on their lessons."

"Why don't you Edith? It wasn't that difficult and it is a practical skill even if it seems a bit odd for someone with our rank to be teaching school," Rose replied. "More and more women are finding vocations these days."

"I just might," Edith said.

Cora came into the great hall and joined them.

"Mama we were all going to go through for luncheon in a few minutes. The children are just washing their hands," Edith said. Davin, Dylan and Sybil were already back, they were just waiting for George and Edward.

"Robert and I wanted to have a little meeting with the children before luncheon in the library," Cora said. "With their parents in attendance of course."

"Nothing too serious I hope, Lady Grantham," Tom said.

"Not if they have been behaving themselves," Cora said with a faint smile for the children who were there.

George and Edward came to join them as well and everyone headed into the library. Mary and Elizabeth were already there. Rose was hoping they hadn't been too hard on Elizabeth. She had been very naughty but at the same time she was just five. She was certainly old enough to know right from wrong though.

"I wanted you all to know we've set up some rules for the house today for all the children regardless of who your parents are," Lord Grantham said once all the children were seated. He didn't raise his voice or frown, as he didn't want to scare any of the children. "You are all children of noble families and as such you're behavior should reflect your station. To that end there is to be no more fibbing while you live in this house. If someone tells a fib and gets caught they will not be allowed to go to the stables for a week plus whatever additional punishment your parents decide upon."

All of the children gasped. Riding and visiting the horses was one of their favorite pastimes.

"The second rule is that you are not to strike anyone. I know most of you already have that rule. That behavior will no longer be tolerated. You will loose your stable privileges for that as well." Robert paused for effect. "The third rule is that you are not to play with the antiques in the hall, library or any of the other rooms without asking. Many of the things in this house have been here for generations and will be for many more but not if someone takes a notion to break them," Robert said sternly. "The house punishment for touching without asking will be to stand in the corner. If you are caught repeatedly a more severe punishment will be in order, but I would hope you all have good enough manners and common sense to know better."

Everyone nodded their understanding.

"Cousin Robert may we have another rule of not going into someone else's room without asking?" Davin inquired.

"That is a very good rule, Davin," Robert replied. "That will be our fourth rule."

"Does everyone understand the rules?" Cora asked.

She received a course of yeses from the children. Elizabeth wasn't looking too happy but she nodded as well.

"Very well. Time for luncheon," Robert said. "Rose and Tom I trust you will let your other children know the rules."

"Of course, Lord Grantham," Tom replied.

"They headed into the dining room. Mr. Barrow was just bringing the trays up. All of the children with Edith hurried to get the cutlery and napkins on the table. Elizabeth took part but wasn't saying much. When it was time to sit at the table she made a great show of sitting on her chair gingerly. Mary was about to fuss over her when a slight headshake from her mother stopped her in her tracks.

"Is there something wrong with your chair, Elizabeth?" Cora asked calmly.

"No, Grandmamma," she said sliding onto her chair and sitting properly to the table.

"_Quite the actress,"_ Cora thought inside her head. _"Then Mary had a flair for the dramatic as well." _She couldn't help but wonder what her own daughter had gotten up to all those years ago that she had never heard a thing about.

Chapter 14 – Waking Up

"I must take responsibility for not disciplining the children sooner," Anthony admitted when he arrived for the weekend. Rose and Tom had left for the weekend in London. Mary and Anthony were in the drawing with Lord and Lady Grantham going over what had happened and the new house rules. "I've been so preoccupied with finances, I haven't paid the attention I should to the children. I know the discipline level at Eton, as do you Robert. Both George and Edward will be subjected to severe punishments if they misbehave in any way at school if they are able to attend when they turn thirteen."

"Most of the better schools do have very strict punishments," Robert agreed. "I'm sure George was exposed to them at his previous school. I don't consider the punishments here at the house as anything terribly austere. A set of clear house rules was suggested to me and I must say it makes things easier when all parties must abide by them."

"I went in the other room and cried when Papa put Elizabeth over his knee," Mary said sadly.

"There were no belts or switches involved, Mary," her father said sternly. "Just a few good swats."

"I know it was difficult Mary. I never witnessed any punishment your nanny's and governesses meted out," Cora sympathized. "I'm almost wishing now I had been more involved."

"I'm being silly really," Mary replied. "I had a ruler on the knuckles more than once and a switch taken to my backside a few times."

"As did we all," Anthony said. "It didn't kill us and I must say it won't kill our children either. I do have a spot of good news. We've had a group booking at the hotel for next spring. If it follows through and we get a few more, Mary and the children will be able to move to my estate around Easter."

"What about George's education?" Robert asked immediately. "Will you be able to place him in a school?"

"I'm afraid not yet," Anthony said with a slight sigh. "Things are picking up slightly but not that much."

"Rose is doing a good job of private tutoring. He is learning a good deal of history, mathematics and current events although the curriculum she is sticking to is rather lacking in languages and Latin," Mary commented.

'Latin is a rather useless subject, even if it is part of a classical education," her father commented. "Will you leave George here so we can continue to see to his studies?"

"I was hoping so," Anthony replied.

"I don't know," Mary said worriedly.

"My dear it is no different than sending your son to boarding school," Anthony said. "He will be hear with your parents and continue to receive instruction in riding and music as any gentleman should as well as the core subjects."

"It is only a possibility anyway," Mary replied with a faint smile.

"I was planning to offer to pay George's tuition and expenses for school next year as long as the situation on the estate continues to improve," Robert said. "As my heir it is only fitting."

"Oh, Papa. How wonderful," Mary exclaimed smiling at her father for the first time in almost a week.

"Your mother and I are settling into doing with less," Robert said. "As the future Lord Grantham, George needs to make the connections and form the networks that will help him head the estate in the future."

"Good on you," Anthony said. "I feel the same way with little Edward, although that day is along way off at the moment as are his school days."

"It will come faster than you think. Elizabeth will be school age next year," Cora said. "Robert and I will make George's education happen somehow."

"Thank you, Mama," Mary said rising to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Anthony and I will make some decision about Elizabeth but we have eight months or so to do that."

"Speaking of the children, where are they now?" Anthony inquired.

"With Mrs. Blackwell, the housekeeper," Mary replied. "She said she would keep an eye on them."

-0-

"Milady, did you require something?" Mrs. Blackwell asked when Mary entered the servant's hallway. Mrs. Blackwell was just coming out of the laundry room.

"I wondered about the whereabouts of Lady Elizabeth and Master Edward," Mary replied.

"Through here, milady," Mrs. Blackwell replied. She gestured to the servant's dining area. Thomas Barrow stood up when Mary entered the room.

"Did you need something, Lady Mary?" he asked.

"No, just checking on the children," Mary said.

"Hello, Mama," Edward said. He was seated on one side of the table with Elizabeth on the other. Both children had a blob of salt dough they were forming into shapes. "I made an elephant," Edward said holding up a blob of dough that bore little resemblance to an elephant.

"A very nice elephant," Mary replied. She looked at the shapes Elizabeth was working on as well before she left to go back up stairs.

Thomas Barrow and Mrs. Blackwell nodded coolly to Lady Mary as she left the room. Thomas signaled to Mrs. Blackwell to follow him into the hall for a moment after she had set a timer to remind her to check on the wash she was doing.

"Are you alright on your own with those two," Thomas asked her.

"For the next twenty minutes or so," Mrs. Blackwell said. "Until I have to return to see to the laundry. Thank you for keeping an eye on them. I don't feel right about leaving them alone."

"They're a pair of little devils," Thomas replied. "I had to put them on opposite sides of the table to stop them from mashing each other's projects."

"At least it's keeping them amused," Mrs. Blackwell said. "The boy on his own is easy enough to keep busy, but that little girl." She just shook her head. "Six children and a dog with my employers and I don't have half the grief in a week that one can generate in an hour. I had best get back to them before they get up to something."

"I'll see you back in twenty minutes," Thomas said before he headed to make sure the silver for the dinner with guests for tonight was polished and ready to go.

"I don't care if you don't want to go outside," Mrs. Blackwell informed Elizabeth half an hour later. "You may get your coat on and come outside to hang laundry like your brother or go up and see your mother."

"I want to play with the dough," Elizabeth stated irritably.

"Dough is finished for this afternoon," Mrs. Blackwell informed her. "If you are downstairs tomorrow, you may play with it again. I've put it in a crock on the shelf. You will have to wait."

"Laundry is boring," Elizabeth stated defiantly.

"Take a bit of chalk out and play hop scotch while I hang the laundry," Mrs. Blackwell stated in a way Elizabeth could not argue with.

Mrs. Blackwell shook her head a bit. The little boy was coming around a bit with the new house rules but that girl was just getting sneakier or she would miss her guess. Edward stood beside Mrs. Blackwell and handed her the clothes pegs while she hung out the wash. She had to keep sneaking peeks at Lady Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye to make sure she hadn't run off. The girl scribbled on the cobbles and made a game of jumping from stone to stone but at least she amused herself for the ten minutes or so it took to hang out the wet towels and napkins.

She got the children back in and set them up peeling the potatoes for the dinner as another amusement. Tonight there was a cook in for the dinner party but it made things go easier if she helped a bit with the preparations. Edward was happy enough wrestling with his potato and peeler and had done the job enough times he was getting so he could do it fairly well. Elizabeth promptly made a mess with hers, then threw down the potato and peeler when she couldn't' get it and pouted.

"I can't do it," she griped.

"Then you can help get these beans ready," Mrs. Blackwell said.

She quickly found out that was a mistake as Elizabeth was much more interested in mashing the beans with her fist to see if they would squirt the wall than preparing them for the meal. Edward tried to throw a potato peel at his sister but Mrs. Blackwell caught him just in time. She had never been so happy to see anyone as when she spotted George coming in from the stables.

"Master George, would you mind playing the piano a bit with your sister until your evening meal is ready?" Mrs. Blackwell asked. "You'll be having your dinner downstairs tonight. Lord and Lady Grantham are having guests."

"I will do that. Come along Elizabeth we can play the piano in the servant's hall," George said.

Elizabeth hopped down from her stool and followed her brother out. The cook and Mrs. Blackwell exchanged a look that said thank goodness she's gone. With Elizabeth out of the way and her mess cleaned up Edward was much easier to handle. Singing a few songs while they worked amused the little boy enough that he was no problem at all until his grandfather and father came to collect him to go for a walk on the grounds.

Mrs. Blackwell wiped her hands on a towel when she didn't hear any piano music coming from the servant's hall. She went through to find Master George just heading up the stairs.

"Master George, where is your sister?" she asked.

"Powder room, Mrs. Blackwell. I'm just going to get changed," George replied before he started back up the stairs.

Mrs. Blackwell checked the downstairs powder room to find it empty. She went up and checked the one on the main floor to find it empty as well. She checked the day nursery and the washroom off the little girl's bedroom to find them all empty.

"Lady is a fine title for that little bugger," she grumbled under her breath as she headed to the drawing room to see if she had gone back to her mother.

"I beg your pardon milady," Mrs. Blackwell said after she had knocked and entered the drawing room. Lady Grantham, Ladies Mary, Edith and Rosamund were all there as well as Mrs. Crawley. "Lady Elizabeth was supposed to have gone to the powder room but I can't find her anywhere."

"How long has she been gone?" Cora asked.

"About ten minutes, I think. She was playing piano with Master George in the servants' hall. She left her brother to go to the powder room, but she wasn't there when I checked," Mrs. Blackwell replied.

"Where are the other children?" Mary asked.

"Master George has gone to change and Master Edward went with his father and Lord Grantham," Mrs. Blackwell said worriedly. "I wasn't there all the time. I was in the kitchen. I thought she would be safe enough with her brother playing the piano."

"We'll have a look around for her Mrs. Blackwell, thank you," Mary said.

The women split up and looked around the first floor and the upstairs. Edith returned to get Mary after a few minutes and motioned her to be quiet. They made their way along the hall towards Tom and Rose's rooms. The sound of someone blowing into a flute and making screeching sounds could be heard coming from Sybil's room. A chair had been pushed up to the wall outside the door and the door was slightly ajar with the key in the lock.

Mary pushed the door open to see her daughter sitting in the middle of the bed with Sybil's flute case open. The flute had been put together all crooked and Elizabeth had it to her mouth attempting to blow into it. The moment she saw her mother she tried to hide the flute behind her back.

"Elizabeth what are you doing in Sybil's room," Mary demanded.

"Sybil said I could come in here," Elizabeth retorted.

"Elizabeth, you took the key from the ledge and unlocked the door," Mary replied. "A locked door does not mean someone has invited you into their room. It means you are to keep out."

Edith was frowning at Elizabeth as she reached her hand out for the flute. She took it apart and placed it back into its case, then closed the hasps with a loud snap.

"Sybil said I could," Elizabeth tried again.

"If I telephoned Sybil in London, what would she say?" Mary challenged her daughter. This last week had been a bit of an eye opener. Discipline was hard but things had been a bit easier with her younger two with the rules in place. Edward was behaving quite a bit better already and Elizabeth had been easier to put to bed the last few days.

"She would say I could," Elizabeth stated defiantly.

"We'll just go telephone now," Edith said calling her bluff.

"You can't Aunty Edith, the telephone is broken," Elizabeth lied.

"Now you are being silly," Mary said. She took Elizabeth from the room by the hand. Edith followed locking the door and pocketing the key.

"You've lied and going into someone's room without asking," Mary said. "You will stand in the corner and when you're father gets back we'll see what other punishment you deserve."

"I won't," Elizabeth said jerking away from her mother and kicking her in the shins.

Mary and Edith exchanged a startled look.

"Oh yes you will," Mary said putting her daughter in the corner with a swat on the backside.

Elizabeth was so shocked she began to cry but stood in the corner.

"Well done, Mary," Edith congratulated her quietly so Elizabeth wouldn't hear.

"What do I do next?" Mary whispered back.

"I don't know. If she could write we could have her write a note of apology to Sybil," Edith whispered.

"An apology for fibbing to us might be just the thing," Mary said uncertainly.

"For now that will do," Edith agreed.

Chapter 15 – Making Amends

It turned out Anthony's approval or disapproval was the thing that made the most difference in his daughter's attitude. She had withered under her father's disapproval when he had learned of her sneaking into Sybil's room and then fibbing to her mother. Anthony had placed her front and center in front of her grandfather and had her apologize for breaking the house rules. The next day when he had found her attempting to peck out a simple tune George had showed her on the piano, his praise and interest had set her to asking her Aunt for piano lessons. Elizabeth was practicing daily and asking Edith for help so she could show her father what she had learned when he returned. She had been angry when everyone else in her age group went down to the stables without her during her two-week ban from the stables but she hadn't deliberately destroyed anything in retaliation.

"Why am I always the last hold out?" Mary said to Tom one afternoon. He was working at the house a week before Christmas. "When Matthew and I were first married and Papa had lost everything, I just couldn't let go of the old ways. It seems like history keeps repeating and repeating itself."

"Change is never easy Mary, not for anyone," Tom replied. "I've changed. When I think of the man I was ten years ago, I barely resemble him now."

"There's still some of the old rebel buried in there, I think," Mary replied.

"Some, but a great deal of my idealism has been tempered by time and reality," Tom said. "You're still going to be Lady Gillingham to your dying day and all that comes with the title. It just might not be exactly how you pictured it."

"No, it certainly isn't how I pictured things," Mary agreed. "How do you ever manage six children? I think I had some idyllic picture in my mind of perfect children that always did and said the perfect thing automatically."

"Do any of us say and do the right thing all the time?" Tom asked in return. "I think we're all victims of thinking our child is something they're not. I remember when I had to deal with Sybil's stubbornness the first time. I think it was harder on me than on her. Now I've learned to deal with it. Sybil is stubborn. Redmond is excessively serious. Davin is absent minded. Dylan is spontaneous. He'll drop whatever he's doing and run off if something more interesting comes along. Bradley has the curiosity of a cat. He'll take everything apart if you don't watch him and Garret likes to make noise. They're not perfect. It's the way they are."

"This last few weeks have been a revelation for me," Mary said looking down at her hands in embarrassment.

"You made mistakes, Mary. We all do. Emphasize the good points and find ways to deal with the bad. I told you what I had to admit about my children but they aren't bad things. Being stubborn gives Sybil the strength of mind to argue a point when she knows she's right. Davin does forget to do chores when he's thinking something over, but he's a thoughtful child and kind to the core. Redmond is serious. He studies hard and is at the top of his class. Some day it will pay off in spades. Dylan's spontaneous nature also makes him artistic. He can draw and paint better than some adults and he loves to play music and sing. Bradley's curiosity leads him to find things others overlook. He's forever asking questions. He could probably tell you a few things you don't know about this house. Garret's love of noise has been channeled into music. He's four and a half years old and can play the recorder and violin by ear. His brother's and sister have taught him all sorts of simple tunes."

"At the moment I'm finding it hard to find the positives, at least with Elizabeth and Edward," Mary admitted.

"Edward is a happy boy. He's always singing a tune and he's well behaved at the table," Tom commented. "Elizabeth is a bright girl. She can think up all sorts of naughty things, maybe you need to channel that inventiveness into a more productive route."

"George is my easy one," Mary said.

"When you think about it he'll have his good points and his bad as well," Tom replied. "We all do."

-0-

A few days had gone by since Mary's conversation with Tom. She had taken what he said to heart and was looking at her children in a new way. George was easy going and everyone liked him much as they had Matthew, but at the same time George was a very average boy. Anthony had demanded better marks when he was at school and even now with private tutoring, but George just couldn't deliver. He was learning piano well, but he would never be a great virtuoso. His true ability rested in sport where he excelled. Geogre was doing well socially at the Abbey. He had plenty of social invitations from the boys he had met through Tom and Rose's children and some from her own friends who had children the same age. Edith had a bit of a musical planned for Christmas Eve and all of the children were taking part and George would do his first solo for the family. All in all George was doing well if not brilliantly.

It was her other two who weren't doing so well. Now that the blinders were off she was seeing things in an entirely new light. They had a few social invitations last summer and children of her friends had come to visit for playtime, but they had turned down second invitations and the reciprocal invitations had dried up completely. Tom and Rose's bunch and George all had full calendars over the holidays. Mary was kicking herself. For the last year and four months since Anthony had lost everything she had been so wrapped up in her own problems and all the difficulties she was having she hadn't been paying attention. Things had been better last summer for a bit when she and Rose were working on the children's formal training over the summer but since then things had definitely gotten worse.

Mary went to the day nursery and turned the handle. She stopped in shock when she entered the room. There were crayon scribbles over the walls and the floor was a sea of toys with pages from books that had been ripped out littered among them. The rocking horse from when she was young was missing its bridle and it looked like the table and chairs where from a junk heap rather than part of an aristocratic child's existence. She went in slowly and sat on one of the chairs. It almost pitched her out when she realized the leg was broken. No wonder no one wanted to come and play here. This place that held so many happy memories for her with her sisters and other children who had come to play over the years now resembled a trash heap.

Mary stood up and resolved to do something about it. She went out of the room in search of her children. She found Elizabeth playing in her room. Edward had gone to the classroom and was doing some kind of counting exercise with Rose, Bradley and Garret while the others were working on their mathematics assignments.

"Hello Cousin Mary, what brings you by?" Rose inquired.

"I though Elizabeth and Edward should work on their Christmas surprise for the others," Mary replied.

"I can count to five, Mama," Edward informed her.

"You're doing it very well, Edward," Rose praised. "You may count for your Mama if you like."

Edward pointed to the different piles of pennies on the table and slowly counted. Rose rearranged the pennies and he counted again.

"Very well, done," Mary said quickly. "You'll have something to show Papa when he comes on Friday. Come along now. We need to work on our surprise."

Neither of the children wanted to go in when Mary got them back to the day nursery.

"We're going to make the day nursery nice as a surprise for the others," Mary told them. "Once it's nice we can invite some other children to come over and play. You would like that wouldn't you?"

Both children nodded their heads.

"First thing is we're going to pick up all the toys then sort out what is broken," Mary said.

"Are we in trouble, Mama," Elizabeth asked her. Both she and her brother were looking unhappy.

"No, you're not in trouble. We are taking responsibility for our actions and that includes Mama," Mary replied. "We are all responsible for this mess and we are going to clean it up. You need a place to entertain your friends."

"We don't have any friends," Edward said kicking at an old piece of paper.

"That can be changed," Mary responded. "Now start near the shelves and let's see who can clear a path to the other side of the room first."

-0-

"Whatever are you working on in the day nursery?" Cora asked Mary the next day at luncheon when she hadn't seen Mary, Edward and Elizabeth about much except for meals and when Elizabeth had joined Edith for some piano instruction.

"It's a surprise," Mary replied. "I thought I'd take the car into Ripon this afternoon. Would anyone else like to go?"

Mary's shopping trip that afternoon would be to a used book dealer and another stop at a second hand furniture store to see what she could replace from the items in the nursery. She had the head gardener come in and take the small table and chairs for painting and repair. He had told her the broken chair was beyond repair. When Mary had discovered her youngest sister's favorite book in shreds she had sat down and cried. Inside of what was left of the story book Sybil had neatly printed her name all those years ago. By the end of the first day, Mary had a stack of ruined books to replace, a pile of toys placed in a box to go to the head gardener for repair and a list of jobs that needed doing to make the room presentable again. That morning she'd arranged with Mr. Barrow to have the carpets hovered and the shelves washed. She'd had her own two busy yesterday scrubbing the crayon and pencil off the walls. By the end of it they had both sworn they would never do it again.

It had been a monumental job sorting out the games and determining if all the pieces were still there, but Mary saw it as her penance for neglecting her children's needs. Elizabeth was actually excited about the surprise and even more excited about accompanying her mother to the shops to help pick out new things for the day nursery. Tom had been right about Elizabeth. She was a bright girl and when her energy was channeled into a project that took her interest she jumped in with both feet.

Bradley went to the day nursery the day before Christmas Eve to retrieve a book he wanted. Elizabeth was standing guard at the door and wouldn't let him in.

"You can't come in," Elizabeth told him. "You'll ruin the surprise."

"I just want a different book," Bradley said. Elizabeth was only a few months younger than him, but she was slightly taller.

"No. My Mama said I wasn't to let anyone in. I'll get your book for you."

Bradley looked at her with distrust but finally handed over the book he wanted to change for another one.

"Here," Elizabeth said when she returned with his book. Bradley was trying to peek around her to see what was happening. "No peeking, Bradley." She stamped her foot in determination.

"I just want to see."

"You have to wait for Christmas Eve like everyone else," Elizabeth informed him. She was about to stick out her tongue when she caught herself. "My Mama and I have been working on the surprise all week. It's for everyone."

"Alright," Bradley agreed at last. The class was going down to the kitchen to bake Christmas biscuits in a little while. He was going along but he wasn't about to tell Elizabeth. She would come along and ruin all the fun. He was awfully curious to know what the big secret was, but at the same time he was glad she was busy and not bothering him.

-0-

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve everyone in the house assembled in the drawing room for the children's music recital. Mr. Barrow and Mrs. Blackwell were there standing along the wall. Even the two dogs were in attendance although they were lying in front of the fire place fast asleep. After all the songs, tunes and the sing along were done Elizabeth slowly went to stand in front of the piano for her announcement. She looked to her mother for a reassuring nod and smile before she spoke.

"Everyone is invited to the day nursery for a surprise," she said. "Mama, Edward and I have been working on it all week. I hope you like it. Happy Christmas."

The household filed up the stairs. Some of the children had sour looks on their faces but a tap on the shoulder from their mother or father had them waiting at the door and loosing their ungracious looks quickly. The door to the day nursery had a large green bow stuck to it. Mary had gotten there first and was waiting until they all arrived.

"Welcome everyone to the new day nursery," she said as she opened the door. As the children stepped into the room they couldn't believe their eyes. The room was clean and tidy with all of the toys repaired and cleaned and neatly displayed on the shelves. There were some new toys added as well that Mary had either found second hand or had the gardeners make. The table and chairs had been painted in bright colors and there were now six chairs at the table instead of the four there had been previously. There was a small Christmas tree set up with marzipan fruit and sugar mice and over in the corner was a puppet theatre Mary had found on her shopping trip. In front of the hearth large pillows had been added from what looked suspiciously like some old drapery fabric to Cora and the bookshelves had been restocked. It was a room any child would want to visit.

"You can all invite your friends over to play or for parties through the winter," Mary said. "You have your own space to entertain now."

"Oh Mary, it's lovely," Rose exclaimed. "We'll all be able to come here for reading and game time."

"Would you like to play with the puppets?" Elizabeth asked Bradley and Dylan cautiously.

Both boys agreed and the three of them were soon absorbed going through the basket with the puppets and choosing which ones they wanted to make up a play with.

All eight of the children were busy looking around the nursery and the changes Mary had made. Michael quickly stoked the fire in the hearth so they would have heat for the afternoon.

"This reminds me of when we were young," Edith said to her sister.

"Not quite. I made a few changes," Mary said. "I'm afraid things were in a bit of a state."

"Thank you for the nursery, Cousin Mary," Garret said.

"You're quite welcome, Garret," Mary replied. "You must thank Elizabeth and Edward too. They both worked very hard to make a nice place where you could all play."

Edward was busy showing his father the new counting book from the bookshop they had picked up the other day. The older children had a game out on the table and were getting it set up while the other group was in the corner playing with the new puppet theatre. Mary didn't have any illusions that it was going to take time and a great deal of work on her and Anthony's part for the other children to want to spend time with hers again, but for Christmas 1930, it was a start.

Chapter 16 – After The New Year

The early part of 1931 was a bleak year in Northern England. Factories were closed and the government had cut the dole again. At least one in ten families were barely putting food on the table while for the majority of others getting by had taken on a new meaning of stretching every penny. There wasn't a soul who's life hadn't been touched by the depression. It had become a daily occurrence for at least one or two men to stop by the back door of the Abbey or the stables looking for work in exchange for a meal and a night's lodging. There were a host of outdoor jobs and maintenance on the out buildings getting done by transient workers. A few of the men had asked if they could stay on for work in exchange for room and board in hopes of picking up work on the farms once the spring season got underway. Mr. Barrow had interviewed two men with Lord Grantham's permission and had retained them for filling the wood boxes in the house, cleaning the hearths, washing dishes and floors and a host of other menial jobs previously done by scullery maids. There was no illusion the men would be moving on at some point when a paid position came their way, but for the rest of the winter they were glad of their meals and the roof over their heads.

To Tom it felt as though history were repeating itself over again from a few years before with the general strike and just after the Great War. Men had wandered about hopelessly looking for work wherever they could find it. When he was younger he had blamed the ruling classes who sat and dined in elegant surroundings while others starved. Now there was no one to blame. Things had come to a crashing halt everywhere. Fortunes had been lost and for the average person no one was any better off than the next. Even his brother-in-law James who was the elite of the elite was cutting back even more at his home in London as his law office saw their clientele dwindle as people who had been hanging on by their nails lost everything. The only ray of light for the farm communities was the demand for domestic products. The pound had faltered to the point where buying domestic was a great deal cheaper and made more sense than buying foreign.

Most days Tom couldn't help but worry about his family. He and Rose had managed to hold onto their savings, but with six children to educate their nest egg would quickly get used up. Redmond and Davin were both bright boys destined for university careers if he didn't miss his guess and Sybil wouldn't be far behind. At least they had planned for Sybil's education and they had put aside enough to pay for at least three years of university, four if she really watched every cent she spent. He couldn't help but shake his head a Mary at times. For all she was trying to adapt to the changes going on around her she was still holding on to some of the old ways of the aristocracy.

Just the other day there had been a massive discussion at dinner on whether or not Elizabeth should be allowed to attend school. Mary didn't feel in the least deprived at not having attended school while Rose and Edith both argued the case for providing a decent education to children of both sexes that met or exceeded the government curriculum. Rose usually played the trump card that the royal family was doing it, but this time Mary had won that argument by pointing out the Duke of York's two daughters were not attending school nor were they being educated by private tutors. They had a governess and were being brought up in the old way. Even Michael had put his oar in which was unusual.

"We've seen massive socio-economic change over the last year and a half," Michael pointed out. "Doesn't it stand to reason children should be equipped for the uncertainty ahead with every tool at our disposal. To me that would include a good education."

"For the boys, yes," Anthony said. "I would prefer my daughter to be raised in a more traditional environment."

"Anthony, surely if Mary and the children are still here next fall you will allow Elizabeth to join the class," Rose exclaimed. "Davin will be advancing to the grammar school with Redmond. Finances will determine if Sybil and Dylan return to school but I will certainly be teaching Bradley his first year at home."

"Attending class here is an entirely different matter, Rose," Anthony replied. "You are a Lady and more than qualified to instruct Elizabeth on the finer points of formal training. It is not that much different than a governess."

Rose's face had turned so red with anger Tom thought her earrings would pop off at any second.

"Anthony! Rose, Mary and I and all the ladies present take part in the children's formal instruction," Edith pointed out quickly. "There is no reason Mary can't continue to do so if she and the children move to your estate and need I remind you Rose attended college and is a qualified teacher."

"Hear, hear. Well said Edith," Isobel cheered.

"Thank you, Edith," Rose added.

"My daughter may not have her mother's title," Tom commented. "That does not mean I don't want her to have every advantage. Sybil will have the education to make any choice she desires in the future. If she decides to become a wife and mother so be it, but she will do it with as good an education as any one of her brother's or cousin's."

"You should want your daughter to have an education," Rose said jumping back into the fray. "What if things don't turn around and she has to support herself at some distant point in the future. An education will help her do that."

"I hardly think it will come to that," Mary said.

"Wasn't that what you all told me years ago when I decided to learn to cook and do basic housekeeping?" Rose questioned. "Now here we are. The housekeeper and the butler are off tonight and who cooked the meal? The answer is Cousin Cora, Cousin Rosamund and you Mary. The children set the table. The men will clear the places and see everything downstairs to be washed up and we will see the children to bed ourselves. Ten years ago we would have never done this. Times have changed. We all have to face that and prepare for the future."

"I have to agree times have changed," Robert said at last. "I do think all of the children should receive at least a grammar school education. At one time I thought like you Anthony but the reality of economics has forced me to change my tune. There is still something left of the old life. There always will be, but it is how we adapt to that change that will preserve our class. Hold on too tight and it will crumble and die."

"Mary and I will consider carefully what you have all said," Anthony finally said tactfully.

-0-

Easter of 1931 landed on April 5 and with it the men Thomas Barrow had retained for room and board had moved on to look for farm work. Neither of them had ever learned to wait at table as it wasn't the type of work they were interested in. Even with the hard economic times a life in service was something people no longer favored. Many thought as Rose and Tom that an education was the answer for the future for their children and would open doors that had been closed in their faces.

It was pouring rain on Easter so the eggs were hidden all over the great hall. Watching the children hunt for eggs Tom couldn't help but marvel at the change in Mary's two youngest children since just before Christmas. Elizabeth was still a going concern but with her parents now paying her attention and encouraging her to play nicely with others she was a much different child. She could still be a little stinker at times but for the most part she had settled down. The little boy had been turned around completely and was now quite a decent little fellow. Sybil was a good four inches taller than she had been at the same time the previous year and Redmond's voice had started to change. It wouldn't be much longer and Tom would be showing the first of his son's how to shave.

Redmond the ever-serious one was over to the side talking to Michael and Anthony and leaving the egg hunting to the younger ones. Tom wandered over to find out what they were talking about.

"Great Aunt Violet wanted me to study law but I'm thinking about medicine," Redmond said.

"You seem a bit young to be thinking about that already," Anthony said.

"I was advanced a year before and the teachers want me to advance another year again. The headmaster told me to ask you and Mummy to telephone him Daddy," Redmond said.

"At this rate you'll be done school before we blink," Tom commented.

"Since you're already thinking about career choices have you given any thought where you would like to attend?" Michael asked.

"If I went to a school in London, I could live with Uncle James and Aunt Victoria. I might go to a school in Dublin since I am a citizen of Ireland. It makes me a foreign student here in England, even though I live here. I'm not sure yet," Redmond replied. "Dublin would have slightly lower fees than an English school."

"I'm dumbfounded you're already starting to think that far ahead," Anthony replied.

"Just remember to have some fun, son," Tom commented.

"I do. Cricket tryouts for the school team are next week. I'm going to go try my luck," Redmond said suddenly smiling. "I'll need a ride home on Wednesday."

"That's fine. I'll make an appointment with the headmaster at the same time so we won't have to make two trips," Tom replied.

"Dylan has his hand stuck. I had best help him get it free," Redmond said heading over to see to his younger brother.

"He's a rather unusual boy," Anthony remarked.

"He's just like his natural father," Tom commented. "My cousin was as bright as they come but never had the chance to go to school."

"You weren't exactly hiding behind the wood pile yourself and no one would ever know by your looks he isn't yours," Michael commented. "Would you let him study in Dublin?"

"I don't see why not. They have good schools," Tom replied. "We have family galore over there, not that I've seen any of them in years. My brother keeps in better touch than I do. I don't think Redmond would fit in too well though with the family. His manners and accent are too polished."

"It's his fellows at the university he needs to fit in with," Anthony commented. "I rowed, played cricket and was captain of the polo team at my university."

"School newspaper and debating team at mine," Michael said.

"He may change his mind yet," Tom said. "At this rate he'll be finished school at sixteen and be ready for university."

"Good lord," Anthony exclaimed.

"You just never know, Anthony," Michael said. "The way your youngest is forever counting coins you could say he was born to be a banker."

"Or a miser," Anthony commented dryly. "He's constantly taking my coins and putting them in his toy bank."

"I'm not going to worry about Redmond's future education at the moment," Tom said. "My biggest concern for the foreseeable future is teaching five boys how to shave."

"Very carefully," Anthony said with a chuckle before he went to see what Edward was doing. The others had all found their eggs and treats and Dylan had been extricated from the banister by his older brother. Edward was still dashing around madly without finding one egg with his name on it. Even Redmond was sitting on the stairs with the others carefully examining his eggs.

Everyone finally joined in the hunt for Edward's eggs. They finally found two of the three eggs that had been hidden for him, but no third egg and his cupcake decorated with a pipe cleaner chick was missing as well. Everyone was scratching their heads until a loud burp was heard coming from the vicinity of Isis who was laying in the doorway to the front entrance. She raised her head and wagged her tail as Lord Grantham approached to find a tell tale mangled yellow pipe cleaner chick laying on the ground not far away and a piece of shell stuck to the fur on the top of her nose. Morgana was laying just behind her with her head squashed flat on the floor and her brown eyes looking this way and that with a "_who me"_ expression.

"Were you two eating something you shouldn't?" Robert regarded the dogs sternly.

Davin went up to Morgana and looked inside her mouth.

"Icing in there," he proclaimed. He lifted the side of Isis' lip. "Shells in this one. They must have wanted to hunt eggs, too."

"I should put the pair of them out to the stables," Robert grumped.

"It's alright Grandpapa, I'd rather have a coin anyway," Edward stated. Everyone had a good chuckle as Robert handed the change in his pocket over to his youngest grandson who promptly put the coins in his basket and shook it a bit so they rattled.

"We should have named him Ebenezer," Mary said.

"Perhaps a name change is in order," Anthony replied. "Lord Ebenezer Gillingham, does have a nice ring to it."

"If this were a Dickens' novel instead of real life," Rosamund commented dryly.


	14. Facing Change Part V

Facing Change – Part V – Chapters 17 through 20

_Hi Everyone: I'm posting a bit slower as these sections are long and I'm still writing this story. This is a bit of a hard story as there isn't as much information out there about the early part of the great depression. There is a lot more about how things were at the beginning of WWII and the changes that happened as a result. The class system was still in place but there was a shift happening in the upper classes that didn't happen overnight. Education was in a massive overhaul at the time. Laws to keep children in school until sixteen didn't go through in England until after WWII and even later in some other countries. Attitudes especially in the working classes as to the value of education took years and years to evolve to where they are now. _

Chapter 17 – End of an Era

"The Abbey seems so quiet now with Mary and her youngest two gone to stay with Anthony," Tom commented to Rose in mid-May. They were lying in bed with the windows open letting the cool spring breeze blow through the room. The winter rains had ceased and they were into a few days of unseasonably warm weather.

"It does doesn't it," Rose said. "It's much quieter and calmer somehow despite the fact there are still seven children living in the house and eight adults if you don't count the live in staff."

"Do you still want to move to a house?" Tom asked. "We could pick one out and move over this summer."

"No, I'm fine here if you are," Rose replied thoughtfully. "I do hope Mary and Anthony relent and send Elizabeth to school. Part of why she gets into things is because she's bright. She needs something to occupy her mind."

"You can only lead a horse to water, love. We've tried, Edith and Michael, Isobel Crawley and even Lord and Lady Grantham have pointed out the benefits of education. Times have changed and they're going to keep changing but not everyone can see that."

"I know, it's just frustrating," Rose said rolling over and placing her hand on Tom's chest. She absently stroked circles and fiddled with his chest hair. "Edith has decided to take college courses this fall and get her teaching license."

"Good on her," Tom replied. "It's about time."

"I think she will make a good teacher," Rose commented. "As long as she learns how to keep discipline in the class."

"There was a time when her father would have had a perfect tantrum at the mention. He's changed his tune these days."

"Next autumn I'll only have Sybil, Dylan and Bradley to teach. My class is shrinking. George will be back to boarding school."

"You're sure you don't want to send ours to the private school in Ripon?"

"We'll save the fees to put towards university. Redmond is moving through school so quickly and Davin is right behind him. I worry a bit that Davin will find grammar school too easy the way Redmond does and start to accelerate as well. At least at home I was able to give him extra lessons to do. It broadened his learning and slowed him down a bit."

"It's harsh when you think about it. If the pair of them had stayed in Ireland they most likely would have never had the opportunities we've been able to give them here. Then you have a boy like George. Born to everything and he would be perfectly content to be a farmer for the rest of his life and never open a book," Tom said.

"He will be a farmer," Rose said with a slight laugh. "A titled one with a huge estate one day. The estate suits him. He'll be perfectly happy puttering away his days going shooting and checking crops the way Cousin Robert does."

"Lord Grantham has me to check the crops," Tom teased.

"You know what I mean. It's not like George will one day pack up and go running off on an adventure. He's a country boy. You can see it already."

"So you're settled and happy with the decision? We stay here for another year. Davin and Redmond go to school in Ripon and you teach the three school aged ones yourself?"

"Yes, I'm happy with things. I'll probably include Garret with the others at least half days."

"There is some big cricket match with a team touring from New Zealand next month. Lord Grantham and Michael are going and taking George. They've offered to take the three older boys as well," Tom said.

"You're not going?" Rose asked.

"I think I can be spared. Please don't make me go," he begged making a face. "You know it's not my game. I can still barely play well enough not to make a fool of myself."

Rose chuckled slightly.

"Very well, my man of many talents, cricket not being one of them. You don't have to go."

"Thank you," Tom responded with relief.

-0-

"Mummy, must you," Davin complained while they waited to board the train the day of the international cricket match the boys were attending with Lord Grantham and Michael Gregson. Rose had fussed over them every second since they had arrived at the train.

"I just want you to be safe and be proper little gentlemen," Rose said. "Now Davin, you keep ahold of your hat and don't loose your packet with your sandwich for the train. That goes for you too, Dylan. No running off and no loosing everything. I want you to be on your best behavior for Cousin Robert."

"Don't worry so much, Mummy," Redmond said. "We'll be back tonight."

"George you behave as well," Rose instructed. "All of you try to have a good time."

"Rose, you're embarrassing them," Tom said quietly when he could see the boys cringing when Rose decided to kiss them each goodbye. "They'll be back tonight."

"It's my first time away from my babies," Rose said almost tearfully.

"That's enough," Tom said taking her arm and practically dragging her away. "Have fun boys and mind what Mr. Gregson and Lord Grantham tell you. We'll see you tonight."

"Rose what's gotten into you?" Tom questioned as he got her back to the car. Garret and Bradley were waiting in the back seat to be driven to a birthday party. Sybil had gone with her Aunts and Grandmother on a visit to some friends who had girls her own age.

"It's just occurred to me all of our children are growing up. They'll be leaving us before we know it," Rose said.

"Rose don't be silly. We have years before everyone is grown up and settled in their own lives," Tom said.

It wasn't long before they had the two youngest dropped off at their party and they were on their own.

"What's really bothering you?" Tom asked.

"I'm going to be thirty this year," Rose said. "Our children are growing up. I can't help feeling like time is marching on."

"Rose, I've just turned forty-one. I already feel old. You're making me feel worse."

"Maybe we should have another baby," Rose commented.

"No! We have six already. I don't want to be an old man raising children. If we did happen to have one later by accident so be it. Haven't you had enough of nappies by now?"

"I've only had three that wore nappies. The others all came toilet trained," Rose said in a matter of fact manner. She suddenly smiled.

"They're not puppies," Tom said laughing slightly.

"Everyone is out. Let's go home and dance a little. We haven't in absolutely ages."

"The housekeeper and butler are off. I thought we'd be going out to lunch and we don't have to have the boys picked up until three thirty. Everyone is out for the day."

"Sounds interesting," Rose commented. "We could do a few things while dancing we haven't since we were first a couple."

"Now you're talking," Tom replied with a wink.

-0-

"You're complaining about feeling old," Tom commented later that day while they were dancing in the great hall. "I used to be able to lift you like it was nothing. I'm going to know about it later."

"You still look just as handsome to me as you always have," Rose said pulling on his tie.

"What are you up to then?" Tom asked.

"Thinking about our first time," Rose replied unbuttoning his shirt and sliding her arms inside. "I might like a repeat performance."

"I remember it as being very dark, not the middle of the day," Tom murmured not far from her lips. He had her dress open and he was slipping it off her shoulders.

"Then we'll close our eyes."

"And spoil the view?" Tom replied playfully.

Tom went to put a record on the gramophone. Rose came up behind him and slipped her arms around him. He relished the feel of her naked breasts pressed against his back. He was still wearing his trousers, which he unbuckled and kicked off as the music started. They danced together allowing themselves to be as sensual in their movements as they liked. They touched and teased each other coaxing each other into a state of heightened arousal. When the music ended Tom kissed her in a long slow kiss. He only separated from her long enough to stop the gramophone. Rose was so aroused she was pressing against her husband urging him on. Tom lifted her against the wall and positioned himself so he could enter her. Rose threw back her head and relished the feel of him inside of her. It was a sensation she had felt hundreds of times since their marriage, but it was one she could never get enough of. They were grunting and panting against each other edging towards completion when Rose suddenly became aware of a faint sound. Her eyes flew open.

"Tom, Tom, someone is coming," she said in alarm.

Tom quickly looked towards the main doors of the Abbey when he heard the unmistakable sound of a key in the lock as well.

"Damn," he muttered. He quickly opened a cupboard door without setting Rose down and maneuvered the pair of them inside.

"You would think Lady Marsden would have telephoned the girls had the stomach flu," Rosamund said as she entered the house.

"They just came down with it. She said they telephoned and must have just missed us," Cora replied.

"I'm going to go riding," Sybil told her grandmother as she came in.

Rose and Tom were in the closet with a very naked Rose pressed against Tom. They had the door slightly ajar so they could see out.

"What are all these clothes doing all over the hall?" Sybil asked with her brow wrinkling in confusion.

Cora, Rosamund and Edith stopped with their mouths open.

"Your Mama must have dropped them when she was taking them down for laundry," Edith said quickly.

"Why would she do that? She always takes laundry down the servant stairs," Sybil commented.

"Never mind. She'll pick it up when she realizes it's missing," Cora said with flushed cheeks. "Hurry up and get changed. We'll all walk down to the stable and watch you ride for ten minutes or so."

"Excellent idea," Rosamund added quickly. "I think I'll head that way and tell the groom to get your horse saddled."

"Make that two," Edith said. "I'll just go up and get changed as well."

"I'll come with you Rosamund," Cora said rushing after her sister-in-law.

"Mummy must have been in an awful hurry to make such a mess," Sybil said in confusion.

"I'm sure she must have been a little frantic, dear," Edith said urging her up the stairs.

Rose couldn't help but snicker against Tom's chest.

"Still feeling old?" she whispered. "When we've been caught messing around in the hall like a pair of naughty teenagers?"

"Almost caught," Tom whispered back before he dashed out into the hall to collect his clothes as soon as he heard Edith's door click shut.

-0-

"Where are the dogs?" Rose said a little while later. She and Tom had hidden out in the library once they collected their clothes and waited until they heard Edith and Sybil go out for riding.

"I haven't seen them all day," Tom commented. "They can't be far. Isis is so old it's a wonder she can still get around. That dog has got to be at least fourteen if she's a day."

"Now that I think of it, I haven't seen Morgana since first thing this morning. She usually shows up as soon as she hears someone moving around the house," Rose commented.

They walked around the house calling the dogs. They finally spotted Morgana poking her head out of the door to the servant's stair.

"What are you up to girl?" Tom said patting the dog. "Where's Isis?"

Morgana turned around and headed back down the stairs. She got to the hallway and lay down. Tom and Rose looked around a bit downstairs until Tom spotted a paw sticking out from under the table in the servant's hall. He went over to see what Isis was doing. He came back to Rose who was out in the hall.

"I'm afraid Isis has moved on to greener pastures. I'll go down and see if I can find a groom or gardener to help me move her," he said.

"Oh no," Rose said. "The children are all so attached to her and poor Cousin Robert. He loves that dog so much."

"She was old. It was bound to happen sooner or later," Tom said. "I'll get her wrapped up and moved. He can decide where he wants her buried when he gets back."

Rose walked down to the stables with Morgana at her side. She found Cora and Rosamund sitting on a pair of lawn chairs near the area where Sybil was working her mount over a series of jumps. Edith was mounted and had her horse to the side watching Sybil's progress.

"Hello Rose," Rosamund said with a slight smirk. She was trying to keep from laughing. "Did you get your _laundry _done?"

"As much as I could before it got interrupted," Rose replied with a bit of an answering smirk. She turned to Cora. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news, Cousin Cora. We found Isis under the table in the servant's hall. She's passed on."

"Poor Robert," Cora exclaimed. "He's going to be upset. Where is she now?"

"Tom's getting her wrapped up and moved out of the house to one of the out buildings," Rose replied. "I won't tell Sybil until everyone is home later."

"No, best not dear," Rosamund said.

"I don't know what Robert's going to do without her. She's been such a stable presence in the house for so long," Cora said.

"It's the children I'm concerned for, especially Davin. Even with Morgana he's always been so attached to Isis. She helped him through his grief when he first came here. We used to have to bring him over at least twice a week just to see her," Rose commented.

"They'll be more dogs," Rosamund pointed out.

"There may be more, but Isis will always hold a special place in our lives," Rose replied.

-0-

Tom waited until he got Lord Grantham alone to tell him the news when he returned later that evening. Robert slowly went for his hat and coat and headed out of the house to go for one last look at his old friend. Looking around the house it felt like something was missing, Tom thought. People had come and gone from the great house over the years but Isis' steady presence had always seemed to just be there. She'd always had a wag hello for everyone and had been such a part of helping his eldest two through their grief when they first arrived from Ireland it was as though there was a large hole Morgana couldn't quite fill. He wasn't looking forward to telling his children, but death was part of life and on a farm it was all around you.

"I've got an announcement to make," Robert said the next morning over breakfast. There hadn't been any point in upsetting everyone the previous evening before bed. "Isis has passed away. I've instructed the gardeners to bury her under the rose bushes she was forever digging up."

"No, she can't go," Davin said quickly. The tears started rolling down his cheeks.

"I want her to come back," Garret said starting to cry as well.

"Oh, Morgana, don't leave too," Redmond sniffled. He got up from his place at the table and hugged his dog and started to cry as well. Within a few minutes all seven children who lived at the house were in tears.

"This is a fine fix," Tom said quietly to Rose as he got up to comfort their two youngest while Rose and Cora tried to calm the others down.

"She was an old dog. It was her time," Robert Crawley said. He could feel the tears threatening his eyes as well.

"Honestly Robert, where's that stiff upper lip," his sister scolded him.

"Not now, Rosamund," he retorted getting up from the table and going into the library.

"There, there," Isobel Crawley comforted her grandson. "Compassion is never misplaced. We'll all miss her."

When the tears were finally dried and everyone had calmed down they all filed out side to the garden for a short memorial service for the dog. Tom and Michael were rolling their eyes a bit at the notion, but for Tom if it settled the children down a bit to say goodbye then so be it.

As each child said their goodbye to Isis Tom couldn't help but feel it was the end of an era at the house. The days of the downstairs and attics being a hive of activity with servants that outnumbered the family five to one were gone. There was no longer a line of chauffeur driven cars waiting to drop people at the door when Cora threw a party. People for the most part drove themselves. Only the odd visitor had a chauffeur these days. There was still an elegance and grandeur to life at the Abbey but it wasn't the same as it had been almost twenty years ago when he had first walked into the library in his chauffeur's livery. The change he'd longed for so much as an idealistic young man was here, but it wasn't quite what he or anyone else had expected. At that moment he knew that in another twenty years things would have changed again and no matter what they would all have to face things. Nothing stayed the same forever and those who thought it would were in for a grand surprise.

Chapter 18 – Keeping Tradition Alive

By midsummer Robert had a new one-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Pharaoh and life at the house moved on much as it always did. George left two weeks before his school term was to start to spend it with his mother. Tom was busy with the farm and Michael along with him. The only change in their existence over the summer of 1931 was the retirement of George Murray. A younger associate in his office was taking over the files from the estate but from the meeting they had with Mr. Derek W. Bancroft, Tom surmised the only meaning of younger was that he was younger than Mr. Murray who had to be well into his seventies. Derek Bancroft could have been any age between fifty and eighty. It was hard to tell. He had salt and pepper hair and a permanent frown over a hawk like nose. He was serious and knew his business and in the end that was all that really mattered.

The house seemed quieter than ever to Tom despite all of the people who lived there. Edith started college four days a week and Lady Rosamund was busy as ever visiting back and forth with her cronies and exchanging gossip when she wasn't attempting to help out with housework. Tom had gotten a good chuckle out of Rosamund's many attempts at different household chores since he had been there, but he had to hand it to the old girl, she was game to try almost anything even if she was as awkward with household chores as she was elegant at holding court in a drawing room. Isobel Crawley was failing more and more these days. She was well up into her seventies and seemed to spend her days visiting her son's grave or sitting and reading. Dr. Clarkson had passed away a few years ago and without her best friend in the village, Isobel seemed to be slowly fading away.

Rose was a great deal more herself than she had been the previous year at the same time. She was more relaxed without having to deal with constant upsets with the children over differences in parenting styles. Their youngest son spent the morning with his mother in the classroom and the afternoons with his father most days or with the housekeeper. It seemed to Tom they had settled into a routine that suited them and their family.

There was unrest around the country. The government had pulled the pound off the gold standard completely in September bringing the imports and exports to almost a standstill and pushing the need for domestic products even higher. Government salaries had bee reduced to the point the navy went on strike in protest. Prices for domestic farm products had risen slightly despite the depressed pound and the struggle of the early days after the crash to find buyers for their products was gone.

There was a slim profit to be made these days and it was going to still take time to recover but it was enough they didn't have to worry about loosing money.

Michael had become invaluable in the business side of things. He was good with the Farmer's Association and spent countless hours reading up on new farming methods and newer crops that were gaining popularity and bringing higher prices. For the first time since Matthew had died Tom felt as though he had someone to share his ideas with about the land and how to work it, who didn't think his ideas were too modern or shake their head in disbelief when he was concerned with preserving a water supply or a particular stand of trees. Men like Anthony saw the land as a series of profit and losses while Tom saw it as a living thing that had to be cared for. The harvest was keeping Tom busy for the autumn and he, Michael and Lord Grantham had decided on a list of make work projects that would keep the men they had employed for the summer working through the winter. It wasn't much but in these hard economic times when people with middle class existences were only working part time and some barely getting by, it was better than nothing.

"There was another large envelope in the mail for Mr. Gregson this morning," Mrs. Blackwell commented to Thomas Barrow while they were taking a mid morning break over a cup of tea. "The return address said The Times, I wonder what he is up to."

"Not like they'll tell us directly," Thomas replied. "It is curious though." Over the years the staff had dwindled away and with it Thomas' animosity towards the other staff. There was no one left to be competitive with. He was in charge of the day staff when they came in and Mrs. Blackwell was Mr. Branson and Lady Rose's employee not a house one. It was either get along or have no one to talk to through the day. She was easy enough to get along with and got her tasks done without any supervision from him.

"Do you ever miss the days when there was a house full of staff?" Mrs. Blackwell asked. She was a spinster of thirty-six. She had spent her younger years taking care of ailing parents while her brothers all went off to work and then have families of their own.

"No, not really," Thomas replied. "It seemed there was always someone doing or saying something I didn't like. I had one or two friends among the early staff but they've all moved on over the years. I don't hear from any of them."

"Yes, I know the feeling. The Branson's first housekeeper and the nanny were fast friends, but I had nothing in common with the girl they had as nanny last. It wasn't as lonely when my employer's children were a bit younger. They were in and out of the kitchen all day. Now the eldest two are gone to school through the day and the younger ones are all occupied."

"There's a harvest dance in the village on Friday. Perhaps we should go. It might do us good to get out of here. The Crawley's are going out and I think the Branson's are as well," Thomas commented.

"I can't," Mrs. Blackwell said quickly looking down at her teacup.

Thomas' face went stiff. She wasn't the first person who didn't want to be seen with him. He was forty-three years old. Not young and handsome anymore. Most people in the village had heard rumors about his preferences and tended to avoid him.

"That's fine," he said stiffly. "I understand being seen with me can make things difficult for you."

"No, no, it's not that," Mrs. Blackwell said quickly looking up. "It doesn't matter whom I'm out with. It won't change the fact I'm the village spinster. No one is going to come knocking at my door. You see, well, I can't dance. I never learned. My parents didn't approve when I was younger and now. Well, it's too late, isn't it?"

"Only if you think it is," Thomas said. "What do you do in the evenings?"

"Read or knit if I'm not needed with the children. What do you get up to when you disappear in the evenings?"

"Read or go for walks. Sometimes I go down to the pub for a drink or two. Usually I'm no my own. Would you like to learn to dance? I've been known to cut a rug or two in my day."

"I wouldn't mind," Mrs. Blackwell replied with a small smile.

"It seems rather pointless to use our formal titles after working in the same house for a year. My name is Thomas."

"Abigail."

"We'll try a dance or two tonight once the house is settled shall we Abigail?" Thomas inquired with a small smile.

"Yes, thank you, Thomas," she replied.

-0-

"Another article back for revision?" Edith asked Michael at luncheon when he was looking through his letters.

"Yes, nothing huge. It won't take long," he replied absently.

"How are the articles you're doing for The Times coming?" Tom inquired.

"Quite well. I'm just doing enough to keep my oar wet," Michael said. "My editor has sent a note to say the series I've just completed on domestic food production was well received. He's asked for another six articles in a series on how rural life has changed since the beginning of the depression. It's going to take me a bit to think up enough for six different articles."

"People are definitely driving less," Lord Grantham commented absently. "You see more horse and buggies as well. We seem to be visiting closer neighbors more and more distant friends less."

"That's true," Rose commented. "We go around the village or over to visit the children's friends by horseback often. If it is just two people we take the motorcycle or walk. No one can afford the price of petrol these days just to go shopping casually or paying calls."

"I'm sure you'll find quite a bit to write about," Tom commented. "Let's leave Michael to it. He knows what he's about."

"Yes, of course, I didn't mean to interfere," Rose said quickly. "You know I've been thinking I would like to have some of our friends over, perhaps for a small dance party. Do you have anyone you would like to invite Edith?"

"I believe there are one or two couples from London I would like to invite for a weekend," Edith replied. "Let's plan something out. Would you mind Mama?"

"You both live here. Feel free to invite whom ever you like," Cora replied. "Just let me know in advance. We do have to keep on top of the household budget as you know."

"We'll invite friends who don't expect to be waited on, Mama," Edith said reassuringly.

"I just love a good party," Rosamund commented with glee and leaning forward slightly. "Are you planning to invite anyone I know, Edith?"

-0-

"Whatever is going on?" Rosamund exclaimed a few weeks later. The women were sitting in the drawing room while the men had walked down to the dock to try their hand at fishing for trout. Edith and Rose had come up with a weekend party and between them had invited four couples, three of which had brought their children with them. Someone had just come in from the gardens and slammed the front door of the Abbey behind them, which was no easy task as it was a very heavy door.

"I'll go and see," Edith said. She went out to the great hall just in time to see Sybil disappearing at the top of the stairs.

"Sybil," Edith said when she returned to her seat.

"If you'll excuse me," Rose said. "I'll just go and see what is going on."

Rose knocked on Sybil's door then turned the handle when she heard Sybil's answering come in.

"Sybil what on earth is going?" Rose questioned.

"Boys are so stupid," Sybil said flopping down on the stool at the end of her bed and gazing out the window.

"They can be and they grow into men who can be stupid at times as well," Rose said with a slight smile and taking a seat on Sybil's bed. "What happened?"

"We were playing sardines in the garden," Sybil said. "Robbie Cranston found me and while we were waiting for someone else to find us he kissed me."

"I see," Rose said trying not to laugh.

"I slapped him," Sybil said quickly. Her eyes were wide. "I don't want to him to think I was quick?"

"Quick?" Rose asked the quickly figured it out. "The expression is fast, Sybil and I'm sure he doesn't think that especially if you boxed his ears for him. He's Redmond's age isn't he?"

"Almost," Sybil said.

"It stands to reason a boy was bound to kiss you sooner or later," Rose said.

"How can I go back out there?" Sybil said rolling her eyes and flopping her hands on her lap dramatically. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Did anyone else see?"

"No."

"Then go back out to the garden and pretend like nothing happened. Say you came in to use the water closet or get a drink of water. If you don't like Robbie Cranston ignore him. If you like him a bit give him a walnut."

"Why a walnut?" Sybil asked perplexed.

"Because he can show you how strong he is when he breaks the shell open and it will keep him busy. Men and boys are funny that way. They like to show girls how strong they are. I've always found it's best to keep them occupied, then they don't try to kiss you as often."

"I'll go get some walnuts from the bag in the pantry. There aren't enough for everyone in Grandpapa's nut box in the library," Sybil said bouncing up onto her feet.

"That sounds like a good idea," Rose said. "It will keep them occupied."

Rose, Tom and Edith went downstairs to check on how the children's dinner was progressing once they were changed for the adult dinner. Edith and Rose had planned the children's weekend with Redmond, Davin and Sybil for two evenings before the guests arrived. Since there were eleven guest children total they had thought it would be good practice for them to have a great deal of say in the weekend activities. They had all decided after much deliberation the children would eat in the servants' hall as all of the hired staff would leave for their own homes once the evening clean up was done and it was the only table in the house large enough other than the main dining room to seat seventeen all at once.

They got down the stairs and stood back so they could see through the door. The table had been covered with a crisp white tablecloth and neatly set with china. Tom couldn't help but snicker when he spotted Sybil and Redmond seated side by side at mid table in a perfect imitation of the upstairs arrangements. Two nannies were seated off to the side that had come along with the families with younger children and Mrs. Blackwell was busy serving the children's meal.

"They look like little carbon copies of the upstairs," Tom commented quietly.

"The children are doing splendidly," Edith whispered back.

"It sounds like they're doing well with the conversation," Rose whispered. She could see a dark haired boy seated to the side of Sybil. She was saying something to him and his face was flushed pink. Rose thought it must be Robbie Cranston who she had heard about earlier. _"He is rather a nice looking boy,"_ she thought.

"Milady, Mr. Branson, did you require anything?" Mrs. Blackwell inquired when she came out of the servants' hall carrying two empty serving platters.

"No, not at all. We were just wondering how the children were getting on," Rose replied quietyly.

"They're doing very well," Mrs. Blackwell said lowering her voice. "The visiting children have all been schooled in manners as well. They're all chatting up a storm and have already decided what games they are going to play in the day nursery after supper."

"We'll head back up then, Mrs. Blackwell, thank you," Edith said.

"Let me know if you need any assistance with any of them, although it seems you have things well under control," Rose added.

"There are two nannies here. We shouldn't have any problems milady," Mrs. Blackwell replied. "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you, we will," Rose replied before they headed back up the stairs.

-0-

"I must say, Lord Grantham, I haven't attended a house party like this in years," Reggie Noxworth said over dinner. He was one of Tom and Rose's friends who now lived in York. "My parents lost their country home just after the Great War and my wife's family lost theirs soon after."

"Not exactly like the old days," Robert replied, "but we are still trying to keep up tradition although with less staff."

"Our children are certainly having a marvelous time as are we," Jennifer Noxworth commented. "You know Rose, my Evangeline said they oddest thing to me this afternoon. She told me we needed to have a large bag of walnuts at the house when next Redmond comes to visit. I didn't know he was partial to nuts."

Rose had to press her napkin to her mouth to keep from spitting her food out when she started to laugh.

"I'm afraid I told Sybil the best way to handle a boy who liked you was to keep him busy cracking walnuts. She must have passed it on," Rose said. She couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"Too bad you didn't tell her to keep them busy washing windows or polishing furniture," Jennifer replied. All of the women had a good chuckle at the idea of keeping boys busy with a bag of walnuts.

"Do we need to have a word with our sons?" Tom inquired with a slight frown.

"No. The girls all need to know how to handle young men, as they get older. Keeping them busy usually works wonders," Rose replied.

"Now after all these years we learn what our wives were up to all those years ago," Rupert Cranston, Robbie's father commented.

"Years ago?" his wife questioned with a smile.

"Girls you're giving away all our secrets," Cora admonished.

"You hardly need to keep me occupied, Cora," Robert commented.

"Is that so?" Cora replied with a secretive smile.

The men all had mystified looks on their faces.

"So sending all the men out with the boys last weekend to wash all the cars in the garage was keeping us busy?" Robert questioned Cora at last as he clued in.

"There was quite a nice view from the upstairs. You looked so very in charge of things," Cora replied.

"I suppose the house letters just happened to come loose by themselves last week?" Rupert Cranston asked his wife.

"Well, you know darling. There is just something about a man when he fixes things," his wife said with a flutter of her eyelashes.

"Gentlemen, I do believe we've been had," Reggie Noxworth commented.

"After fifteen years of marriage, I would have think you would have caught on," his wife said. "I think you rather enjoy it. You did look rather dashing standing on that ladder the other day."

"I hate to think of the many things you've come up with to keep me occupied over the years," Michael said quietly to Edith.

"All with a charming view," Edith replied sweetly.

Chapter 19 – First Talks

"Walnuts?" Tom asked Rose with a chuckle that evening while they were getting ready for bed. "Whatever made you tell Sybil that?"

"It just popped into my head," Rose said with a smirk. "We've done well with Sybil. One of the boys kissed her and she boxed his ears."

"Already?" Tom asked in shock.

"Tom she is eleven. I have to take her to the ladies ready to wear soon for a brassiere or hadn't you noticed."

"But she's just a little girl," Tom complained.

"Not so little anymore and she is receiving more guidance than I ever received," Rose replied. "I was told not to let a boy touch me in any way and on my wedding night to close my eyes and recite bible versus until everything was over." Rose let out a disgusted huff. "You know how well that worked out. I'm determined to give Sybil more direction and reassurance through the next few years than I ever got."

"Your right. She's growing up. She is a feisty little thing isn't she? Boxed his ears for him! That's my girl," Tom said with a smirk.

"What happened the first time you tried to kiss a girl?" Rose asked him as she snuggled down in bed beside Tom.

"I recall I was thirteen at the time and she kissed me," Tom said laughing slightly at the memory. "I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. I caught a garter snake and gave it to her which made her scream."

"You had best not be giving me any garter snakes," Rose said with a slight laugh. "My first kiss was from Percy McCord, heir to the Earl of Merton. As I recall he kissed me behind a bush in the garden and I threw and handful of grass in his face. I was around eight at the time."

"A beautiful femme fatale at an early age," Tom teased.

"Just so long as I'm your femme fatale till you take your last breath," Rose teased back.

"Always," Tom said pulling her close.

"You're going to have to teach Redmond to shave. You've been putting it off for months. He looks like he has a permanent dirty face," Rose said with a yawn. "I noticed it today."

"Soon as the guests leave," Tom said clicking out the light. "Goodnight, love."

There was no answer as Rose was already fast asleep.

-0-

"I got you something son," Tom said to Redmond on Sunday after everyone had left. "I've been waiting until we had some time alone to give it to you." He handed Redmond a packet.

Redmond opened it to reveal a safety razor in a case with a jar of shaving soap and a brush plus a small bottle of after shave lotion.

"Thanks Daddy," he said. "Maybe now I should call you Da instead. It sounds more grown up somehow."

"If you like," Tom said. "I'll show you how to shave without slicing your face to shreds. At first you should only have to do it once or twice a week, just enough to take away the dark bits on your face. Your mother says you look like your face is dirty."

"The master at school said I should shave last week, but I didn't want to ask you," Redmond said flushing a bit in embarrassment.

"You could have asked. I've been putting this off a bit, but it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Tom said putting his hand on Redmond's shoulder and directing him towards the washroom he shared with his brothers.

"What are you doing?" Bradley asked.

"Redmond is going to try shaving," Tom replied calmly.

"Can I watch?" Bradley asked.

"Me too," Dylan said racing out of his room when he heard what was going on.

"It's up to Redmond," Tom said.

"If you want," Redmond said with a shrug.

He managed the shaving lather easily enough as he had seen his father do it enough times. Both of his younger brothers wanted shaving lather as well, so Redmond made a beard for each of them with the brush. He carefully pulled the razor over his face with some direction from Tom on which way to go and how to pull the skin this way and that in different spots. Everything seemed to be going along fairly well until Redmond had the shaving cream washed off and put the after shave on his face. His eyes almost popped out of his head as the liquid burned into his skin where he had pressed a little too hard with the razor.

"Oh ouch, ow, Holy Christ that hurts!" he exclaimed dancing around the bathroom.

"Redmond swore," Bradley said with his eyes round.

"Aren't you going to get mad Daddy?" Dylan asked.

"Not this time," Tom replied. "Your skin will toughen up son. After a few times you won't get such bad razor burn and it won't hurt so much."

"Shaving is a ghastly business," Redmond said once he had recovered and his face had stopped burning as much.

"A necessary evil, son. We all have to do it sooner or later," Tom replied.

"I think I'll grow a beard," Redmond said ruefully.

"No. You look like me at your age so you'll most likely have a beard like mine," Tom said. "I look a right fool with a beard. It's terrible. I resemble some kind of a leprechaun that's about to break out in a jig at any second. Cheer up, you don't have a dark beard so you should be able to get away with once a week until your at least twenty and then only once a day after that. Those dark haired blokes are stuck with twice a day almost right off the bat."

"You smell like flowers," Dylan teased his older brother. "Now Evangeline is going to want to kiss you."

"Eeew," Bradley exclaimed.

Redmond's face had turned bright red while he was putting his shaving things into the medicine cabinet.

"Be quiet the pair of you," Tom admonished. "Redmond does not smell like flowers and never mind who your brother wants to kiss or doesn't. Your turn will be here before you know it. I think it's time we went for a walk son. We'll take Davin along as well and no the pair of you may not come along," Tom said heading Dylan and Bradley off before they asked. "Where has Davin got himself off to?"

"I think he's writing a song," Redmond said. "He's probably in the drawing room."

"Alright, get your coat and we'll be off. We'll collect him as well when we get down stairs," Tom said.

As Tom headed outdoors to have a talk with his two eldest son's about where babies come from and what to expect with girls he had an overwhelming feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. This was a conversation he knew he needed to have with every single one of his children including his daughter at some point. It was one he would have rather put off indefinitely but he couldn't get out of it. He and his brother hadn't had their father on the scene growing up. The only advice Tom had ever received when he was younger was from one of his uncles who told him, _"If it smells bad don't touch it."_ His mother had finally told him a bit about women the day before he left home to go into service. It hadn't been an easy conversation for her and had left him with more questions than answers. He had learned a great deal more after reading every gentleman's magazine he could get his hands on and having some practical experience on a regular basis once he was married. He had felt a great fool when he was married to Sybil when she'd been grouchy right before her monthly or when he'd found her stash of soiled sanitary supplies before she burned them. He hadn't a clue as to what to expect when she was pregnant either. His mother had hidden everything from them like it was some sort of deep dark secret. It wasn't how he wanted his sons to learn about things.

-0-

"Apparently North American women do it," Rose told Sybil as she demonstrated how to shave the hair off her underarms and legs. "I think it looks a lot nicer. Your hair is dark. It won't show as much if you wear a light blouse or sheer stockings if you remove the hair. As you get older it will get more obvious and boys will notice."

"I don't know if I like boys noticing me," Sybil said with a wrinkled brow.

"You might not like it now and find it annoying but one day it will just hit you that you do like their attention," Rose said. "There. See how much smoother the leg is when it is shaved."

"Oh, that is nicer," Sybil said touching Rose's leg.

"Don't be in any rush for boys to notice you or vice versa," Rose told her. "It will happen but you have to think about your future. What you want to study at school and your college should come first. There is all sorts of time for boys and marriage later."

"You went to college after you were married, Mummy," Sybil said.

"I wasn't allowed school, Sybil and neither was Aunty Edith or Aunty Mary. Our parents though they were doing what was best for us. But it wasn't right. You have a mind you need to use it. When you have an education no one can take it away from you."

"My Mama was a nurse," Sybil commented.

"And she had to argue with her parents and grandmother for the opportunity," Rose pointed out. "Don't ever take school or the opportunities you have to learn things for granted and never let anyone tell you that you don't belong in a class or at school. Do you want to try shaving your legs or do you want to wait?"

"I think I'll try," Sybil said.

"Next weekend we'll go shopping and we'll buy you a few things you'll need as you age. I'll tell you all about it. You won't have any surprises," Rose said. Sybil had the shaving lather on her leg and was about to try scraping the hair off. "Slowly now and don't press too hard. You don't want to scratch yourself."

"I like how the American girls look in the magazines," Sybil said as she pulled the razor up her leg for the first time.

"That's my girl," Rose said as Sybil slowly did her legs up to her knees. "Mummy will be right here and I'll teach you everything about being a girl you need to know."

"Mummy, can I be friends with anyone I want?" Sybil asked thoughtfully as she started working on the second leg.

"Within reason, as long as they're your own age," Rose replied absently.

"I was hoping you would say that," Sybil said as she finished her other leg. She admired her handiwork once she had the remaining soap wiped off and Rose had touched up the spots she had missed. "Thank you Mummy. My legs look nice. I'm going down to show Mrs. Blackwell."

"Don't be late for dinner," Rose said as Sybil headed out of the room.

"I won't," Sybil called over her shoulder since she was already to the door.

Rose shook her head. So grown up in some respects and such a little girl in others. She had decided she would take Sybil shopping next week. She would help her pick out sanitary supplies and deodorant paste that she could keep in her drawer and use once the need arose. A bra was in order as well. Tom may want her to be a little girl forever, but Sybil was definitely growing up.

-0-

"My word there is certainly a great deal of mail as a result of Michael's last article," Lord Grantham commented over breakfast one morning in early May 1932. The women were late getting to the diningroom as they were all busy looking over Rosamund's latest wardrobe purchases. "This is the sixth letter I've had this week from someone with questions as to how we are managing different aspects of the estate."

"It seems a popular topic," Michael commented. "This is the third series I've written on farming and every one has had a number of letters to the editor with comments and questions."

"I might invite one or two of the senders to come and visit," Robert said. "It would be easier to show than to write. There's a Lord Bradstone, I vaguely remember his father and another from a Mr. Foxworth. He's farm manager near Leeds. I met him in London during the season years ago. He's a farm manager now that his family is in reduced circumstances. The rest I'll just send a note."

"They may have a few ideas we can use as well," Tom commented. "Any idea what your going to write about next, Michael?"

"As a matter of fact I'm planning to interview some of the machinery dealers and write about the problems the farms are having incorporating new machinery with the price of petrol so high. I thought I'd interview a number of farmers as well from neighboring estates and see how they're overcoming their machinery issues. A little research for our own benefit mixed with journalism. Of course we need to finish off the wool sales first before I can spend time on my own pursuits."

"How are wool prices this year?" Robert inquired.

"Excellent," Tom replied. "The mills are clamoring for all they can get which is driving the price. We should be in the best shape we've been in the last few years if this keeps up. I'm keeping an eye on some of the newer crops as well. There has been some talk about sugar beets. You can use the tops for feed and there's a good market for the beets apparently. As well I though we might look into some winter crops. Fresh produce off season should bring a decent price and keep the cash coming in through the winter to offset the wages."

"Are you thinking of going to London this year for the season?" Michael asked Lord Grantham. "Edith and have been thinking of going down to London for a week of two, not during harvest, of course or when things are busy here on the estate."

"I hadn't really thought about it. It would be nice to open the London house now that things are picking up a bit around here. I do miss the old haunt," Robert replied.

"Rose has been wanting to take the children to Scotland to see where she was raised. We only did a weekend to the shore last year," Tom commented. "Let me know when you're planning to go to London soon Michael so we can coordinate things."

"Right-o," Michael replied. "I must be off. I can't think what Edith's gotten up to. I've got to get going. I'm looking at increasing publicity for our farmer's market next winter. I want to promote the direct buying in York again. We can't sit on our hands and expect the orders to keep rolling in."

"I had best get moving as well," Tom said checking the time then addressing his children. "Redmond, Davin, bus, the rest of you, go poke your mother out of Aunt Rosamund's closet and get to your lessons."

"We have riding this morning. Mummy can do whatever she likes. We don't have classroom until after lunch," Sybil informed her father.

"Then get yourself down to the stable," Tom said coming around the table to kiss his daughter and younger sons goodbye for the day. As he released Sybil he suddenly realized how very much she resembled her mother when he had first met her. _"She is growing up and she seems taller,"_ he thought to himself before he rushed Redmond and Davin out the door and towards the school bus.

Chapter 20 – Like Her Mother

"Daddy, why do some people make their children stop school when they're thirteen?" Sybil asked her father one afternoon in late May while he was doing paperwork. She had just come in from outside and was carrying her flute.

"Because it is what their parents know," Tom replied. "People like to stick to what they were raised with. It's not easy to change the way you think. If their happy with how things are, they think their children will be too."

"But you didn't stay a chauffeur," Sybil said.

"No, I worked as a footman and a chauffeur and before that I drove a horse drawn cab," Tom said. "I wasn't happy, so I studied and learned on my own whenever I could and eventually things changed, but it wasn't easy. Gram thought she was doing better by Uncle Kieran and myself by keeping us in school until we were fifteen. It was more than she had. The government is talking about changing things so children have to stay in school longer, but it is still a long ways off."

"Like all women having the right to vote?" Sybil asked with a frown. "Mummy taught us about it in class. It took a long time."

"Some changes are forced, like when the banks closed," Tom replied. "Most take a long time and people saying no to what was and demand change. Why are you asking?"

"No reason," Sybil said with a shrug.

"There must be some reason," her father replied.

"There's this boy. His father works at the stable. He has to quit school when he finishes the year in June and go to work for the blacksmith. He doesn't want to," Sybil replied slowly. "He wants to go to school."

"It's a hard thing, Sybil. Blacksmiths make good money. His father will see it as him having a secure future if he learns well. It would be better if he could stay at school and become a blacksmith later, but there isn't anything we can do about it," Tom said.

"Mummy said everyone should fight for the right to go to school," Sybil replied. "I don't think it's right to make someone quit if they don't want to."

"No, it isn't. I've always wished I had more," Tom said with a sigh. "Do you want me to go and talk to his father? I doubt it will do any good, but I could have a word with him."

"I don't know. His father got awful mad last time he saw us talking when I was at the stables. Russel has a job after school and on weekends as a stable boy."

"He was chatting when he was supposed to be working," Tom reminded her. "His father won't want him to loose his post. I'll speak to him. What were you doing with your flute outdoors?"

"Bird sounds," Sybil replied. She played a few notes that sounded like birdcalls.

"Very nice," Tom replied. "I'll have a talk with the boy's father next time I'm down to the stables."

-0-

Tom headed down to the stables a few days later to make arrangements for mounts for Lord Grantham's guests as a result of the newspaper articles. They had arranged that Tom would take them on a brief tour of some of the updated operation by horseback the next afternoon. Tom had completely forgotten about his conversation with Sybil until he spotted a boy of around twelve pushing a wheelbarrow across the paddock. Tom stopped by the fence, leaned on the rail and waited until the boy came abreast of him.

"What's your name, son?" Tom inquired.

"Russel, Sir," the boy said tipping his hat to Tom.

"You're acquainted with my daughter Miss Sybil aren't you?" Tom asked.

The boy's eyes opened wide in fright.

"Yes, Sir," he stammered out.

"She tells me you're not too keen on quitting school and it's Mr. Branson not Sir."

"Not particularly, Mr. Branson."

"I wasn't too keen on quiting myself when I was a lad, but I had no choice. Now I wish I had at least finished grammar school. I'm self educated but it's not the same."

Russell's eyes opened wide at Tom's words.

"Don't look so shocked, son. I'm living proof you can change your lot in life, but it isn't easy," Tom said. "Where might I find your father?"

"He's seeing to Midnight. The gelding has a swollen forelock," Russell replied. "First barn, fourth stall."

"I'll let you get back to your duties," Tom said. He walked into the barn and spoke to the head groomsman first about the mounts he would need for the next day. He spotted a man who he assumed was Russell's father working further down the row of stalls.

"How is the horse doing?" Tom asked the man who was binding the animal's leg.

He looked up and quickly touched his hat when he saw whom it was.

"He'll be fine in a few days with rest," the man said looking a bit worried.

"Are you Russell's father?" Tom inquired.

"Aye that's right. I'm sorry he's been bothering your daughter, Sir. It won't happen again. I've warned him before."

"That's not why I've come to talk to you," Tom replied levelly. "My daughter is free to speak to whomever she chooses. Your son hasn't done anything wrong. He can speak to her whenever he likes as long as he gets his work done." Tom paused and stroked the gelding's neck. "What is your name?"

"Beldon, Sir. Matthew Beldon."

"Mr. Beldon, call me Mr. Branson. The only Sir around here is Lord Grantham. My daughter tells me your son is to leave school and go to work for a blacksmith next month."

"That's right. It's a good place for him. He'll learn a good trade."

"How much do you know about me?" Tom asked the man.

"You were married to the Lord's late daughter. Your current wife is a relative of noble birth and treated as a daughter of the house and you're the Estate Agent," Matthew Beldon replied. "Other than that, very little, Mr. Branson." He had heard plenty in the village gossip chain and at the local pub that he wasn't about to repeat.

"Then you haven't been listening to the village gossips," Tom replied with a slight chuckle. "The real story is I'm a working class lad from the streets of Dublin. I left school early to go to work to help my family and read every book I could get my hands on for years trying to educate myself. I've regretted leaving school my entire life. I hope your son won't do the same."

"Begging your pardon, Mr. Branson. But you're a toff, the Estate Agent," Matthew Beldon replied in surprise.

"Not a toff, especially if you listen to my father-in-law from my first marriage or my current mother-in-law. I just wanted to ask you to reconsider allowing your son to continue with his education. He has a lifetime to work. Another few years of school might be good for him especially if it's what he wants."

"He needs to take a good opportunity when it comes along. He might not get another," Matthew Beldon replied stubbornly.

"There is always a different opportunity, just perhaps not the one our parents want for us. My late mother had a fit when she found out I had taken a job as an Estate Agent and we won't mention her reaction to my current wife," Tom replied. "I had best let you get back to work. I've got work of my own to see to as well and I'm running late. I promised my daughter I would speak to you. She's a lot like her late mother. She was concerned for everyone around her as well. Good day to you." Tom turned around and left the building without a backward glance.

Matthew Beldon could only stand and stare after he had tipped his hat to the man. He had heard the man was peculiar with modern notions but a working class background was something he would have never suspected.

"What'd the Estate Agent want with you?" another of the grooms asked him a few minutes later.

"Nothing really. Odd fellow," Mr. Beldon replied. "Told me a bit about himself then left. He thinks my boy should stay in school."

"Russell will have a good place," the other groom commented.

"After today I'm not so sure," Mr. Beldon said thoughtfully. Then turned back to work. "No time to tarry. We need to get the feed out for the draft horses before their back from the fields. Russell what are you doing in the medicine cabinet?"

"Reading the labels Dad," Russell replied. "Did you know this one is ninety-eight percent grain alcohol? That is almost pure whiskey. This one has camphor. It is good for respiratory ailments."

"Never mind your day dreaming. You've got work to do," his father replied. The boy had his nose forever in a book and was constantly using big words no one else understood. He would have a talk with him when they got home but right now they had work to get to.

-0-

"A very decent operation you have here," Theodore Foxworth commented as the men were looking at the different crops and newer farming implements by horseback the next afternoon. Michael and Lord Grantham were along as well as Tom and Lord Bradstone. Both visiting men were involved in managing large estate farms. Lord Bradstone's ancestral home was rented out and he was living in the Dower House with his wife as both his parents were deceased.

"It has taken hard work and sacrifice over the last few years to maintain things as much as we have," Lord Grantham replied. "My late heir, Matthew Crawley spearheaded the original modernization. Mr. Branson was here when we first started the modernization over ten years ago and knows the working part of the operation best. Mr. Gregson has come into the fold more recently and is up on the newer marketing techniques for distributing products."

"Do you have many problems with pilfering?" Theodore Foxworth inquired. "It's become our worst problem in the last few years. I can't say I blame the poor wretches. They're hungry and the crops are standing in the fields just waiting to be harvested, but they can clean out almost an entire field in a week. It got to the point where we were struggling to pay the workers while the factories were closed and people in the town were almost all living on nothing since we are close to a small city. The pilfering was at epidemic proportions."

"We've only had problems with sheep being nabbed," Tom replied. "We set up a network of keeping each other informed among the tenant farmers. Each watched what they could from their place. We worked with the local constable as well to catch the culprits. After we caught a few the others hightailed it out of the area."

"We've had problems with pilfering as well," Lord Bradley said. "Last year was so bad I've had the furthest fields sewn into hay and alfalfa. I've moved the crops in closer to where they can be seen from the tenant farms or the main village. Hopefully it will slow things down."

"We've opened the crop fields to the children's home and another charity from Ripon after the harvest," Michael commented. "They go out and pick what's left."

"Our priority when all this mess first happened was to stop people from starving to death on the estate," Lord Grantham said. "I can certainly understand the problem though if people are taking without permission to the point where it is harming your workers and the main operation. It is all such a delicate balancing act these days to keep men working and build enough of a contingency to meet unexpected problems and at the same time to be able to maintain some type of life for yourself and your family with moderate standards."

"I thought we'd ride over and take a look at the local brewery next," Michael commented. "It's one of the businesses we've added to the estate in the last few years. It's doing well so far and has been another reason to commit acreage into diversified crops. I must say a hop garden is something no one would pilfer. They would taste absolutely ghastly."

"A riding tour followed by a pint of fine ale," Lord Bradstone commented. "It sounds almost like the old days."

"Except my father would have never engaged in an exchange of ideas and business practices as we are doing. I'm finding this a thoroughly engaging experience and one I hope we can repeat," Theodore Foxworth commented.

"I'm afraid mine would have considered exchanging ideas in bad taste, but then I'm not my father. I would hope you would all accept an invitation to pay a like visit to my estate," Lord Bradstone replied.

"We would be happy to accept your invitation," Lord Grantham said. Both Michael and Tom nodded their agreement.

"As would I," Theodore Foxworth said.

"Another slight shift from what was," Lord Grantham commented. "Shall we gentlemen. I wouldn't mind a glass of ale myself. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for spending half a day on horseback."

"Of course, Lord Grantham. How thoughtless of us to keep you out for so long," Lord Bradstone said. "It is easy to get wrapped up in shop talk with someone else who understands the changes we are all going through."

"Indeed it is," Lord Grantham replied.

-0-

"You seem happy today," Tom commented to Sybil a week after Lord Grantham's guests had left. He was seated at the desk in the library going through some estate correspondence.

"Thank you, Daddy," Sybil said coming over to kiss her father and put her arms around him from behind.

"For what?" Tom asked.

"Russell is going to go back to school this fall. Whatever you said to his father worked."

"I doubt anything I said made a difference. You really like him don't you?" Tom asked.

"He's nice and he's always been at the stables since I can remember."

"You're so much like your mother. It is unbelievable at times. I could be talking to her right now."

"Everyone says I look like her. What was she like?"

"Like you," Tom said with a slight smile. "She cared about people and wanted to help them."

"I just wanted my friend to go to school if he wants," Sybil said with her head tilted to the side.

"It doesn't matter to you that he works in a stable and doesn't have nice clothes?"

"No, why should it?" Sybil questioned.

"It shouldn't," Tom replied. "There's a photo album with pictures of your mother over on the shelf. I'll get it and tell you what I remember."


	15. Facing Change Part VI

Facing Change – Part VI - Chapters 21 through 24

_Put a bit in by request. Just for you Duchess._

Chapter 21 – Realization

"Thomas are you certain we should be going to the pub on a weekday," Mrs. Blackwell asked him. It was midsummer. The Branson family had taken a week trip to Scotland to visit an old friend of Lady Rose's and given her the week off. She didn't fancy going to one of her brother's to act as a fifth wheel and had decided to stay at the Abbey and relax for her week free. Thomas Barrow was free tonight as well since Lord and Lady Grantham had gone for an overnight to their friends and Mr. Gregson and Lady Edith had gone along as well.

"We have a little time to ourselves. We should relax," Thomas said.

"The pub on a week night! I'm not so sure. You know how people in the village talk," Abigail Blackwell said.

"I do at that," Thomas replied. "Why two people can't spend time together without the tongues starting to clack is beyond me."

"We have this huge house to ourselves and the grounds are lovely at this time of year. Why don't we go for a walk," Abigail suggested.

"We've been for a walk three nights in a row," Thomas said. "I have an idea. Something a little daring."

"Oh, nothing too daring, I hope," Abigail replied.

"Come with me," Thomas led her up the stairs to the corridor where the family bedrooms were then through a door and up another flight of stairs.

"Thomas, wherever are you taking me," Abigail said with concern.

"Somewhere that could be rather fun if neither of us tell anyone," Thomas replied with a rather wicked smile. He opened the door at the top of the stair to reveal a small room that was under the eaves of the roof. "Behold a treasure trove of unused clothing. These are the cedar lines chests and trunks with years and years of clothes that aren't worn anymore. Don't tell me you've never wondered what it would be like to wear one of those fancy dresses."

"Oh Thomas, we can't. We'll get in trouble if anyone ever finds out," Abigail replied wide eyed.

"Who is going to tell them? Let's see your slight, not too tall. There's a nice dress or two in here from before the last war," Thomas said opening a chest to reveal dresses that had been in vogue almost fifteen years before. "Pick one."

"Oh, the fabric is ever so fine," Abigail said touching the dresses longingly.

"No one will care, there are some that are even older but they're designed for those old fashioned corsets and you don't really need one," Thomas said. He went over and opened a trunk. "I've always wondered what was in here." Laid out in the trunk were frilly shirts, frock coats and men's pants and stockings that must have been close to a hundred years out of date. "What do you think?" he asked holding up a frilly shirt.

"You'd look rather dashing and courtly in that. I'd like to try this one," Abigail said holding up a dress that Mary had worn back before the Great War.

"Shoes for milady," Thomas said with a small grin opening a chest where old shoes were kept. "And a hat." He selected the hat Mary had worn with the dress. "Well go down to one of the empty bedrooms and try all this on shall we?"

"I feel perfectly sinful," Abigail said with a slight titter.

"They never bother with this stuff anymore," Thomas said. "Once in a while Lady Rose looks through for something to remake for Miss Sybil or one of the boys. They won't even notice if something has been worn."

"I hope your right," Abigail said collecting the things and heading out the door with Thomas behind her. They went into one of the unused bedrooms. Thomas started taking his things off and tossing them on the bed.

"I can't change with you here," she said.

"Go behind the screen," Thomas said. "I won't look."

Abigail slowly went behind the screen and started to unbutton her dress. She peeked through the hinge and watched Thomas change. _"It is such a shame he isn't interested in women,"_ she thought. _"He does cut a fine figure especially in his under drawers and with his shirt hanging open and the few greys at his temples make him look distinguished." _It wasn't long and she had Mary's old dress on although she couldn't do up the clasps. "I'm afraid I'll need some help," she said.

"Personal ladies maid also known as former valet at your service," Thomas quipped. He had her done up in no time. "There now, you look as pretty as a picture." He was just doing up the frilly bit at his neck. "What do you think of this get up?"

"You look as if you stepped out of the pages of a novel," Abigail said. "I do feel dreadfully sinful, but this is fun."

"Milady, may I escort you to the ball?" Thomas said with a bow and a flourish.

"I don't mind if I do," she replied taking his hand.

"Slight detour. Wait right here," Thomas said. He made a quick dash up to his room for a bottle of Scotch he had in his bottom drawer. He was back in a minute and escorted Abigail down the main staircase. "A drink for milady?"

"Why yes, that would be rather lovely," Abigail said playing along. She seated herself on the edge of a settee and posed the way she had seen the grand ladies do.

Thomas retrieved two crystal glasses and poured them each a drink. He put a record on the gramophone and took a seat on the settee as well and raised his glass in a toast. "To finding a good friend in an unexpected place," he said.

"To my best friend in the world." Abigail raised her glass and took a sip. The alcohol burned all the way down and took her breath away.

"Oh my, that is strong," she said.

"A few sips and you'll get used to it," Thomas replied confidently. He finished his first glass and put on another record. He poured a second glass for himself and topped up Abigail's drink.

"Thomas we shouldn't," she said. She hiccupped slightly.

"No one is here except us and no one will be until at least tomorrow afternoon. Relax a bit," he said. "I'll tell you something." He was starting to feel no pain. "I've lived in this house for twenty years, except a few when this happened." He waved his bad hand. "I've always wondered what it would be like to sit here and have a drink with someone I liked. Now I'm doing it."

"Is it what you thought?" Abigail asked with a giggle.

"Better," Thomas said. He knocked back his second drink, changed the recording and took her hand for a dance around the great hall. They kept bumping into furniture and were snickering like a pair of drunken fools.

"I'm having a lovely time," Abigail said.

"Me too," Thomas replied. "I used to have a friend when I first worked here. She was a real scab and mean, not pretty like you. I don't like her anymore. I like you a lot better."

"I like you, too," Abigail said. The room was spinning wildly and she had to rest her head against Thomas to keep upright.

"Lesh go try on some more clothes," Thomas slurred.

Abigail could only nod. Thomas managed to take the needle off the record. He grabbed the bottle of scotch and their glasses before they half climbed, half stumbled their way up the stairs.

"I'll go pick out another dress for you," Thomas said waiving his finger at her. "Have another drink." He managed to pour more of the liquor into the two glasses and downed his before he wobbled off to find another dress. Abigail slowly sipped hers while rocking back and forth to the music that was still playing inside her head.

"Look what I found," Thomas said. He was holding up an old garden party dress that must have dated back to before the turn of the century. He managed to hook the hanger on the screen after two tries.

"Loovely," Abigail managed to slur. She turned around three times in the middle of the room. "I can't undo this dresh. You'll have to help me."

Thomas nodded with his hair falling forward. He opened the hooks for her then stopped when his hand touched her bare mid section. "You feel good," he said stupidly.

"Did you expect me to feel bad," Abigail said giggling madly. She pushed the dress off to land in a puddle on the floor. She bent down to retrieve it wobbling every which way then tossed it over the screen. "Oops," she said wobbling this way and that. Thomas reached out to steady her then fell over backwards onto the bed when she lost her balance.

"We shhhould get up," he said.

"When the room stops moving."

"What are you doing?" he asked. His head was buzzing from the strong liquor. He hadn't had anything stronger than beer in months and he had only eaten a light meal that evening. The three glasses of scotch had gone straight to his head.

"Helping you get your shirt off. It looks scratchy," she said. She had to keep blinking her eyes to focus them. "You're a nice man."

"I am? I used to be a valet and I am one," he replied stating to not make sense.

"One what?"

"A man."

Abigail stopped what she was doing and laid her head on his chest suddenly.

"I'm dizzy," she said.

"I'm drunk," Thomas replied.

"That too."

"We should go to bed," he slurred with half closed eyes.

"We are in a bed," she said not bothering to lift her head.

"Want to stay here?" Thomas asked. His eyes were closed and he was half asleep. He felt Abigail nod against his bare chest.

"Good night then," he said.

"You've got to take your clothes off for bed. Even little children know that," she said through the fog that was threatening to totally engulf her. Thomas managed to move around enough he pulled the covers on the bed back, then threw his clothes off. He was vaguely conscious of Abigail crawling under the covers as well. She was nice and warm so he put his arm around her middle. He could feel himself responding when he felt a pair of warm lips against his. _"Damn,"_ he thought inside his liquor clouded brain. _"I haven't kissed anyone in a long time. It's been at least two years. I wonder if women taste anything like men."_

The next morning Thomas cracked an eye open. His head was splitting and he wasn't sure where he was. He sat up quickly to realize he was in one of the seldom-used bedrooms of the Abbey and the sound of the shower running could be heard coming from the next room. He remembered talking Abigail into playing dress up last night but he had to shake his head to clearly remember the rest of the night. It only took him a moment to realize he was completely naked and what they had done the previous night. For a moment he couldn't believe he had been with a woman. Him? He was a man that had never felt the least attraction to a woman in his entire life.

He leaned back against the pillows for a moment and pressed his hand against his throbbing temple. He hadn't had a lover in a long time. He seldom got to London these days and when he did the gay bars where all young men looking for a sugar daddy to keep them. He had been spending time with Abigail. They were two lonely souls keeping company or so he thought. Slowly it dawned on him. He had a true friend for the first time in his life. Someone he couldn't think of living without. He didn't ever want to be apart from her. He wasn't lonely at all anymore, not in the least.

He threw back the covers and went into the washroom. He stood there for a moment considering what he was about to do. He took a deep breath before he opened the curtain around the tub and stepped in to join her in the shower. Abigail tried to cover herself quickly with her hands and the cloth she was holding. She looked at him with a startled expression.

"I don't want to live alone anymore," Thomas said. The water was running down the back of his neck and over his shoulders. Here he was standing naked as the day he was born in front of his only true friend in the world feeling more vulnerable than he ever had in years. She reached out with the cloth and slowly wiped it down one side of his chest then the other. She lathered the cloth again and wiped his neck then had him turn while she washed his back. The entire time he was squeezing his eyes shut waiting for her rejection. Everyone he had ever had feelings for rejected him in some way. His father had ridiculed him when he didn't go after girls, the Duke of Crowborough had tossed him to the side like so much trash and Edward Courtenay had killed himself rather than admit to any feelings existing between them. She finally turned him back to face her with a gentle pressure on his shoulders. Her hands slid up to rest lightly on his shoulders and then caress the nape of his neck. Thomas opened his eyes when the rejection didn't come. He couldn't help but notice how small her breasts were and the flatness of her stomach. He finally brought himself to look at her face.

"Well then, I guess that makes two of us," she said edging closer to him. Thomas put his arms around her and drew her into a tight embrace and laid his cheek on her hair. She returned his embrace as the water ran down over the pair of them. He felt reassured she wasn't going to leave him as every friend he had in the past had done. He could feel the hurt he had carried in his heart from all the years of rejection and odd looks melting away. For the first time in his life, he knew he was exactly where he was meant to be.

-0-

At the first of August Mary arrived to spend the rest of the summer with her parents. George was happy to be home at the Abbey. He, Sybil and Davin were spending most of their days together swimming, fishing and riding horses when they weren't visiting back and forth with their friends. Tom had arranged for Redmond and Davin to work on the farm that summer except for the family's trip to Scotland. Redmond was now fourteen and Davin would be thirteen in another few months. The boys were both bright and would be continuing to university. Tom had no illusions as to the finances. They would both have to write for scholarships and work in the summers to make it through. Even then it wouldn't be a lavish existence for them even with he and Rose putting in as much as they could. Sybil was heading to grammar school as well this year and the youngest three were all looking like they were doing well at school and would have bright futures as well. It wasn't going to be easy getting all of them educated and settled.

Mary's youngest son Edward had settled down a great deal with more consistent attention from his father. He was busy running here and there outdoors with Garret and Bradley. They were busy being boys, digging for worms to try their luck with their fishing poles or making boats from scrap pieces of wood to float on the lake. Elizabeth was as precocious as ever and seemed to be able to find all sorts of things to get into. She was better than ever at hiding it.

"Mary, why didn't you have Elizabeth attend school this year," Edith questioned her sister. She had discovered her jewelry box that morning completely mixed up. There was no question in her mind as to who had been playing in it. "She should have at least kept up her piano. She hasn't advanced in her music at all and she doesn't know how to print as well as she should."

"I've been trying to do some work with her myself," Mary said. "We've discussed getting a governess but I'm afraid it hasn't happened yet. Our priority for school is the boys."

"Oh Mary!" Edith exclaimed. For all their public bickering when they were younger Edith was very concerned for her sister's children. Holding onto the old ways just didn't work any more. Every time the younger aristocrats came through the door, the change in their attitudes was obvious. She had to make her sister see sense somehow. "Mary, you know for a young girl to be truly accomplished should have training in music, art, languages and dance," Edith said more softly. "Have you worked on any of those?"

Mary's face flushed slightly. "Just singing which has always been my forte."

"Mary, this time I have to agree with Edith," Rosamund commented setting her cup down. "If you can't provide the basics you have to find someone or something that will."

"You know my views on educating young women," Isobel commented slowly. Her hands shook these days and she did most things slowly. "It seems a shame when there is so much available for school not to send Elizabeth somewhere. I was reading the other day the requirements for nurse's training have just been increased. Now young women must have finished grammar school to apply for training."

"I must say my course this last winter would have been much easier with formal schooling," Edith commented. "If it hadn't been for my time working as a journalist I would have been completely lost. As it was I had a terrible time learning the geometry one minute and teaching it the next when I did my practical training."

"I'm sure Rose would tell you the same thing," Cora commented. Rose had gone out riding with a group of the children that afternoon and wasn't back yet.

"With both George and Edward inheriting estates, I think it would be prudent to have Elizabeth educated as well," Robert commented thoughtfully.

"Papa!" Mary exclaimed in shock. "What makes you say that? You were always so opposed with us."

"A number of things," her father replied. "We've undergone massive changes in how the estate is run for one thing. What Matthew started was only the tip of the iceberg so to speak. The family now must be actively involved in the running of the estate. It has become obvious to me and through meeting with other younger nobles who are now running things in these times, strict adherence to the old ways no longer stands the test of time. I dare say Rose could step into her husband's shoes in a pinch. She knows a great deal about the inner workings of the estate and the tenants. Edith has helped with the marketing more than once and has put together a number of events for the local Business Men's Association and the Farmer's Association to that end. Think about it like this, Mary. George and Edward will both inherit estates. The people we can count on most are family. Elizabeth will need an education for the task ahead and to help see either of the estates through for future generations."

"You've changed your opinion so radically, Papa," Mary said thoughtfully.

"Mary, neither your father or I would approve of the children attending a village school, but I think what your father is saying is correct," Cora said. "A good basis is what the children need to take over this estate and Anthony's in the future. There is a place for education in our world now that didn't exist before. A girl can be educated and still act like a lady. Sybil is proof of that."

"You make it sound so easy," Mary said. "Anthony wants Elizabeth raised in a way that befits her title, but I do understand what you're trying to say. There may be a day when her brothers need her to help run things and she needs to be prepared."

"The other day King George commented to one of my good friends, the days when all you had to do was look good sitting on a horse are gone," Rosamund commented. "I daresay I think it applies to the ladies as well."

Chapter 22 – A New Student

"Of course Elizabeth can stay here and attend class with the others," Cora said. "Can't she Rose?"

Rose took a moment to collect herself. She had quite enjoyed last year with only her own children to teach. This year Sybil was off to grammar school and she was down to her three youngest sons. She had been looking forward to the days being a little less complicated with just the three of them. Edith had taken a post at a day school in Ripon starting next month, which had meant the Bradley and Garret's piano lessons would have to be on Saturdays.

"Yes of course," Rose said quickly. She caught herself before she frowned. "Elizabeth will have to abide by the class rules the same as when you lived here before."

"I spoke to Anthony and we simply can't afford boarding school for Elizabeth if we are going to send Edward next year and there isn't a day school in our area Anthony approves of," Mary said.

"I think she might have a bit of trouble if you sent her straight to second year," Rose said. "Edith mentioned she has been working with her a bit, but there are a few areas Elizabeth will need to catch up. By Christmas she should be ready to attend school if you find one you think is suitable."

"I have every confidence, Mama will be able to handle her in my absence," Mary said.

"So you're not planning to stay?" Rose asked in surprise.

"Heavens no, Anthony has come to depend on me as a sounding board since I moved to the hotel with him. He needs me to listen to his ideas or so he says," Mary replied. "I seem to spend my days choosing menus for the dining room and chatting up the guests so they stay longer."

"If you're certain it's what you want," Rose said.

"Family always trumps strangers as Granny used to say," Mary said. "I would rather Elizabeth stay with family than a boarding school any day."

-0-

"I feel like I'm being mean not wanting Elizabeth to stay," Rose told Tom the next day. She had gone out with him on the motorcycle to check on some fields. They were parked by a field that was almost ready for harvest.

"The girl needs you. There isn't a lot you can do and this isn't our house," Tom reminded her.

"I know she needs me right now," Rose said. "I just feel like Mary is taking the easy way out at the moment and Elizabeth and the boys just aren't interested in the same things. Sybil has always just rolled with whatever the boys came up with but Elizabeth has a much harder time of it."

"Why? Because she didn't want to go and dig for worm in the dung heap behind the stables yesterday?" Tom said with a chuckle.

Rose curled her nose at the mention.

"Worms, smelly fish and all the rest of the things the youngest two boys especially seem to be into these days," Rose said. "I can't say I'm particularly overjoyed with their smelly boy pursuits myself but Elizabeth makes such a fuss. If she would just ignore them and go on to her own pastimes they wouldn't tease her."

"It will pass, by next summer it will be something completely different," Tom said. "Elizabeth is much better than she used to be."

"I suppose I'm a bit worried she'll miss her mother and act up," Rose replied. "Mrs. Blackwell had a note from one of her brothers. His wife is having surgery so she's going to take care of her for a week. I just feel better able to cope when she's here. She's a cook, housekeeper and minder of children."

"There are enough here to take care of one extra little girl," Tom said evenly. "You'll get her involved in your Scottish dance class, she'll have music, riding, and day lessons. Have her grandmother set her up with children to visit among their friends. The child will be so busy she won't have time to get into anything. She'll flop over from exhaustion every night at bedtime."

"Good idea. Cousin Cora and Cousin Rosamund can see to Elizabeth's social circle," Rose said cheering up and smiling so her dimples showed. "I'm glad I thought of it."

"You're welcome," Tom said with a chuckle.

-0-

"Thomas, cheer up," Abigail Blackwell said to Thomas Barrow a few hours before she was to leave for her brother's. It had been a month since their night together. "I'll only be gone a week. You look like you're going to a funeral rather than walking me to the train station."

"I'll miss you," Thomas said. It was a hard admission. He had always prided himself on being hard and callous and taking whatever life threw his way. In truth all of the people who had walked out of his life one way or the other without a backward glance had hurt. He was just waiting for it to happen again.

"And I'll miss you," Abigail said taking his good hand and giving it a squeeze before she went to check that she had everything she needed in her handbag. Her suitcase was packed and sitting in the hallway.

"A week at my brother's with his five little ones and his wife laid up and I'll be running back," Abigail said once they were out the door and walking down the drive towards the village.

"Will you? Will you really?" Thomas asked.

"Thomas, what has gotten into you?" Abigail questioned.

"You don't think you'll find life at your brother's more exciting and decide to stay?"

"No. Why would I want to stay there? I can cook meals and wash clothes here and pick up after children that are much better behaved then my brother's and get paid for it here," she said. "Besides. Here I have your company in the evenings and I wouldn't want to give that up." She smiled at him with the last bit.

Thomas finally managed to return her smile with a faint one of his own. He had such a strong feeling of dread he didn't know what to do or say. Ever since they had slept together he had felt mixed up inside. When he was a young boy he had tried to ask a girl out he thought was pretty. She had laughed at him and soon his father had made fun of him as well for his fumbling attempts into the world of adolescent courtship. Girls and then women had held less and less appeal for him until the day he found himself attracted to another boy his own age. From that day he had considered himself a gay man. His father had found out and disowned him. Shortly after he had gone into service and come to the Abbey to live. Now he all he could feel was confusion about who he was.

They had only been together the one time. Abigail had fretted about being pregnant until she had almost made herself sick. When the answer was finally no as of last week she had been relieved and he had felt slightly disappointed which had confused him even more. Their relationship wasn't sexual but neither was it distant. They had started to hug each other when the other needed reassurance and held hands from time to time. She had rubbed liniment on his back when he strained himself and he had painted her toenails for her one evening. He couldn't put a label on their relationship and he didn't want to. There was just something about their connection he had never found anywhere else and didn't particularly want to at this point in his life.

"You'll be fine on your own. You probably won't even miss me. Are you afraid I'll meet a man while I'm away and leave you forever?" Abigail teased him.

"Getting cheeky are we?" Thomas replied.

"You bring out my cheeky side," she replied. "I never knew I had one before."

"I bet you had the men lined up at your door and your just having me on," Thomas said suddenly feeling jealous out of the blue. It was a new sensation for him being jealous over a woman.

"Lined up wanting me to cook their meals and wash their dirty socks while they sidled their bellies up to the bar for a daily pint," Abigail said with a snort. "I think not."

"You make men sound so attractive," Thomas teased her.

"I've never found one who like me for me before, that I liked in return and wasn't already taken," she said. "The only ones I've met all were interested in me for cooking and cleaning. You can do all that for yourself. You're completely different."

"You really do like me?" Thomas asked her for about the fortieth time in four weeks.

"When I get back we'll spend our next free day together. I quite enjoyed our last one."

"It was rather lovely," Thomas replied. He smiled at the memory. They had read the newspaper on the sofa in her sitting room with her legs curled under her. He could smell the scent of her lavender soap across the space. They had read articles and interesting bits out loud to each other and she had rubbed his back for him for the second time since he had strained it moving a heavy object earlier in the week. He had closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her firm touch. Having someone touch him in a loving way that had nothing to do with sex was a new experience and one he was finding he couldn't get enough of. Afterwards they had walked along the pond and eaten apples they picked from the trees in the orchard. That evening they had gone to the pictures and shared popcorn and made fun of the corny lines in the movie. He had never felt more relaxed or cared for.

"The next time though it's you who gets to rub my back," she said with a slight flush. She still got slightly flustered at their closer relationship.

"I could do that," Thomas replied finally relaxing since they were speaking of when she would be home again and starting to make plans.

When they got to the train station and her bag was loaded into the baggage car, he turned to her.

"I won't say have a good time," Thomas said. "I want you to want to come back."

"I already want to come back, silly," she chided him. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Goodbye Thomas, behave yourself while I'm gone."

"Abigail, wait," Thomas said. She had already turned to board the train. "I…"

"I know," she said. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek and then gave her a quick peck on the lips. "That wasn't too difficult was it?" she asked.

"No, not difficult at all," he said. He stood on the platform and waved as the train pulled out then walked back to the Abbey alone. Morgana came dashing towards him once he was back to the drive leading to the main house then trotted along beside. The day staff was in and going about their chores when he got down to the servants' hallway. He walked by the housekeeper's sitting room willing himself not to look at the door. "I'll_ make it through the week_," he told himself. "_It doesn't matter to me."_ His determination lasted until he got to the butler's office and closed the door. _"Who are you trying to kid? It's been thirty minutes and you're already a miserable wretch."_ It was going to be a long week.

-0-

"I've heard a bit of news you all might find interesting," Tom commented cautiously at dinner a few nights after Mrs. Blackwell had left to see to her brother's household. "I ran into the estate agent from one of the bordering estates today in the village."

"Something of interest in the county we haven't already heard about? Do tell," Robert said with curiosity.

"It seems an old neighbor of yours, Lord Grantham, one you don't like very much has had a stroke. He is completely paralyzed on one side. He's not expected to last much longer," Tom said.

"Strallen," Robert huffed in disgust. There was only one neighboring estate owner he didn't like and wouldn't speak to till this day. "It couldn't have happened to a better man."

"Robert have a little charity," Cora scolded him.

"Papa, I got over things years ago," Edith said. "I don't see why you can't. I met Michael and I'm much better off."

"A lucky escape with that one, Edith," Rosamund piped up. "Better to have one young and handsome in your bed than to be tending to an old man on his death bed."

"We will all get there one day, Aunt Rosamund," Edith retorted quickly.

"Better to get there together," Rosamund replied just as quick.

"I wonder who will take over his estate," Edith said. "He didn't have any children."

"Hopefully someone decent," Robert grumped.

"How did you enjoy school Elizabeth?" Cora asked to change the subject.

"It was fun," Elizabeth said. "I drew a picture of my Papa's hotel."

"Tomorrow you will have dance class after school," Rose said. "Aunty Edith will want to hear your piano practice on Saturday. You have to practice if you want to play for your Papa when he arrives. He and your Mama are planning to visit next month." They had a bit of a disagreement that week over who had time on the piano to practice first. There were two pianos in the house but three who needed to practice. Elizabeth had a bit of trouble waiting her turn. It was going to take time to even it all out, but Rose was determined Elizabeth was going to stick to the rules and she would learn to share eventually.

"What's wrong with Mr. Barrow?" Sybil asked when the butler had gone down to retrieve the dessert. "He looks sick."

"I saw him blubbing when I went to get the clean towels," Davin blurted out.

"Davin, we don't discuss other people's problems," Rose corrected him quickly.

"Whatever is wrong, it isn't any of your concern," Tom told the children.

"I'll draw Mr. Barrow a card tomorrow," Dylan said. "I'll put _I Hope You Feel Better Soon_ on it."

"That would be kind of you, son," Tom said. If he didn't know better he would say Thomas Barrow was pining for a woman, the man looked exactly like a young boy in love, which was ridiculous. Thomas Barrow was older than he was and his preference for men was well known. Whatever was bothering the man wasn't his concern.

Chapter 23 – Unexpected Places

Thomas Barrow stepped off the bus in York and headed for the small out of the way pub frequented by gay men in the area. It was his day off. He had been so worked up since Abigail left for her brother's four days ago he thought he would give the place a try. Perhaps he would find someone and get whatever was eating him out of his system. He didn't understand the feelings he was having. His stomach was tied in knots and tears had come to his eyes twice that week of their own accord. One of the Branson's children had come downstairs to retrieve clean towels for their washroom and caught him blubbering over the wine register. He'd felt a great ruddy fool, a grown man crying over a mixed up entry.

He stepped through the door of the pub and headed to the bar in the narrow dimly lit room. It wasn't a place that drew attention to itself and the clientele preferred it that way. There were a few men here and there around the room. The place wasn't crowded as it was still early in the day.

"What can I get you," the barkeeper asked him.

"A pint," Thomas said.

"If you don't mind me saying so, you look like hell, mate," the bar tender said as he drew the drink from the tap for Thomas.

"Nothing a drink and a friendly face won't cure," Thomas said trying to put on a grin, which came out more like a grimace.

He had taken a few sips of his drink when a young man came over and seated himself on the stool beside him.

"You look like you could use some company," he said.

Thomas looked over at him. He was around twenty-four or five years old, fair-haired, in good shape and wearing makeup. Thomas looked back to his drink. It was obvious the younger man was a male prostitute.

"I might," Thomas replied. "I just came in for a drink."

"Most come here for a little company," the young man said. "Buy me a drink?"

Thomas signaled the barkeeper to bring a pint for the young man.

"What do you do for a living?" the man asked.

"I'm a butler," Thomas replied.

"Nice clean job."

"It is," Thomas replied. He couldn't get into the conversation or chatting the younger man up. He looked over at him when his drink arrived and felt absolutely nothing. His gazed shifted to the bartender who was obviously gay as well and spoke with an affected lisp and felt no interest in his direction either.

"Why the glove?" the male prostitute tried again.

"War injury," Thomas replied.

"I do so admire a man in uniform," the younger man said. "There's always something so _forceful_ about military service." The man behind the bar nodded with a slight smirk at the intended pun.

Thomas picked up his drink and downed the rest of the pint as quickly as he could.

"I found it a less than pleasant experience," he said. "Gentlemen, the two of you have a drink on me." He plunked some coins on the bar. "Good day to you both." He exited the pub as quickly as he could. He had broken out in a cold sweat by the time he was back out on the street. He didn't know what was wrong with him. It had been exactly the kind of quick afternoon rendezvous he would have gone for in the past. He headed off to a different part of town and went through some shops, then took in a matinee at a cinema. He tried to concentrate on the film but in different parts of the story random thoughts would pop into his mind. _"I wonder what Abigail would think of this,"_ came up more than once. He had bought a box of popcorn at the concession stand. The moment he tasted it he though how Abigail would say it didn't have enough butter. By the time he got the bus back to Downton he knew his life had changed and what he wanted had changed along with it. He wanted love and he'd found it in the last place he'd ever thought to look.

-0-

Rose took a seat between Garret and Elizabeth in the classroom during the first lesson of the day. She had everyone working on creative writing this morning. They would all write a story and then illustrate it. Dylan being older was working on his story in hand writing and needed to write at least three pages. The others would write what they could depending on their printing level and the amount of words they knew. Elizabeth had already gotten out the crayons to start the picture. Garret had done half days the previous year so he could form the letters although he didn't know that many words yet. He had managed to put his name on his paper and had a simple sentence about a dog almost done.

"Please show me your story, Elizabeth," Rose said. The little girl had managed to write a few words into a somewhat disjointed sentence. "Can you read this to me?" Rose asked her gently. Elizabeth shook her head. "Think about what you would say if you were saying it out loud," Rose told her.

"I would say, the trees are turning brown and orange in the garden," Elizabeth said.

"That is a very good sentence," Rose said calmly. "Now I'll help you write it down."

Rose had her write her sentence by sounding out the words. For the more difficult words Rose broke them down into sound groups on a slate so Elizabeth could write them on her paper. Finally the little girl had three sentences about the garden written down and Rose gave her the crayons and paper to continue with her picture, before she turned to check Garret's progress. She was pushing Elizabeth a bit. She was a bright girl and was progressing through her math lessons without any problem. It would soon be time to start Bradley on cursive writing and it would be so much easier if she had Elizabeth working on it at the same time as well, but for right now she had a great deal of work ahead of her to catch up.

"What is your story about Garret?" Rose asked.

"Bagpipes," Garret said. He had wanted a set of bagpipes that summer when they visited Scotland but both Tom and Rose had grimaced and told him he had to wait until he was at least nine if he wanted to play the bagpipes. Now that he was playing the piano he was moving along steadily through the conservatory lesson plans Edith was going over with him. He seemed to be able to pick up any instrument and play it without any difficulty. He was forever borrowing one his brother's instruments and playing some kind of tune. At the rate he was going he would need to go to a professional music teacher in another year or two as he would be beyond the level Edith would be able to teach.

Later that morning after everyone had completed their stories and read them aloud to the class, they all ran into Thomas Barrow as the class was headed to the day nursery for a short break to play a game.

"Master Dylan, thank you for the card," Thomas said with a slight bow. "It was most kind."

"Your welcome, Mr. Barrow," Dylan replied.

"You're looking much better Mr. Barrow," Rose commented. "The children were all very concerned you were under the weather as were we all."

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Lady Rose," Thomas replied with a smile and slight bow. "Nothing to concern yourselves with."

"You live here. Of course we're concerned," Rose replied.

"I'll let you get on with your day," Thomas said.

He had been surprised and quite touched the day before when he got back from York and found Master Dylan's card waiting for him on his desk. The boy had drawn a scene with horses running through a field on the front and neatly lettered the inside of the card. The Branson children didn't have the haughty disdain of others one would normally expect from aristocratic children. Their father certainly was no aristocrat even though he now held a position of authority. Lady Sybil had been a caring individual when Thomas had gotten to know her through the war. He had liked her a great deal. Lady Rose was quite different but they were similar in their rebellious spirits and once you got to know her she was considerate as well under her formal exterior. He had been shocked the first time she showed up in the kitchen and made breakfast for everyone when they had first moved over and it was Abigail's day free. She had left a plate of ham and eggs for him as well once she had sent the children up with the serving dishes to the dining room and he was busy arranging the day cleaning staff with their tasks. Lady Rose was a feisty little thing. She had all of her family carrying their own laundry up and down the stairs and even had the children dusting and hovering their own rooms. She was forever tearing around with her husband on his motorbike and their children were all well behaved and polite. He just hoped some of whatever Lady Rose did with her own children would rub off on Lady Elizabeth.

Thomas was so nervous he was almost sick on Sunday when he headed to meet the train. It was raining and he had brought the staff car so Abigail wouldn't have to walk back. He didn't know what to say or do. He'd gone to the green house and retrieved a small bouquet of flowers from the gardener and put them in her sitting room. He had fussed and primped over his appearance to the point he had almost been late leaving for the train.

When he arrived at the station the train was just pulling in. He quickly parked the car and opened an umbrella for the short walk to the platform. Out of the billowing clouds of steam he saw Abigail's slight form coming towards him carrying her suitcase. He walked forward quickly, closing the umbrella as he moved towards her. She stopped and smiled when she saw him. Her smile slowly faded at the serious look on his face when he was standing just in front of her staring down at her.

"Don't ever bloody leave me again," Thomas said. He reached out and put his arms around her and pulled her to him. He kissed her right there on the platform for so long she had to put one hand on her hat to keep if from falling off. More than one person from the village stopped and stared.

"Isn't that the puff from the big house?" one of the men on the platform asked another.

The other man could only shrug his shoulders questioningly.

"Why Thomas," she said in surprise when he let her go. "I was only gone a week."

"A week of torture," he replied. "I was so lonely I thought I would go crazy." He picked up her case and started guiding her to the car while pointedly ignoring the open mouthed stares of the people standing around.

"I did miss our evenings terribly," Abigail said once they were in the car and headed to the Abbey.

"As did I," Thomas replied.

-0-

"Flowers, how delightful," Abigail said when she walked into her sitting room and saw the bouquet. "Were they left from a function upstairs?"

Thomas nervously set her case down and shuffled his feet.

"No, I got them from the greenhouse to welcome you back," he said uncertainly. "I wanted to cheer the place up a bit since it's raining."

"They're lovely and you're very thoughtful," she said going to the closet to hang her coat.

"Let me," he said quickly.

"Thomas, I'm used to doing for myself," she said. "But thank you."

"Tell me a bit about what you did at your brothers," he coaxed. He was so tongue-tied he didn't know what to say.

"Don't you have to get the table set for the evening meal?"

"I did it before I left. I have an hour or so before I have to start getting things ready down here," he said.

"Well, I didn't do much," Abigail said taking a seat on the settee. Thomas took a seat beside her. "Cooking and cleaning and seeing to the children. My sister-in-law wasn't up until day before yesterday."

"Oh, well, you had a nice time then," Thomas said distractedly.

"If you call housework a nice time," Abigail said with a slight laugh.

"While you were gone…" Thomas paused. He pushed his hair back, which was already perfectly in place ruffling it a little. "Well, I uh…well, that is to say I uhm... would you like a cup of tea?"

"Whatever it is you're trying to say out with it," Abigail said. "You're making me nervous, don't you want to be friends any longer?"

"Actually just the opposite," Thomas finally managed to say. He took her hand in his. "I did some thinking and well I…"

"Yes, you can say whatever it is. I'm not going to get angry. I've always known you prefer the company of men."

"Abigail, I love you and I want to try to have a deeper relationship with you if your willing to try," he finally managed to get out.

"How much deeper?" she questioned.

"Everything," he said. "Physical, mental, emotional. I seem to have lost my taste for everyone else male and female. Well, I never did have much of a taste for female before. Now I don't seem to want anyone else but you. You're the person I think of when I wake up and before I go to sleep. I can't think of a life without you in it. If that is what truly being in love is, then I am."

"I prefer to think of it as being particular," she said. "I've never been attracted to very many men. The odd one here and there but usually there was something about them that put me off. I don't feel that way with you, not at all. I care for you very deeply, but I want you to be sure for both our sakes."

"Your willing to try then?" he asked hopefully.

"Thomas, I don't want any children at least not right now. I'm too old."

"You're not too old," Thomas said.

"We both are. Think of things practically. If things work out and I'm not saying they won't," she squeezed his hand. "We'd be old by the time a child would be ready to be on their own."

"I'd like a family like any other man," Thomas said sadly. "I never thought I'd have the opportunity."

"There are children's homes full of little ones needing a place. It's too early to even talk about this really. We have to see if we can sort things out a bit," she turned a bit red and looked down. "Behind closed doors that is."

"You're willing to at least try?" he asked again.

She nodded. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather try with," she said.

"I have to get back to work," he said. "I've got something special in mind for later." He leaned over and kissed her. He was a trifle awkward until she put her arms around him and kissed him back.

"You're definitely the person I prefer," he said once the kiss had ended.

"Work now, we'll try things out later," she said. "I'm going up to unpack."

"Until later," he agreed with a self-satisfied grin.

-0-

"Are you going to join the Boy Scouts?" Redmond asked Russell on Sunday afternoon. He and Sybil were at the stables. Russell had finished his chores and was waiting for his father. The three of them were sitting on some bales of hay chatting.

"I don't want to ask. It was hard enough getting my Dad to let me go to school this year," Russell replied.

"I'm going to go to Brownies," Sybil said. "You have to be fourteen to be a Girl Guide. Most of the girls in my class are in Brownies. There is a group after school. Our parents are going to take turns driving us home or we'll take a horse cart to school. Redmond is big enough to drive."

"The boys in my class are older than me," Redmond said, "but there are boys my own age in the Scouts and some are Irish. We'll walk over to the church after school. Boys are in the hall the girls group is upstairs. The boys at school were all talking about a camp out they have planned. I think I'd like to go."

"I don't know. It sounds like something I'd like to do," Russell said. "All my Dad ever talks about is work and making a living."

"How much more school do you have?" Redmond asked. "I have two more years. Then I want to go to university. Boy Scouts looks good on the application for a scholarship. That's part of the reason I want to go but I didn't tell Da that."

"Redmond," Sybil said in disgust pushing her older brother on the shoulder. "Have some fun. Not everything in the entire world has to be serious."

"I'll be fourteen next month," Russell said. "I've got four more years of school, then I don't know. How come you're my age and you're almost done?"

"I got put ahead twice," Redmond said. "I could finish this year, but then I don't know what I'd do and the universities won't take you until your sixteen for medical studies. I decided to do other things like Scouts so I have something to think about."

"Do you want to come riding with us next Sunday if it is nice, Russell?" Sybil asked.

"I can't. I have to work," he said discouragedly.

"Pfft," Sybil dismissed his reason. "I'll ask for you as a groom. We aren't supposed to stop anywhere without a groom to hold the horses. I'll say were going to visit Uncle Kieran and Aunt Liz. Ella loves to pet the horses and so do Ivy's children. We'll stop there for a few minutes and then go for a ride. You don't have to be formal unless we get stuck bringing Elizabeth along."

"Our cousin can be a little hard to take," Redmond added.

"Your sure I won't get in trouble?" Russell asked.

"Leave it to Sybil. She'll ask her grandfather and it will wind up coming from the boss himself," Redmond said.

"There's my Dad. I have to go," Russell said.

Both Sybil and Redmond waved to him as he left.

"Don't get him in trouble," Redmond warned his sister.

"I won't," Sybil said. "We've been friends since we were little."

"He likes you," Redmond said as they were walking back to the house.

"No he doesn't," Sybil said. "Boys are so dumb. Besides, he'll have to hold the horses when we stop. I don't have to bring any walnuts along."

"Why would you bring walnuts along on a ride?" Redmond asked in confusion.

"Because you do. Oh you just don't get it," Sybil replied in exasperation.

"You're right I don't," Redmond said. For the first time in years he was completely baffled.

Chapter 24 – Tarts

"It seems Strallen's nephew is here and running things on his behalf," Lord Grantham said a few days later. "I ran into him in the village yesterday. He's thinking of turning the house into a convalescent home."

"Two birds with one stone?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow. Lord Grantham, Michael and Tom were having a morning meeting in the library to discuss the harvest so far and what was coming up next along with the plans for early winter.

"So it would seem," Lord Grantham replied with a slight sigh. "This is the only country house in the area that is still a family home. Haxby was sold again. The rumor this time is it will be a girl's school. When I think of how much things have changed since before the war it frightens me."

"Things needed to change," Tom commented. "You look back at it with happy nostalgia, but not everyone was happy. I think things are coming into balance more, but that won't happen without difficulty."

"Ever the rebel," Lord Grantham said defensively.

"I don't think it is being rebellious to accept that change is here and there is no sense pining for the past," Tom said not batting an eyelash. The pair of them got along well these days but there were some things they would never see eye to eye on. "Your way of life is preserved to an extent. The younger generation is doing things somewhat differently but it still exists. You don't mean to tell us you totally agreed with absolutely everything your father did before you."

"I…" Robert opened his mouth to argue. "I can't say that I did," Robert finally replied.

"There will still be grand country homes," Michael said to diffuse things. "Their numbers will just be fewer. If Haxby does become a girl's school it may give Edith an opportunity to find a position closer to home. Now lets talk about the crops that will harvest late. What have you come up with for a timeline, Tom?"

"We're trying twenty acres of leeks with straw. We should be able to harvest in March which will put them off season."

"Excellent," Michael replied. "That will give us a competitive edge. Now what about the cabbage?"

"Oh, I had almost forgot," Lord Grantham interjected. He had been thinking over something else and not really listening. "What in the devil is going on with Thomas Barrow and your housekeeper? It's all over the village."

"Not a thing as far as I know," Tom replied. "I haven't been in the village this last few days so I have no I idea what's being said. I'm busy with the crops and moving the flocks as you know."

"Apparently Thomas Barrow was seen kissing Mrs. Blackwell at the train station. Quite passionately, so the story goes," Lord Grantham said. "Seems a bit odd doesn't it? He isn't into that kind of thing."

"They are consenting adults," Tom pointed out. "It does seem strange though. In all the years I've known him his tastes have always run to the opposite, but then wonders never cease."

"Seems odd to me as well," Robert said. "They're free to do whatever they like within reason of course on their own time, but gossip about the house is never welcome."

"I saw the housekeeper this morning. She didn't seem unhappy," Tom commented. "She was humming a tune while she was going about her chores."

"Most likely nothing," Robert commented, then turned back to business. "How many men are we able to keep on this winter?

-0-

"What are you cooking up today, my fair maiden?" Thomas asked Abigail as he moved behind her in the kitchen and slid a hand around her waist. Things between them were going fairly well or so he thought. It was surprising what emotion could do to the libido. Their relationship was about more than carnal gratification. When he forgot to think about the male – female roles and looked at his partner in bed as the person he loved, everything else seemed to flow along quite nicely.

"You just keep your hands to yourself," Abigail informed him with a smile. It was one of her days to cook. "I'm expecting the children down any minute for a bit of a cooking lesson. Lady Rose wants them to learn weights and measures hands on, she says."

"Quick kiss?" he asked not moving away.

"Just one," she said giving him a quick peck. "Wait until later," she whispered. She could hear the children's footsteps on the stairs.

Lady Rose was with the children and had them measure teaspoons and tablespoons of water into measuring cups. She had the scale down and went over the different weights as well before she left the children to do their baking with the housekeeper.

Abigail Blackwell couldn't help biting her lip and peeking out into the hall to see if Thomas was about. He had certainly managed to put the romance into their physical relationship. The two nights they had spent in bed together since she had been back had been quite lovely and terribly romantic.

The first night he had put two candelabra in the room and sprinkled flower petals about. The soft light had made her feel attractive although she doubted the odd white hair she found here and there made her so. The last time he had taken her back to the room where they had gotten drunk and been together for the first time, although neither of them could remember it clearly. Thomas had coaxed her towards the bed until she had stopped him and had him help her move the bed slightly away from the wall. After living with Mr. Branson and Lady Rose for all these years she knew the racket a poorly placed bed could make and alert the entire house to your nocturnal activities. It had been a very romantic encounter and Thomas had honored her request of no children by taking precautions. He didn't mind her explorations of his body in the least. In fact he encouraged them and Abigail was having quite a nice time examining the different aspects of the naked male.

"Mrs. Blackwell, Mrs. Blackwell," Bradley said snapping her out of her daydreaming. "You're beating the cream too much. It's turning to butter."

"Oh my, so it is," she said. "Thank you for reminding me Bradley. We had best start with fresh cream and finish this into butter so it isn't wasted."

"I want to do all the weighing," Elizabeth said clutching the scales so no one else could come near.

"I'm afraid we're done all the weights for now, Lady Elizabeth," Mrs. Blackwell said.

"I want to weight something," Elizabeth replied defiantly.

"Fine, you can weight these bags." Mrs. Blackwell gave her some bags and packets of ingredients to weight to keep her busy. The minute Elizabeth spotted Dylan cutting dough shapes with a large cookie cutter she wanted to do that too. Dylan rolled his eyes a bit but helped Elizabeth cut the dough. He was a good two years older and had been in the kitchen enough times cutting dough was nothing new to him.

"You're cutting them too wide apart," Dylan said.

"No, I'm not," Elizabeth replied.

"Cut the circles closer so the dough doesn't have to be worked as much," Mrs. Blackwell said. Elizabeth did as she was told. Once the tarts for that night along with a cake for tomorrow had come out of the oven and been placed on the oven racks to cool the children headed back upstairs to practice their music. Elizabeth stayed in the servants' hall to practice her piano. Abigail continued with the preparations for the evening meal and then went to check on the washrooms to make sure they were tidy and a few other household chores.

The rest of the afternoon was the usual chaos of Rose getting out the door and taking all of the children with her down to the parish hall for dance. Sybil joined her mother at the hall when she got off the bus while Davin and Redmond walked home. They were both too old for the levels of highland dance Rose taught these days. It seemed like a family day like any other until Thomas Barrow brought the desert in that consisted of small strawberry and blackberry jam tarts with whipped topping. All of the children who had been at the afternoon cooking session proudly proclaimed that they had helped make them.

Cora took a bite of her tart and quickly got a strange look on her face. She looked up quickly to see other odd looks around the table. Dylan was making a face. Elizabeth was smiling at everyone with an expectant look.

"Elizabeth just how much did you help with the tarts?" her grandmother asked.

"I added a bit as an experiment to make them taste better," she said.

"What exactly did you add?" her grandfather asked.

"There were some candies on the table in the servants' hall," she said quite proud of herself. "I put one in each while they were cooling."

After his initial shock Thomas Barrow was over to the side trying his best to stop from laughing.

"Mr. Barrow, what do you know of this?" Robert demanded.

"The only item that may remotely resemble a candy in the servants' hall was a packet of old throat lozenges that I had set on the table, Milord. I had been meaning to toss them in the dustbin but I must have left them there when the bell for the front door rang," he said.

"Well, now none of us should come down with a sudden cough in the next few hours," Robert commented.

"The next time you visit the kitchens, Elizabeth, you will follow the directions and don't do any experimenting," Cora scolded her. "Now make sure you eat every crumb of your tart."

Elizabeth tried her best not to make a face when she bit into her tart. She ate the entire thing with everyone watching.

"That tasted yummy, Grandmama," Elizabeth said. "I would have another but I'm full. May I be excused?"

"Yes, you may," Cora replied. "Coffee I think Mr. Barrow to wash away the flavor."

Elizabeth was out of her chair and dashing for the washroom as quickly as she could.

"Very well, Milady," Thomas replied. He turned to retrieve the coffee from the pantry. The second he was out of visual range he couldn't help the huge smile and slight chuckle at his employer's expense.

-0-

"Please, Davin, please come," Sybil pleaded on Sunday. She was dressed for riding and already had Redmond and Dylan coming along. She had maneuvered things with her grandfather to make sure Russell came along as their groom on their ride and had a picnic lunch all packed. If Davin didn't come they would have to take Elizabeth with them. In Sybil's opinion she was much too stuck up and would tattle to Grandpapa if the groom rode beside them instead of behind or talked to any of them. Besides they were stopping at Uncle Kieran's for a bit and Elizabeth wouldn't speak to Ella and vice versa.

"I need to finish my report for school," Davin replied.

"Davin what is the difference if you get an A or an A+," Sybil coaxed. "You could write two words on the paper and the instructor would give you an A unlike me."

Grammar school wasn't exactly a picnic for Sybil. Her older brothers were both so smart the teachers expected her to be just like them. She was a decent student but she had to work harder for her marks, which were mostly As and a few Bs unlike her older brothers who could glance at a book and absorb every last detail. More than once in the few weeks since school had started her teachers had looked at her sternly and informed her they expected more from her.

"Alright, I'll come," Davin said at last. "I'm pretty well finished anyway."

"Yes," Sybil said joyfully. "Get changed. We'll meet you downstairs with the picnic I packed."

Sybil arrived in the great hall with her picnic to find Elizabeth there talking to Redmond and her grandmother.

"I want to go riding, too," Elizabeth pouted.

"We have four going. You know we're only allowed five at the most," Redmond replied calmly. "We are taking a groom so that makes five."

"But I want to come," Elizabeth said stamping her feet slightly.

"We're stopping at Uncle Kieran and Aunt Liz's," Sybil said quickly. "Ella will be home."

"Oh," Elizabeth said wrinkling her nose slightly. "I'd rather not go then."

"I'll go for a ride with you tomorrow when I get home from school," Redmond said. "That way Bradley and Garret can come."

"That is very kind of you to offer, Redmond. Isn't it Elizabether? Wouldn't you rather go to Lady Aster's? Her granddaughter is there for the weekend," Cora coaxed. "She's your age."

"I guess," Elizabeth replied still pouting slightly.

"Get your hat, coat and gloves, now Elizabeth so we can get going," Cora said.

Elizabeth headed off with her grandmother, then looked back and stuck her tongue out at Sybil.

"You only wanted me to come so you didn't have to take Elizabeth?" Davin challenged his sister when they were walking to the stables.

"I wanted you to come because you are much more fun," Sybil said. "Come on Davin, you really didn't want to work on a report did you. I brought your favorite tarts."

"Sybil probably put lozenges in them just for you," Dylan said then ran ahead laughing when his sister started to chase him.


	16. Facing Change Part VII

Facing Change – Part VII – Chapters 25 through 28

_Thank you everyone for your PM's of support and reviews. I've had an idea for where I want this story to go for a while but maneuvering the story in the direction you want sometimes takes time and the story wants to build itself at times. I just can't bring myself to write from an outline. Somehow I find it stifles my creativity. Loads of Tom coming up in the next Part._

Chapter 25 – The Illusion of Happiness

"I think I'm going to be sick if I have to listen to Lord Grantham and Anthony go on one more time about what a historic occasion the old blow hard's address on the wireless is going to be on Christmas Day," Tom complained to his wife a few days before Christmas 1932. "I don't want to listen to the King speak. You know I don't believe in the entire nonsense. It's times like this I wish we were living in the Irish Free State where the peerage has been deemed unconstitutional."

"It's not going to kill you to put up with listening to the King for a few minutes," Rose replied calmly. She was choosing a dress for dinner. Robert and Cora had invited guests and Mary and Anthony were there for the first part of the holidays.

"It might," Tom replied with a crooked grin trying to hold onto his bad mood and failing.

"Never mind being an old republican blow hard yourself," Rose teased him. She glanced over to where Tom was changing his shirt. She still loved the sight of him with his shirt undone. It made shivers run along her skin. "Come here and give me a squeeze."

"Maybe I don't want to after that," Tom teased her back quickly crossing the room to slip his arms around Rose.

"You're nice and warm," Rose said. She stood there curled against her husband for a moment. "Sybil has taken a notion she wants to work on her sewing badge for Brownies."

"Scouts is definitely keeping the older two occupied with badge work," Tom said. "It seems like a good activity for them. What's got you concerned about Sybil?"

"Nothing really," Rose said. "I just have this odd feeling there is more to her wanting to work on her badge than meets the eye. She has sewing classes at school so she can work on it easily enough, but she asked me if she could have two old shirts to use for fabric for her sewing project."

"What is so odd about that?" Tom asked finally letting Rose go and finishing getting his shirt on.

"She asked for men's shirts," Rose said. "What could she possibly be making? She worked on whatever it is at school. They're off for break day after tomorrow. I asked her what she is making and she wouldn't say."

"Some big surprise for Christmas like an apron that won't fit," Tom said. "Don't worry about it. Worry about how you're going to get me out of listening to the King instead."

"Oh, you," Rose replied swatting him then returning his chuckle. "I'm never going to get down to dinner at this rate."

"Maybe we should just stay here then," Tom said suggestively.

"If only we could," she replied with a smile.

-0-

"Thomas we can't keep on like this," Abigail said early the next morning. She had woken up to find him sleeping beside her. It was almost a daily occurrence. One of them would wake up through the night and start feeling lonely, then make the trip in the middle of the night to crawl into bed with the other. Often he would come to her as her bed was larger, but every so often she would start feeling lonely for him and go to his room. They had wound up meeting each other half way a few times then returned to her room to curl up and go to sleep. "Someone is going to catch on and Lord Grantham won't like us sleeping together unmarried under his roof. We could both loose our posts."

"So what do you want to do then?" Thomas said rolling on his back and rubbing his hand across his morning stubble. He liked the warmth of Abigail's bed and he was in no hurry to get up although he had another twenty minutes before he absolutely had to get up and get ready for the day ahead. "I've asked and you said you weren't sure."

"I can't help but worry," she replied. "You need to be sure as well. What if you go off me suddenly? I want a husband who is faithful. I couldn't stand the thought of you with anyone else."

"We've been together all these months and I haven't looked elsewhere," Thomas pointed out. "It's because I'm a puff isn't it?"

"Are you? Are you still? You still refer to yourself as a puff even though you're in a relationship with a woman. Are you the man I can trust to be my other half until the day I die?" she pointed out. "You can't tell me if the shoe was on the other foot you wouldn't have doubts."

She was sitting up in bed leaning on one wrist. Thomas reached over and pulled her to lay against him. Abigail immediately pushed her hand under his undershirt and absently stroked his chest as had become a habit while Thomas rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"I don't doubt I love you," Thomas replied. "I want to be able to go to bed with you at night and wake up with you in the mornings without having to sneak back to my room. It's for children and we're a long way from that." His eyes drifted shut. He was enjoying the feel of her hand stroking his chest and abdomen. He never seemed to be able to get enough of her touching his body. He was like putty in her hands wanting to be stroked and touched on a regular basis.

"I don't think I'm a puff anymore," he said finally. "I don't know what I am, but I do love you."

"I love you, too, my dear one," she said. "We'll talk later. We need to get cleaned up and see to breakfast."

"Abigail, don't leave me," he said when she sat up and went to get up.

"We have work to do," she scolded him.

"I mean ever. Don't go away and leave me."

"Thomas, stop fretting. I won't leave you," she said patting his cheek softly. "I'll marry you if you can promise you will stay faithful, that goes for man or woman."

"I'll be faithful. I'll do anything. I couldn't stand to be without you," Thomas replied. "I don't know what I would do anymore without you close by."

"Fine we'll talk about it in a bit and then let our employers know we plan to marry," she said. "Right now we do need to get up and get the day started."

Thomas grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the bed pinning her down. He rubbed his rough cheek on her making her squirm and laugh. She hated his rough stubble in the mornings and was always saying it took her skin off.

"Good morning my dear fiancée," he said.

"Good morning to you, Mr. Barrow, my future husband," she replied.

"Let's get married soon. I've had enough sneaking around."

"We need to make some plans incase we loose our posts," she replied running her hands under his undershirt to tickle him.

"I might, you certainly won't."

"Then you'll be a kept man," Abigail said jumping up and heading for the washroom before he could grab her nightgown and pull her back.

-0-

"I can't see why you can't have married staff here at the house," Tom said over lunch the same day. "We had a married couple living with us when we were on our own and it wasn't a problem. I thought it added to the atmosphere around the house."

"People in service are never married," Rosamund said almost aghast at the very notion.

"Need I remind you Mr. and Mrs. Bates were here for a number of years and they were married," Cora pointed out.

"But they lived in their own cottage," Robert said.

"I don't see the point in that," Rose chimed in. "There is a huge area for servant's quarters upstairs that are sitting virtually empty. Why can't they have a few rooms as a bedroom and sitting room and use the kitchen as they already do?"

"All of these changes in the way things are done makes me feel completely archaic," Robert said tossing his napkin down in disgust.

"Papa for once I have to agree with everyone else," Mary said. "A married butler and housekeeper make a great deal of sense. It's not like anyone else is living upstairs and your staff is less likely to leave if they are married and settled."

"I have to agree, Robert," Cora said. Thomas had just returned to the dining room with a tray of sandwiches as the second course for their lunch. "Mr. Barrow, please let Mrs. Blackwell know I will accompany her to look over the servant's quarters before we go out this afternoon to select which rooms you may use as your married quarters."

"Thank you, Milady," Thomas said with a slight bow.

"Congratulations are in order," Tom said rising to shake Thomas' hand since Lord Grantham had just told them the news. There was a round of congratulations from around the table although they weren't the most heart felt as no one could get over the idea of Thomas Barrow marrying a woman. Michael stood as well and shook Thomas' hand.

"When will the happy event take place?" Michael asked Thomas.

"Most likely a civil service, Mr. Gregson. We've only just decided to get married so no date yet," Thomas replied.

"It certainly isn't like the old days, when everyone in service was single," Lord Grantham commented.

"No Milord, it certainly isn't" Thomas replied. "Those days are long since vanished. It is one thing I can say that has happened since the depression began that I don't miss at all."

Robert was slightly taken aback. He leaned back in his chair. Tom's words a few months ago came back to haunt him. _"Not everyone was happy with the old ways." _With all the changes around him he couldn't help but wonder if the happiness and prosperity he had prided himself in providing for those he employed when he had Cora's fortune was a reality or a house of cards just waiting for someone to pull a bottom card.

-0-

"What did you make for your sewing badge?" Rose asked Sybil when she got home from the last day of school before Christmas holiday. "Are you going to tell or is it still a deep dark secret?"

"I made a fairy present," Sybil said. Ever since she had left the toys and shoes anonymously for the children they had started the tradition of leaving "fairy" presents from time to time. "I got a good mark on it at school and teacher gave me a note to give to my Brownie leader so I can give it as a present."

"May I see?" Rose inquired gently.

"Yes," Sybil replied. She produced a packet wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a piece of string. Rose opened the packet to reveal a small man's shirt neatly folded.

"You've done a very nice job," Rose said. "It looks a bit big to be a fairy present though."

"It's for someone who doesn't have a shirt big enough," Sybil said. "Their shirt looks like it's going to burst and their parents can't afford to buy them a new one. I'm going to leave it with their name on the packet so they think Santa brought it."

"It's a very thoughtful gift," Rose said folding the shirt neatly. It was well made and Sybil had done a good job of salvaging the fabric and buttons from Tom's old shirts to make a new one. "You've done so well, you'll have to help me remake things for you and your brothers."

"I had a pattern. Boy's shirts are easy," Sybil said. "After Christmas I want to work on my knitting badge. I already have my cooking one since I knew how to cook. They want us to take cooking at school, but I rather take more sewing or language classes. I already know how to cook."

"You might learn a few new things," Rose replied.

"I'd learn a lot more if I took another sewing class," Sybil said ruefully.

"I'll speak to headmaster when you go back to school in January. We'll see if something can be done."

"Alright. I'm going to make a tag then go deliver my fairy gift," Sybil replied.

"Don't go too far it looks like it is going to snow," Rose warned.

"I won't. They aren't far."

-0-

Sybil dashed into the house crying on Boxing Day with a wadded up piece of fabric in her hand and headed up to her room slamming the door shut behind her. Davin came in not long after looking unhappy and headed up the stairs. The adults were sitting in the great hall admiring the Christmas tree and having a hot drink.

"I'll go," Tom said to Rose quickly.

Tom made it to the top of the stairs and caught up with his son.

"Davin. What's the matter?" Tom questioned.

"Our friend who works at the stable was dismissed for stealing," he replied sadly. "We asked what he stole and they said it was an expensive shirt from the laundry at the main house. Sybil tried to tell his father he didn't steal it, but he wouldn't listen."

"How do you know?" Tom asked.

"Because it was Sybil's fairy gift this year. She made it for him in sewing class from some of your old shirts."

"I see," Tom said narrowing his eyes a bit. He didn't know how he liked the idea of his twelve-year-old daughter sewing a shirt for a boy, but it wasn't right if the boy had been falsely accused.

"Don't concern yourself, son. I'll get it straightened out," he said.

Tom headed down the hall and tapped on his daughter's door. He went in to find a tear stained Sybil holding a stuffed toy and crying into it.

"Hush, now don't cry," Tom said. "Davin told me your fairy gift didn't have a good ending."

"Russell didn't have a shirt that fit," Sybil sniffled. "I made one in sewing class from old ones of yours. His father and the head groom wouldn't believe he found a packet with his name on it at the stable. He's been dismissed for stealing. I told them I gave him the shirt but they wouldn't believe me. They said no one gives a boy from a poor family a fine shirt like that."

"Is this the shirt," Tom asked picking up the offending article from the floor.

Sybil nodded. "I was trying to be nice. I had to do a sewing project at school, so I thought I'd earn my Brownie badge and make a fairy gift at the same time."

"I see," Tom said slowly. "You know a shirt is a very personal gift."

"I would have given Russell a chocolate from the box we usually have for the holidays but Elizabeth and Edward always eat the best ones and he needed a shirt. He's always pulling at his because it's so tight."

"You like him a great deal, don't you?" Tom asked.

"He's my best friend," Sybil sniffed.

"Go wash your face and we'll go get this straightened out," Tom said. "Most people don't understand when your friends with someone of a different class. You can rewrap your gift in proper Christmas wrap this time. Then I'll take you to see your friend so you can explain." He thought of the scarf Sybil's mother had given him one Christmas years before. He'd worn it under his chauffeur's uniform until it was threadbare. No one would have understood the gift or the friendship and attraction that had sprung up between them in the early days either. Sybil, his daughter, was a little girl. He wanted her to have charity in her heart and not to be a snob, but he hoped she wasn't in the early stages of heading down the same road he and her mother had all those years ago. It wasn't an easy one as he could attest from personal experience.

"Mr. Lynch, I'd like a word with you and with Mr. Beldon, Russell's father," Tom said when he arrived at the stables.

"Very well, Sir," Lynch said, turning to get Matthew Beldon. The look on Mr. Branson's face said there was a going to be hell to pay.

"Gentlemen, my daughter tells me Russell Beldon has been dismissed for stealing," Tom said.

"Yes, that's right. I dismissed the ungrateful whelp," Mr. Lynch replied.

"I won't stand by and see a boy falsely accused," Tom said. "My daughter has a tradition of giving a gift anonymously every year at Christmas. The boy did not steal anything."

"He can't accept such a fine gift," Matthew Beldon said stubbornly.

"My daughter didn't mean to cause trouble for you or your son," Tom said. "She was trying to perform an act of kindness. I hope you can understand and accept her actions for what they are."

"I don't like the idea of my son accepting anything from a girl," Matthew Beldon said. "He needs to know his place."

"It is an act of friendship nothing more unless you make it that," Tom said with a warning look at the man.

"Mr. Lynch I expect the boy reinstated this afternoon," Tom said.

"I'm not so sure Mr. Branson," Mr. Lynch replied.

"What are you not sure about? You've wrongfully dismissed the boy. He must be reinstated."

"The boy is forever chatting to Miss Sybil or one of the boys from the main house. It isn't right," Mr. Lynch said.

"Mr. Lynch, my daughter is Lord Grantham's granddaughter and all of my son's are members of the family. If one of them chooses to waste the time of an employee of this estate is their prerogative to do so. That would include yourself," Tom stated. "I understand the boy gets his chores done?"

"Aye, aye he does," Mr. Lynch replied.

"Then you have no business interfering with anyone their own age my children care to associate with," Tom said. "You will allow Russell to return to work tomorrow and compensate him for his lost time."

"As you wish, Mr. Branson," Mr. Lynch replied. He had been about to tell the man to keep his nose out of his stables, but then thought better of it. Tom Branson was a fair man and had the authority to make sure he lost his position and at his age he didn't have a hope of ever finding another.

"He won't be here tomorrow," Matthew Beldon stated. "He's busy."

"Your son, who you insist work has found a new post over the holidays?" Tom inquired.

"No, he's home helping his mother."

"I see, then you won't have any objection to me taking my daughter by to explain her actions."

"I don't want you or your daughter visiting my son at my place," Matthew Beldon stated almost angrily.

"Is there something at your home you don't wish me to see?" Tom inquired.

"You have no business there," the man challenged Tom.

Alarms were going off inside Tom's head. The only times in the past tenants didn't want him at their homes was when there was something wrong.

"Mr. Beldon, as the Agent is it my prerogative to enter any property or premises on this estate. It is not my practice to do so but it is within my power. What is it you don't wish me to see?"

"My son and my home is none of your concern," the man said uncharitably. "He's been punished for stealing."

Chapter 26 – A Discovery

Tom half walked, half jogged to the garage to get his car. He drove to the main entrance of the Abbey as quickly as he dared in the snow. Sybil was waiting for him inside the hall with her hat and coat on.

"I'll take you to see your friend later," he said to her. "Something has come up."

"Tom, what's going on?" Lord Grantham questioned when he saw the look of urgency on Tom's face.

"I need Michael to come with me right now. It might be nothing but all my experience is telling me otherwise. Ring the constable and tell him I'll be by to pick him up in a few minutes," Tom said.

"You're not going to tell us what it is?" Robert inquired.

"I'll call," Edith said quickly going to the telephone.

"Let's pray it is nothing," Tom said.

Michael had gone to get his hat and coat and was halfway to the door by the time Tom rejoined him. Tom drove to collect the constable then headed to the Beldon cottage.

"I have a bad feeling. Every time a tenant doesn't want me at their cottage or flat there has been a reason. He said his son had been punished for stealing," Tom said. "He didn't steal anything. My daughter had given the boy a gift. There was no theft. I was trying to get this straightened out when he got belligerent."

"Let's just hope it is nothing," Michael said.

"Better safe than sorry," Constable Jeffrey Abernathy replied.

Tom and the constable headed to the door and knocked once they had arrived at the cottage. Michael had gotten out of the vehicle and went around back to see if anything was amiss.

There was no answer to their knock at the door. The constable tried the door but it was locked. They were just about to head around back to try the back door when Michael came back around the corner of the cottage.

"Tom, Jeffrey, come," Michael called. They all headed around back to a shed that had the door shut with a lock on it.

"Who around here locks their shed?" Michael asked.

"Absolutely no one," Jeffrey Abernathy said. "I don't like the look of this."

"We need to find the boy," Tom added.

The constable tried to shoulder the door open but it wouldn't budge.

"Let's try the back door," Tom said.

They went over to the cottage and were able to shoulder the back door of the house open. They spotted the key to the shed on the kitchen table. The cottage looked as if it hadn't seen a woman's touch in a long time. The constable did a quick walk through but didn't find anyone or any sign of a woman living on the premises.

"Home with his mother, the father said, did he? I'll be having a talk with the man," Jeffrey Abernathy said.

They took the key out to the shed and opened it. Nothing had prepared them for what they found inside. There laying on a pile of straw with an old blanket over him was Russell. He had been badly beaten and wasn't moving. The blood from a cut on his head was dried on the side of his face and there was a large bruise under the dried blood.

"He's still breathing," Jeffrey Abernathy said. "We have to get him to hospital."

"Should I ring for an ambulance?" Michael asked.

"No, there's no time," Jeffrey Abernathy replied.

Tom took off his overcoat to use as a stretcher. The men maneuvered the boy as gently as they could onto the coat. He groaned once but didn't open his eyes.

"He feels like ice," Michael commented.

"It looks like he's been here for days," Tom said.

Between the three of them they got Russell into the backseat of Tom's car.

"You two get him to the hospital. I've got to go collect the father," Constable Abernathy said.

"You had best find him first," Tom replied through gritted teeth.

Michael was out of the car and as soon as Tom pulled up to the hospital. It only took a minute or two for staff from the hospital to come out with a gurney and get Russell onto it. The wheeled him away still wrapped in Tom's overcoat.

"You're instincts were right on this one," Michael said as they headed into the hospital to wait for word and find a telephone to ring the Abbey and let them know what was going on.

"I only wish I had been wrong," Tom said. "I don't know how I'm going to break this to Sybil and the boys. All of this over a simple gift."

"A man who would do that to a boy is looking for any reason no matter how small," Michael said. "I'll go and find a telephone."

While Michael was on the phone the doctor came to speak to Tom and get the particulars of the case. Tom told him what he could and that the constable would be by later. The doctor didn't tell him much only that it had been lucky the boy was found when he was as he was setting into the final stages of hypothermia and would be in hospital for at least the next week if not longer. It was still too early to tell. Tom thanked the doctor and let him know that for the next while the estate would be responsible for the boy as he was an employee.

It was with a heavy heart, Tom and Michael returned to the Abbey late that afternoon. They had seen Russell before they left the hospital. He was as white as the sheets where his face wasn't bruised and wrapped in warm blankets. He hadn't regained consciousness when they left, but the nurse had assured them the boy should come around by morning.

"Mr. Barrow, could you put my coat in the pile for dry processing," Tom said as they came in the door to the Abbey.

"Certainly, Mr. Branson," he replied. "May I inquire how is the boy?"

"They say he will recover," Tom said.

"Terrible thing," Thomas commented soberly.

"Rose has taken the children up to your sitting room," Lord Grantham said to Tom as he came forward to welcome the men home. "They're very shaken up."

"As we all are," Michael said.

"I'll go up and leave Michael to fill the rest of you in on the details," Tom said.

"Mr. Barrow, tea for Mr. Gregson and for Mr. Branson as well," Lord Grantham instructed.

"Very well, Milord," Thomas replied with a slight bow before he headed off to do as he was asked.

-0-

"The poor boy," Abigail said when Thomas told her what had happened.

"It happens," Thomas replied darkly. "More than people realize."

"I wonder what will happen to him now. When he gets better that is. He can't go back with his father."

"His father has been caught. I would think they'd put him in jail," Thomas said distractedly while he was setting out the cups. "Do we have any cake left?"

"In the tin. There should be enough for two slices," Abigail replied.

"He'll be sent to a children's home or a work house. He might be lucky and find a place in service the way I did. Then he'd have somewhere to go," Thomas said thoughtfully. He was waiting for the water to boil.

"It's not a good way to be raised for a young boy," Abigail said with concern.

"No, it isn't," Thomas said through gritted teeth.

"Thomas what's the matter?"

"A few demons from the past, nothing to worry yourself about," Thomas replied.

Abigail slipped her arm around his waist.

"Of course I worry about you. How can I not?"

"You're good for me," Thomas replied putting his arm around her and pulling her close. They stood there for a few moments until the kettle had boiled.

"Do you mind running Mr. Branson's tea up to their sitting room?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, that's fine. I had a task or two to do on the second floor anyway."

"Abigail?" Thomas called to her as she was almost out of the door with the tray. She turned back questioningly. "Let's check with the courthouse tomorrow about a marriage license. I don't see any reason to wait."

"As you wish," she replied before she headed up the stairs.

-0-

It had been two days since Tom and Michael had made the horrific discovery of Russell and it was two days of Tom and Rose's children having sleepless nights and clinging to their parents constantly. Sybil in particular was in a terrible state. She had been so distraught, Rose had to sleep with her two nights in a row to get her to rest.

"Tom, I think we should take at least the older ones to visit Russell in the hospital," Rose said with a sigh. "I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. It might calm them down to know he is going to recover and see him with their own eyes.

"It's not a pretty sight," Tom said.

"They are imagining all kinds of things. Sybil is blaming herself. We need to do something."

"Fine, I'll call the hospital and see if they will allow the children to visit," Tom said.

Tom spoke to the doctor in charge of Russell. He felt a visit from the boy's friends would help him not to feel as alone and rest easier. They arranged the three oldest children would visit that afternoon. Rose had everyone making Get Well cards and getting together some simple Christmas gifts. Elizabeth and Edward joined in as well as George. There was soon an envelope full of cards and an assortment of small gifts that were mostly comprised of Christmas biscuits and a few sweets. Tom and Rose were about to leave that afternoon when a call came through from overseas from her father.

"Mr. Branson, I hope this isn't too much to ask," Thomas Barrow said once Rose had gone to take the call. "Would I be permitted to accompany you and the children to see the boy?"

"What business do you have with Russell Beldon?" Tom asked him.

"None really. I thought," Thomas paused. "I thought a visit from someone who understands what his ordeal is like may be in order."

"Get your hat and coat," Tom said.

"I'll just let Mrs. Blackwell know I'll be out for a bit," Thomas replied.

Tom had forgotten Thomas Barrow worked at the hospital during the Great War. He proved to be more help with the children than Tom had thought he would be. Once they approached the bed where Russell was Tom was relieved to see the boy had his eyes open. His head was bandaged and he was lying staring out the window.

"Russell, I'm so glad to see you," Sybil said quietly. "I'm sorry my present got you in trouble. I didn't mean it to." A tear rolled down her cheek. Russell turned his head at the sound of her voice. All three of the children gasped at the black bruise on the side of his face.

"Hello," he said with a faint smile. "I didn't think anyone would come."

Thomas got some pillows and propped the boy up so he was more upright.

"We've brought you cards and some presents," Davin said. "You can have Christmas even though it's a few days late."

"This is Mr. Barrow. He works at the house," Redmond added.

"Hello Mr. Barrow," Russell said.

"I thought I'd come along and finally meet the boy I've been hearing about for the last few years," Thomas said.

"Sybil don't cry. You'll make me cry and it hurts," Russell said.

"I'm sorry," Sybil sniffled.

"You don't need to be sorry," Russell said sadly. "It's not your fault my Dad wouldn't listen. He never listens."

"Here open your gifts," Davin said.

Russell opened the cards and all the children laughed at the picture of a princess surrounded by ponies Elizabeth had drawn inside her card. When he opened the parcel from Sybil he paused and fingered the fabric of the shirt slowly.

"I made it myself," Sybil said. "I didn't mean for you to get in trouble. I only wanted you to have a shirt that fits."

"It's the nicest gift I've ever received," he said slowly. "Thank you."

"We had best get back before the nurse throws us out," Tom said.

"We'll come back and visit you again," Redmond said. "Dylan, Bradley and Garret wanted to come but they couldn't. They're not old enough. The doctor said no."

"Tell them hello from me," Russell said. His eyes were already starting to drift shut.

"Are you coming Mr. Barrow?" Davin asked.

"I'll walk back in a bit, Master Davin," Thomas replied. "I'll just make sure your friend gets to sleep alright."

Tom nodded to him as he escorted the children out.

"He is going to be alright isn't he Daddy?" Sybil asked. "He can come back to the Abbey to work?"

"He is going to be fine with time," Tom reassured them all as he got everyone loaded back into the car for the short trip home.

Thomas Barrow sat by Russell's bed watching the boy until he fell into a deep sleep. The boy's gangly form and dark hair reminded him of his own at that age. The whole episode had brought back memories for him he had thought long since buried. His own father had been a clock maker, a man who demanded precision. Thomas had tried everything to please his father but nothing had ever been good enough. Once Thomas' mother had died the beatings had started. If he didn't get his chores done fast enough he got a cuff on the side of the head. Not setting the table to his father's satisfaction had earned another hit. Not being good with girls, not scoring high enough at a cricket game, any excuse to use him as a punching bag and to ridicule him. The man had been smart. He had hit him where the marks didn't show. As soon as he was old enough Thomas had started applying for positions in service. On the day he left his father had found out he liked boys and disowned him. Thomas had kept in touch with a few distant cousins over the years, but he had never seen his father again.

Growing up in service had been a hard existence. The person he most wanted approval from his own father had disowned him and Mr. Carson was forever bristling with disapproval. It had made him mean and sharp tongued. Better to hurt than to be hurt first had become his motto for a large part of his adult life. Hurt had piled on top of hurt. Every time he had let someone close they had hurt him. He had never known any peace until he met Abigail. She had shown him the only true affection he could remember since before his mother died. The love she had given him was like a life preserver for a man drowning in a sea of pain and loneliness. For the first time in his life he felt he didn't need anyone else's approval. He could live his life as he pleased and it was no one else's concern.

Thomas slowly got up from the chair once he was sure Russell was asleep and went in search of the doctor.

"Are you a relative perhaps?" the doctor inquired.

"No, I work at the Abbey where Russell was employed before all this happened," Thomas replied.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the case with anyone who isn't a relative," the doctor replied.

"The boy is going to need care after he leaves here," Thomas said. "I was an orderly during the war. I worked here and at the convalescent home."

"I'm sure the children's home will provide for his needs," the doctor said. "Now if you'll excuse me."

Thomas walked back to the Abbey feeling as grey as the clouds gathering overhead. He wondered what kind of care a children's home would provide. There were so many children abandoned these days or left homeless when their parents lost their posts and couldn't make ends meet. The papers were full of it. The orphanages were overcrowded and it had only been a few years since the government had renamed the workhouses to children's home. He could just bet on the level of care the children received. He would wager his last dollar it was no better than the injured service men after the Great War had received. Veteran after veteran had been turned out to fend for themselves many in no condition to work or take care of themselves.

He got back to the Abbey and went straight to find Abigail and draw her into an embrace.

"How was the boy?" Abigail said hugging him back. She was busy with dinner preparations but sensed Thomas needed her in that moment.

"On the mend, but it is going to take some time," Thomas said. "I've decided to make it my business to find out what happens to him and make sure he goes to a decent place."

"Thomas are you sure you should be getting involved?" she asked.

"As sure as I am about marrying you," Thomas replied. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

Chapter 27 – Determination

The first of January of 1933 seemed to lack luster or shine for Tom. There had been a New Year's party at the Abbey and people had danced and drank and made merry like so many other New Years before but this year he had felt the march of time more than he had before. When he looked at his children it seemed they had all lost part of their innocence over the Christmas season that would never be regained. Sybil especially had been quiet and thoughtful. The trip to visit Russell at the hospital had settled her down enough so she could sleep. She had been twice more to visit. At the moment she was busy learning to knit with Isobel Crawley. Isobel was so frail and shaky it was a wonder she could still hold the needles. Mary and Anthony would be leaving again the next day. They had decided to leave Elizabeth at the Abbey until the end of the school year. Rose was frustrated with them taking advantage and was as torn as she had been last autumn with teaching Elizabeth. She had put a great deal of work into getting the little girl to where she should be able to join a class at a regular school, but neither of her parents seemed to be interested in moving her.

Edith would be back to her post at the school in Ripon in a few days. Haxby was getting set to open as a girl's school next fall and she had put in an application but had not heard anything back yet. For Tom the New Year meant more planning for the upcoming spring season and a host of jobs that had to be done no matter what. Finances or the lack of them made no difference. Glazing had to be seen to and roofs had to be repaired plus a host of other jobs that never changed from year to year. At times like this he looked at the estate and the people on it and wondered if he ever made any kind of a difference. Rose's father had telephoned from Belgium. From what Rose had recounted and the news in the papers there was something up in Europe. The Germans were having an election later that month and there was something about the popular party that just didn't sound right under all their talk of putting people to work and building a stronger world. Tom couldn't help but think it seemed the strong always built their version of a stronger world on the backs of the poor and those with little voice.

"Things seem to be looking up for the year all around," Anthony was saying when Tom entered the library. "The austerity of the last three years or so is down and people are moving around more, which is a positive sign in the hotel business."

"I feel a great deal more secure in commodities," Michael replied. "There is always a market for the things that fill people's stomachs. What do you think, Tom?"

"There is one adage that always hold true on a farm, if you can't sell it you can always eat it," Tom replied. "I don't think you could say that of beds and linens in a hotel."

Both of the other men chuckled.

"You're looking down," Michael commented.

"Am I? I'm feeling restless. I can't put my finger on it," Tom said.

"Any word on that boy they have at the hospital the pair of you found?" Anthony asked. "Ghastly business that."

"The father is in custody awaiting trial. He claims the mother ran off and left them years ago, but he lied about it to almost everyone in the village. No one knows what happened to her. As far as I know the boy has nowhere to go. He's got another week in hospital at least," Tom replied. "I've managed to stop every child on this estate from being sent to a workhouse or an institution so far since I began working here, but this time I can't see a way out of it."

Thomas Barrow was standing to the side of the room and stiffened at Tom's words.

"Isobel says usually boys that age are apprenticed out right away," Michael commented.

"How is that supposed to happen when he's still recovering from his injuries and the boy wants to go to school," Tom replied. "There isn't a trace of a relative. Usually we put a private detective on tracing relatives. This time I'm stumped."

"You couldn't give him a position here?" Anthony inquired.

"We hardly have any live in staff anymore. Who would take care of him? He's just a lad. Times have changed from the days when there were thirty or forty live in staff. The hall boys always had someone to look out for them," Tom said. "Other than old Lynch living in his cottage not too far from the barns there aren't any live in grooms either and Lynch is old enough he should be retired in another year or two."

"It does seem a rather nasty spot," Anthony commented. "Take heart gentlemen, the rabble have always survived. They will continue to do so."

"Since I'm part of what you call rabble as are my two eldest, I'll leave you to your ruminations gentlemen," Tom said irritably. He got to his feet and walked out the door slamming it behind him. Over the years he'd learned to let the snide comments and superior attitude slide off his back. It didn't do any good to challenge their opinions. The only thing that changed anyone's mind was cold hard reality. Today he wasn't in the mood for it. He set off down to the garage. There was nothing like fixing an engine to get his mind off his troubles. He had thought of asking his brother to take Russell in, but Kieran had just told him they were expecting another child. It wasn't the right time to ask such a colossal favor and he couldn't see taking the boy himself. Not with six already and living in an aristocratic world. Besides with Sybil's obvious attachment to the lad he would be just asking for trouble. He hadn't felt this helpless since Rose's last delivery over six years ago.

-0-

"Milord, Milady may I have a word in private," Thomas Barrow asked Lord and Lady Grantham a few days after Mary and Anthony had left. He and Abigail would be married in a few days on their free day and Thomas had something he wanted to discuss with his employers.

"Yes, of course, Barrow," Lord Grantham replied.

"I'll leave you to it, Robert," Rosamund said. "I'm off paying calls this morning."

"Do be careful on the roads," Robert warned her.

"I'm always careful," Rosamund replied cheerfully. "Besides I have Michael to drive me to and fro today."

"Small mercies," Robert grumbled under his breath.

"Robert," Cora chided him. "Now Mr. Barrow what is it you wanted to speak with us about?"

"As you know I'm to be wed in a few days," Thomas said.

"Of course. Are there any problems with your living arrangements?" Cora inquired.

"No thank you Lady Grantham everything is quite satisfactory," Thomas replied. "You may be aware that the future Mrs. Barrow and I have visited the boy, Russell at the hospital a number of times since he was admitted."

"I wasn't aware of that," Lord Grantham replied. "It reflects well on you both to take an interest in him."

"Thank you, Lord Grantham. We have spoken to Constable Abernathy and wish to take on guardianship of the boy when he is released from hospital," Thomas said. "If you do not wish for him to live with us under your roof we would completely understand and make other living arrangements."

It took Lord Grantham a minute to recover from the shock.

"Barrow, I'm going to speak frankly," Lord Grantham said. "I had always understood you were of other persuasion. I was surprised to say the least when you announced your engagement and this, well, I must say is an astonishing turn of events."

"Lord Grantham, I can assure you, my fiancée and I will be husband and wife in every sense of the word. She feels she is too old to have children and I have come to agree with her. We would be old and grey by the time a child is raised. May I say with equal frankness, sexual persuasion has no bearing whatsoever on the capacity to love or the desire or ability to be a parent."

"What did you have in mind Mr. Barrow?" Cora asked. Robert was somewhat shocked as to what Thomas Barrow had said.

"We would have the boy live with us in one of the unused servant rooms. Once he is well enough he could return to school and his post as a stable boy after school and on weekends or I could train him as a footman when he is not attending school.

"That sounds reasonable, don't you think Robert?" Cora said.

"You're determined with all of this?" Lord Grantham asked.

"Very," Thomas replied.

Robert thought it over for a moment. He had a house full of long faces at the prospect of the boy being sent to a children's home. Now even the live in staff would be joining that group if he didn't give his consent.

"Go ahead and make arrangements. I will let you know my decision regarding the boy's employment later."

"Thank you, Lord Grantham," Thomas said.

"If that will be all," Robert said.

"Yes, Milord, if you aren't in need of anything," Thomas replied.

"No, nothing at the moment," Robert said.

"I'm speechless," Robert said to Cora once they were alone.

"Oh Robert. Time is marching on. You can't begrudge the man the opportunity to become a parent even if the boy in question is almost grown."

"Times have changed," Robert said. "A married butler with children. At least Tom and his brood will stop fretting now the boy is taken care of."

"You'll have a footman again for parties that actually knows how to serve," Cora teased him. "You've been complaining about it bitterly ever since the last one left and there isn't a one of the day staff that knows how to wait at table."

"It would be rather nice to have something of the old life back," Robert said. "Are we so old we can't change?"

"Oh I don't know," Cora said. "We've changed quite a bit for a pair of grey haired old fools. We should have Tom teach the boy to drive when he's old enough. That way Rosamund could have a chauffeur on the weekends. I hate to think how much we've paid out having all the dents mended she has put in the car."

"I can't disagree with that idea," Robert replied. "What do you mean grey haired old fools? I'll have you know my hair is silver not grey."

"A quite distinguished silver, it is," Cora said with a twinkle in her eye.

-0-

"What is wrong with Sybil?" Davin asked his older brother in the early summer of 1933. "She's not fun at all anymore. All she wants to do is stay in her room and stare into her mirror."

"No, idea," Redmond replied. "Da and Mummy are going out this afternoon and they're taking the car. We should see if Russell is doing anything. We could take the new motorcycle apart and have it back together before they get back. I have an idea on how to change the carburetor. It will make the top speed higher."

"One of these days you're going to get caught," Davin replied. "You won't be old enough for a permit for another year. You know we're only supposed to work on the old one."

"Who is going to find out if you don't tell," Redmond said.

"Let's see, Elizabeth for one," Davin replied. "George for another and I don't want to spend my only free day from farm work this week taking apart the motorcycle. Besides Daddy always knows, he just doesn't let on."

"I'm going down to see Uncle Kieran then. Are you coming?"

"As long as we come back early enough to go swimming," Davin replied.

Sybil hadn't known when it happened but suddenly she was preoccupied with selecting just the right dress and trying out different hairstyles. Robbie Cranston had only kissed her once and it had only been a quick peck before she clobbered him. He'd developed a bad case of acne last year and was now gaga for a girl his own age. She'd never really liked him that much anyway. Now she was wondering what it would feel like to have a boy give her a real kiss that didn't end with her boxing his ears. Really there was only one boy she could think of kissing and he didn't even look at her these days when he came upstairs to help Mr. Barrow when Grandmamma and Grandpapa were having guests. He still talked to her when she came downstairs to fetch things, but it wasn't the long conversations they had always shared when they were younger about nothing much in general. They were still friends but something between them had shifted subtly. She had felt Russell's eyes on her more than once since he'd moved to the house to live with Mr. and Mrs. Barrow but he would quickly look away when she looked at him and she always felt slightly apprehensive in his presence like she was waiting for something to happen but it never did.

More than once she'd seen Russell sitting at the table in the servant's hall with Redmond helping him with his homework or going off with her brothers to tinker with her father's old motorcycle and ride it around the lanes around the house. Daddy had bought a new one since he said his old one was about to rattle itself into a pile of nuts and bolts. She new she wasn't really supposed to think of a boy especially one who was an employee in terms of kissing and holding hands but she couldn't help it.

She plunked her hairbrush down on her vanity and got to her feet. Mummy had talked the headmaster into letting her take a second term of sewing instead of cooking in the home economics section last year at school. Really how much more cooking did she need to know when Mrs. Barrow had taught her all kinds of fancy dishes even the teacher didn't know how to make. She had gotten pretty good at sewing and could make a simple shirt or sundress as long as the pattern wasn't too complicated. Mummy had gone shopping with her the other day and picked out a pattern for a sundress. Now she had to find something to make it from. There had to be an old dress around she could use for fabric. The attics were stuffed with older dresses and things. She set off in search of Mummy or Aunt Edith to help her find something that would work.

Chapter 28 – A New Family

Russell hadn't know what to make of Mr. Barrow during his stay in hospital. The man had come to see him almost every day. The first time he'd come on his own Mr. Barrow had brought him a toothbrush and a comic book in a bag and then he'd showed up another day with a peppermint stick. After a few times of stopping in to see him Mr. Barrow's girlfriend, now wife had started to come along as well. Russell had been frightened about what was going to happen to him after he got out of hospital. The constable had been to talk to him and asked all sorts of questions about his mother and if he had any relatives. Russell hadn't been able to tell him a thing. He only had vague memories of his mother. Dad had always told him not to tell anyone she didn't live with them anymore and he couldn't remember ever visiting any relatives. Ever since he was little he had gone to work with his father and then spent after school and weekends at the stables. Eventually he had gotten a job there, but his father had collected his pay. Dad would disappear sometimes on his day off and come back without a penny in his pockets. Russell always suspected he gambled everything away but he never mentioned a thing. To say anything or question his father was the best way to make him mad and get hit.

Mr. Barrow had come with the constable on his last day in hospital. The constable said he would go to live with Mr. and Mrs. Barrow at the big house. Mr. Barrow had brought a bag with clothes that actually fit. Russell had worn the shirt Sybil had made for him back to the house with the rest of his new things. When Russell had asked if he should go and get his clothes from his old house, Mrs. Barrow had said no, they would provide for him now. Russell hadn't been unhappy about that in the least. Everything he had was cast offs from the neighbor's sons. Most of it was too small now as he was taller than they were. He'd been very excited about the surprise gift of a new shirt until everything had gone wrong and he'd been accused of stealing it.

They'd had pajamas, a robe and a pair of hand knit slippers waiting for him as well when he got to his new room. By the time he was upstairs he was exhausted and had fallen asleep right away. Mr. and Mrs. Barrow said they were his guardians now. He could call them Mr. and Mrs. until he felt comfortable enough to call them Mum and Dad or leave it be. It was his choice. He didn't know why they were being so nice, but he had a roof over his head, a warm bed and food that tasted good. It had been almost the end of January before he was well enough to go back to school. The other children had stared at him when he came to school in new clothes and didn't smell of horses. The town children teased the farm children because they smelled of livestock. He'd always noticed how Sybil and her brothers smelled of soap. She never seemed to care that he smelled of the barns but it had always bothered him.

He'd been behind at school after being away for so long. Mrs. Barrow had arranged for Master Redmond to come downstairs and help him with his schoolwork since neither Mr. nor Mrs. Barrow had enough school to be able to help him themselves. They were forever praising him when he did something right. Mr. Barrow was teaching him the different table settings and had him practicing downstairs how to serve at a formal dining room table. He said it was a useful skill and Russell would be able to find a job as a butler one day or work in a fancy hotel if he chose. It had kept a roof over his head and was honest clean work if he was willing to learn. Dad had always told him to stay away from Mr. Barrow because he liked boys. Russell didn't think he liked boys now. Mr. Barrow was forever hugging and kissing Mrs. Barrow and one night when Russell had got up to use the washroom he'd seen them in the bathtub together. He'd gone back to bed and foregone the bathroom, but he was pretty sure Mr. Barrow liked Mrs. Barrow an awfully lot.

The only thing that was hard about living here at the big house and helping Mr. Barrow with the serving when there was company and polishing silver on the weekends was seeing Sybil on a daily basis. He liked her so much it made him feel strange inside his chest. She was different than the girls at school. Ever since he'd started to notice girls, he'd noticed how pretty and kind she was. When she was around he wanted more than anything to reach out and take her hand in his the way he'd seen Mr. and Mrs. Barrow do, but he knew he shouldn't. She was upstairs and he was down. The rules were the same as at the stables. They could talk and he could go with the upstairs children if he were invited but that was as far as things went. He was so embarrassed when she caught him watching her he could barely speak when she was around.

-0-

Thomas Barrow checked on the boy who was now his son while he was polishing silver on the table in the servants' hall then went back to his office to work on the ledgers. He wasn't sorry they had taken the boy in, far from it. The lad never complained or asked for anything. He had to get after him when he noticed Russell's shoes were too tight at the beginning of summer. Getting the boy to speak up for what he needed was difficult. Thomas suspected he'd been punished when he asked for things and it had become easier to suffer than ask.

Being a parent was a lot different than Thomas had thought it would be. He knew the pain of constant rejection and criticism and both he and Abigail had decided to praise the boy when he did something right. Once he'd settled into things and got caught up at school his marks had steadily improved. He wasn't a dull boy and caught on to everything Thomas showed him how to do quickly. The boy was making a good bit as fill in staff and Thomas had been putting it into an account for him at the bank. He'd asked Russell what he wanted him to do with his wages and he'd shrugged and said he had never had any money before so he didn't know what to do with it.

Thomas had no idea how to go about touching the lad in a fatherly manner. He'd seen Mr. Branson pat his son's on the back often enough and the boy's kissing their mother on the cheek. He'd tried patting Russell on the shoulder once and the boy had flinched. He didn't know if the boy was afraid of being hit or thought it was a sexual advance. It wasn't exactly as he'd pictured being a father would be, but then he had no previous experience to go by. All he knew was he didn't want Russell treated the way his father had treated him. He'd asked the boy if he wanted to play cricket this summer in the village and again he'd received a shrug as an answer. The boy couldn't or wouldn't ask for what he wanted. The only thing that was obvious about the boy was his crush on Miss Sybil. Other than looking at the girl longingly he hadn't made any moves on her. As far as Thomas was concerned there wasn't any harm in looking.

-0-

A week after she had started Sybil had her sundress almost finished but couldn't figure out how to finish the hem. Absolutely everyone was out today. Both Davin and Redmond had farm jobs again this summer and everyone else was out paying calls or gone fishing with Grandpapa. She looked at the instructions again then bundled everything up and headed downstairs to find Mr. Barrow. He used to be a valet and that meant he knew how to sew. If he couldn't figure it out maybe Mrs. Barrow could. Sybil arrived downstairs to find the butler's office and kitchen empty. She looked in the servants' hall to see Russell there with all different cutlery layouts on the table.

"Hello," Sybil said. "What are you doing?"

Russell jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Trying to learn all these different layouts. Mr. Barrow is trying to teach me. He said I should practice."

"Oh," Sybil said setting her things down. She went down the line pointing to each one and naming it. She stopped at one and changed a spoon before she carried on.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Russell asked with a wrinkled forehead.

"Mummy taught us all before we moved here from the other house. You just get so you know it after a while," Sybil replied. "I'll tell you something funny but don't tell anyone. I remember when Davin and Redmond first came from Ireland. I was really little. They put their tea in their saucers and drank like this." Sybil made a loud slurping sound. "Mummy almost fell through the floor."

Both of them laughed at the image of her brothers who were both so well spoken and mannered slurping their tea.

"Why are you down here?" Russell asked.

"I'm making a dress but I can't figure out the instructions. I was going to ask Mr. Barrow for help."

"He went into the village to get the post," Russell said. "Mrs. Barrow is upstairs somewhere."

"Are you working today?"

"No, just practicing. I only work twenty hours a week. Mr. Barrow has a schedule in his office when I'm supposed to work otherwise I can do what I like if I have my other chores done."

"Oh, we should do something," Sybil said. "Everyone else is out or working and I can't finish my dress until I get some help."

"Like what?" Russell immediately turned red. He was thinking about going out in the garden and holding her hand.

"We could go swimming. It's too hot for riding today."

"I don't have any swimming trunks," he said. He could feel his face turning even redder.

"I'll find you some. There are lots of spares upstairs for when our friends come over. Come on let's go pick one out."

"No," Russell's eyes got large. "I'm not supposed to go upstairs in the main part of the house."

"You have to tell your mother you're going out don't you? She's probably in my family's wing anyway. Come on. We can go up the servant stairs if that makes you feel better."

"I have to put everything away first," Russell said stalling for time and hoping his adopted mother would come back soon so he wouldn't get in trouble for going upstairs.

"I'll help you," Sybil said.

They had everything put away in a few minutes.

"Wait, aren't you going to take your things?" Russell said.

"No. I'll leave them here and get Mr. Barrow to help me later. There isn't any day staff until tomorrow. They won't be in the way."

Russell followed her up the stairs with dread. He didn't want to defy his new parents and make them mad. At the same time he would like to spend time with Sybil. When they reached the second floor Sybil opened the door and walked out into the hall. She looked back when she noticed Russell wasn't following her and grabbed his shirtsleeve to drag him along behind her.

"No one is going to get mad," she said. She didn't stop until she arrived at a linen closet where Mrs. Barrow was counting sheets and setting some to the side that were worn.

"Mrs. Barrow, Russell and I are going to go swimming," Sybil said.

"That's fine dear," Mrs. Barrow replied distractedly. "Make sure you take the worn towels. There is a stack on the shelf in the laundry room. I don't want your mother's new towels going to the pond."

"I left my dress I'm working on downstairs in the servants' hall. I need some help from Mr. Barrow later if he isn't busy. I can't get the hem right," Sybil said.

"He'll be at least an hour in the village," Mrs. Barrow looked up from her list. "Russell I think there is a pair of black trunks in the closet that will fit you. Sybil will show you where they are kept. Hang your suit on the line in the yard when you get back. You can keep it in your room when it dries."

He nodded his understanding and swallowed. Mrs. Barrow hadn't gotten mad. He was standing here in the middle of the upstairs hall and she wasn't mad one bit.

"Can Russell come riding with me one day?" Sybil asked.

"As a groom or as your friend?" Mrs. Barrow asked.

"As a friend," Sybil replied.

"I'll have his father sort out something for him to wear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Barrow," Sybil said in parting.

"Have a nice time," Mrs. Barrow replied.

Sybil went a ways down the hall to another cupboard and went in. She pulled a chain to turn on the light.

"Here this is about Redmond's size and you're a little taller than him. It should fit. If it doesn't this one is bigger," she said handing Russell two pairs of swimming trunks. "You can try them on then return the one that doesn't fit later."

"Sybil," he said as they left the closet and she turned to head to her room leaving him to go change in his room. She turned back to face him.

"I never thanked you properly for the shirt. I do like it very much."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry it got you in so much trouble."

"I'm not sorry at all now, that I get to live here with you," he said quietly.

"I'm happy you're here too. Now hurry up and change. I want to go swimming."

-0-

"Russell, you have to take your shirt off. It's part of swimming," Sybil said. She had tossed her blouse off onto the old blanket they had brought along from the stack on the laundry shelf. She was kicking her shoes off as well. Russell was standing there looking awkward like he had never been swimming before and didn't know quite what to do now that he was here. Sybil stood with her hands on her hips regarding him. She was wearing a one-piece swimsuit that had a slim skirt on the bottom half. It was by no means a revealing suit and she had been swimming so many times with her brothers and their group of friends she didn't see what the issue was.

"I'd rather leave it on," he said hesitantly.

"Have you been swimming before?" Sybil asked him with her head tilted to the side.

"Um, No."

"Then I'll show you how it's done. It's easy, but you have to take off your shirt and shoes."

Russell slowly kicked off his shoes then unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the blanket. There were still red marks on his arms and torso where the scars hadn't completely healed. Sybil was trying not to stare at the sight of his naked chest where the fine hair had started to grow. It was her turn to avert her gaze.

"Come on, let's go in the water," she said dashing towards the pond.

Russell waded in up to his navel. They engaged in a game of splashing each other and getting cooled off. When it finally ended and they were both soaked, Sybil demonstrated floating on her back.

"You try it. You have to relax for it to work. When you get that, you can try on your stomach."

After the third attempt when Russell had sunk like a rock, Sybil came closer and put her hand under his back to hold him up. He finally got the knack of floating and slowly opened his eyes as a smile spread across his face. Sybil was standing there staring down at him. His smile slowly faded as he stared back. He lost concentration and sunk again breaking the spell. Sybil was laughing as he resurfaced.

"Russell the Rock," she taunted. They engaged in another game of splashing each other then he tried again until he finally got it. She showed him a few more things until the chilly water of the pond sent them back to their towels. Once Sybil was dried off she laid on her back in the sun to get warmed up. Russell wasn't sure what to do so he sat down beside her on the far side of the blanket.

"It won't take you long to learn to swim," Sybil said. "What are you thinking about?"

"How different your life is from mine," he said. "You've done so many things I haven't."

"You've probably done lots of things I haven't," Sybil replied. "Are you going to join cricket? It starts next week."

"I'd like to, but I don't want to ask. Mr. Barrow mentioned it."

"You should. Your new father is the best player in the village," Sybil said. "Grandpapa is always going on about cricket in the summertime."

"I didn't know Mr. Barrow was a good player. I've never been to a game."

"I know everything about watching," Sybil said sitting up quickly. "This is how you watch." She demonstrated how she was supposed to sit. "This is how a lady claps and I'm never supposed to raise my voice or say hurrah."

Russell started to laugh.

"Who taught you all that?" he asked.

"My Mama and Aunt Rosamund and it's not funny. It's how it's done."

"You look like you've got a pole up your back," he said still laughing.

"It's not funny," Sybil said with irritation. She got to her feet.

"It is," Russell said moving back when she started to advance on him. He jumped up and ran for the pond with Sybil chasing after him.

"Take it back," Sybil said as she pounced on him in the water.

"Nope, you said I'm Russell the Rock, now you're Sybil the Stick," he teased. Sybil had her hands on his shoulders and was laughing as well. He was just about to lean forward and try placing his lips on hers when someone called Sybil's name.

"We're over here," Sybil called back. She moved away from Russell quickly. George, Dylan and Bradley came into sight carrying their towels.

"Mrs. Barrow said you had gone swimming when we got back so we came too," Dylan said.

"And we brought lemonade," Bradley added.

"I hope you remembered the cups this time," Sybil said leaving the water to join the others. Russell came out as well and joined them at the blanket.

"I brought cups," Dylan said.

"Cups are for girls," Bradley complained.

"If you hadn't noticed, I am one," Sybil replied.

"No you're not. You're a sister," Bradley said quickly.

"What makes a sister different?" Russell asked him. He couldn't help but smile at Bradley's seven your old logic.

"Sisters are sort of like brothers except they look different," Bradley said with a slight nod.

"I wish mine was a brother then I could punch her," George said dryly. "Are you joining cricket?" he asked Russell.

"You're the third person to ask me. I guess I should," Russell replied.

"Good. Your Dad is the best player around. Now we'll be able to talk him into coaching us," Dylan said. He started running for the water. "Last one in is a rotten tomato."


	17. Facing Change Part VIII

Facing Change – Part VIII – Chapter 29 through 32

Chapter 29 – An Offer

The majority of the summer passed like any other at the Abbey. Tom was busy with the farm and the tenants, the children visited with friends, rode horses, swam and the boys practiced cricket in the evenings on the lawn. This year Russell had joined the cricket team in the village and Thomas and Michael Gregson were out almost every evening coaching the boys. Lord Grantham joined them from time to time as well even though his knees creaked and back ached the next day. He still loved the game as much as ever.

For Russell the summer was one of firsts. His new parents had taken him to the cinema and to a fair in a neighboring town. He'd had a candy apple for the first time in his life and he'd ridden on the carousel and the ferris wheel which had both made him dizzy. He still thought about how much he would like to hold Sybil's hand but there was never a chance as whenever he was invited to go out with her there was always a pack of brothers or one of her cousins along. His new Dad had shown him a passbook for a bank account he said was his and he could use when he got older for school or something important. It had made him feel strange inside. He'd wanted to hug his new father but he hadn't. Mr. Barrow had sensed his struggle and placed a hand on his shoulder lightly for a moment and then taken it away. Mrs. Barrow had been happy when Mr. Barrow gave her a gift of a new scarf for her birthday. She had kissed Mr. Barrow then kissed Russell on the cheek. She hadn't thought anything of it, but the tears had come to Russell's eyes, which he had quickly wiped away.

Two weeks before school went back in Tom asked Rose to go out on horseback with him. They left the house after breakfast and headed across the pastures towards one of the larger flocks.

"Why did you want me on your own away from the house?" Rose asked. She was busy making sure the older children's school uniforms were in order and getting ready for a weekend party they were planning to attend at one of their friend's homes. "Not that I mind a break."

"I've had a note from Lord Bradstone."

"How are Lorraine and William?"

"Fine, he didn't mention anything amiss."

I remember his first visit here. There was a Mr. Foxworth with him and the three of you never stopped talking. It was the chattiest I've ever seen you."

"Yes, they're both decent fellows," Tom replied. "I received the note from William yesterday. A good friend of his has just bought a large estate in Ireland as an investment. He's looking for someone to run it and William thought of me."

"Tom, are you serious about this?" Rose asked in surprise.

"I thought we should discuss the idea before I send a reply," Tom replied. "Let's stop for a moment."

They dismounted, then went to sit on a stone wall. They kept ahold of the reigns so the animals wouldn't wander off.

"I'm surprised you would even consider the offer," Rose said.

"It's not an offer yet, just an inquiry," Tom replied. "I'd have to meet the man who owns the property and look over the operation to see if it would be something that would suit me, but I think we should give it some serious consideration."

"Where is the estate located?"

"Just outside of the city of Galway. It's a nice area with mostly sheep and mixed farming. I think there is a medical school in Galway and a university but I'm not certain."

"We'd have to look into all of that," Rose said thoughtfully.

"You're not adverse to the idea then?" Tom asked.

"Yes and no. We have children to educate and as you've pointed out before the universities in Ireland are every bit as good as here and it would stretch our savings further as the tuitions are lower than England. It would mean a big change for everyone and making new friends in the area."

"I've wanted to go back for a long time," Tom said. "Michael can run things here if we decide to move. He knows the operation well. There are things about being here at the Abbey that bother me. Some of them have always bothered me but this last while they seem to really be rubbing me the wrong way."

"Like?"

"Mary only took Elizabeth for two weeks this summer. She's taking advantage of you teaching at home. She and Anthony haven't even attempted to find a school for her. I overheard Edith tell Mary, Haxby would take Elizabeth as a day student at half tuition since Edith is working there this fall and Mary didn't bother to take her up on it."

"I must admit it is bothering me as well. For the first part of last year, I think Elizabeth needed private help after the mess her parents had made of her education, but now she should be going to school. I've managed to correct her manners to an extent but I think some of what she does is just her personality. She isn't good at letting others have a turn first. It isn't how we've raised ours and it is a constant point of friction."

"One you don't need," Tom said. "She's a lot like her mother. I remember way back when I first came here Mary always wanted all the attention, which left Edith out in the cold. Even the servants could see it. We're trying not to let it happen with ours but it is a constant struggle."

"It's not our house and we don't really have a say," Rose agreed.

"I have to admit I'm finding the superior attitudes harder to deal with as well. I try my best to ignore them, but I don't want our children becoming snobs. I've caught odd things with the younger ones I don't care for from time to time and some of the guests this last while," Tom could only shake his head. "They're into something strange. There was one the other day praising Herr Hitler, you'd already gone through to the drawing room. Lord Grantham cut him off when he started on about the Jews being responsible for all the economic problems these last few years, but still."

"I've noticed some of that myself and I am concerned our children are going to turn into snobs. It is difficult living in grand surroundings such as these and the younger ones are closer in age to Mary's children, some of it can't help but rub off. I want the children well mannered and polite but they all need to realize they are not privileged. Whatever they have in future will come from their own diligence."

"My feelings exactly. The only thing in Ireland is you wouldn't be able to use your title. It is considered unconstitutional and I hate to leave our friends here behind."

"There is always something when you move. It isn't that far we can always visit back and forth," Rose replied thoughtfully. "You haven't got the job yet or even seen the place and we're already talking about things there."

"I'll write this afternoon and see what we can set up. Maybe we'll go over for a few days and take Redmond and Davin with us. They're the two we really have to worry about education wise at the moment. If we go to Ireland we could look into schools and maybe visit a few universities as well. Redmond still seems set on medical school and Davin on being a veterinarian."

"They're both bored at grammar school. Scouts is helping a bit," Rose commented.

"I wish they would stop taking my new motor bike apart," Tom said. "They think they're doing it in secret but I know when they've been at it."

"Get after them," Rose said emphatically.

"There's a little Kieran in there after all," Tom replied with a chuckle. "Can't have the two of them too serious all the time."

"It's a wonder all of our children aren't spoiled rotten," Rose said moving to remount her horse. Tom came over and gave her a leg up.

"I thought they were," he replied with a wink.

-0-

"I want to come to Ireland, too," Sybil said to her father while he was packing his bag a week later. She was sitting on Tom and Rose's bed. "Why can't Dylan and I come along?"

"We've told you the same as everyone else, we're going to go take a look at some universities for Redmond and Davin to help them decide if they want to go to university there or in England. You've got five years before you have to decide. Redmond has to decide within the next six months or so where he wants to go next year. Davin has three years since he's already advanced a year, maybe less if they advance him again."

"I'd still like to come and see where you grew up," Sybil said picking at the bedspread.

"This trip is all visiting universities and getting information," Tom replied. "The next trip we'll take everyone the same as we did to Scotland. I doubt we'll have time to look up much of the family on this trip and we're not staying more than one night in Dublin."

"Oh," Sybil said. "You won't even be back in time for the start of school."

"You take the bus to school anyway, and a few days late for your brothers isn't going to hurt anything. What's really bothering you?"

"I've never been away from you before Daddy," Sybil said launching herself into Tom's arms.

"Yes you have," Tom said with a small grin. He pulled his daughter close and gave her a hug. "Mummy and I have been to visit friends for a weekend more than once and not taken you. You have a house full of people here and Mrs. Barrow to see to you. We'll only be gone five days."

He and Rose hadn't told anyone they were going to scout out a potential job. Everyone knew Redmond was considering going to university in Ireland and accepted their reasons easily enough. It was true they were planning to visit two universities in Ireland and talk to the registration counselors.

Tom went downstairs to join everyone in the drawing room once he was packed. Mary had come to stay as Isobel Crawley was having angina and not expected to last much longer.

"All packed?" Rose asked Tom when he took a seat beside her.

"Everyone's bags are at the front door," Tom replied. "How's Mrs. Crawley this afternoon."

"Fading but she could hold on another month or two yet," Mary replied.

"How is the hotel business doing?" Rose asked.

"Busy, that's why Anthony isn't with me. The place is booked through Christmas."

"The papers say the central part of the country is doing well. The factories have all reopened and people are feeling the pinch less," Lord Grantham commented.

"It seems the north is the hardest hit," Michael commented.

"Mary have you given anymore thought to Edith's suggestion Elizabeth attend Haxby?" Rose inquired.

"No, not really. Why?" Mary asked in return.

"Tom and I have been considering possibly putting our younger children into a day program when we get back. Things are much better now on the estate and we can afford to send them to a better school again. If Haxby was a boy's school I wouldn't hesitate to send Garret, Bradley and Dylan, especially with the rate that would be available with Edith teaching there. I'd transfer Sybil if they were taking older girls."

"That is a new turn of events," Mary said. Edith was trying to hide her smile behind her teacup. "What would you do with yourself without a room full to teach?"

"One of the teachers at the village school is getting married at Christmas and moving away. There is an opening coming up there and I'm first in line since I've been substituting there for years. Besides you never know what opportunities might open up. It may be nothing and I'll teach at home again this year. I just wanted to let you know there is a slight possibility things may change."

Tom had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smirking. These women could manipulate and say things without saying them. He knew full well Rose had had enough of teaching Elizabeth without compensation. Dylan had another two years before he was ready for grammar school. He was the only one they had discussed the possibility of putting back in private school. The youngest two Rose had every intention of teaching herself this winter.

"I'll have to discuss things with Anthony," Mary said. "It is a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity at Haxby. It's such a grand house and so close by."

"That would be something if you had your niece in your class, Edith," Michael commented. He was trying to keep a straight face as well. In his opinion Elizabeth was a handful. He didn't know how Rose dealt with her on a daily basis.

"It would be quite lovely," Edith replied. "I'm sure Elizabeth would enjoy the company of other little girls since she's been surrounded by brothers and in an all male class this last year."

"Time to get going before we miss the train," Tom said.

Sybil was still a bit down as they said their goodbyes. The boys were all so busy talking about going fishing later that afternoon they barely noticed their parents leaving.

"I feel dishonest not telling them all we're going to look over a new post for you," Rose said after Michael had dropped them all at the train station.

"If it turns out to be nothing we've had a good look around and Redmond will have more information to base his decision. If we do decide to make the move it won't be right away. I'd have to give a long period of notice to make the transition easier. No sense stirring the pot until we know which way we are going."

"I know," Rose replied. "Did you see the look on Mary's face when I told her we might send the boys to day school?"

"Edith was having herself a good laugh," Tom replied.

"Da can we go see our parent's graves when we are in Dublin?" Redmond asked as he and Davin arrived back to Tom and Rose. They had been down to the other end of the platform to watch for the train.

"Of course son," Tom replied. "We'll have to find out from family or the church the family attended where they are. I wasn't around when they passed on."

"I only remember a tree with white bark and small leaves near our mother's grave," Redmond said.

"I don't remember any of it," Davin added. "Only you standing on the dock and picking me up when we arrived. It was cold."

"It was," Tom replied. "We'll find out what we can when we get to Dublin. We're going to go and take a look at an estate farm while we're there as well. A friend of Lord Bradstone's wants me to look over his place. He may need help running it, he's not sure."

"Are we going to move there?" Redmond asked.

"I'm not sure. Right now we are just going to take a look," Tom said.

-0-

"What do you think so far?" Tom asked Rose their second day in Ireland. They were on the train on their way to Galloway after visiting two universities in Dublin with the boys and locating the graves of Redmond and Davin's parents. They had stopped by a cousin of Tom's to get the location. Tom's cousin and the boy's natural uncle had been surprised to see Tom and welcomed them in, but Redmond and Davin had both been distant as this was one of the people who hadn't wanted them when they were left without parents.

The entire family had been a bit taken aback at the formality of the boys' manners and their polished accents, but Rose couldn't help but notice how much the boys resembled their uncle. The man's resemblance to Tom was evident. Rose hadn't been surprised when they were offered a cup of tea and the man slurped his loudly. Now she knew exactly where the boys had gotten the habit from that she had work so hard to correct. The man's wife and all of their children had stared with their mouths open when Redmond had volunteer to pour the tea and handled the plain crockery as if it were elegant china. Tom had been engaged in conversation and only absently thanked his son when he handed him a cup.

"Right now I feel as though we're trading apples for oranges," Rose said. "We'll have to see how things go. As far as Dublin, I think Redmond would be just as well off going to school in London and living with my brother. That goes for Davin as well. There is only one veterinarian school in Ireland. There are two in Scotland and a half dozen in England. He could go to the one in London and have a place to stay already secured."

"You may be right," Tom replied. "What do the two of you think?"

"Mummy is right about living with Uncle James," Redmond said. "I couldn't live with any of the Dublin relatives. They don't understand me and I don't understand them. I don't belong there anymore."

"I don't know," Davin said thoughtfully. "I might decide to go to medical school like Redmond. I like animals but I'm good at chemistry. I'm not completely sure yet."

"You have lots of time to decide," Rose said. "What do you want us to say if they want to put you ahead again?"

"I could but I don't really want to," Davin said. "I'm already a year or more younger than everyone else in my class. I wish you could teach us at home Mummy."

"I'm not qualified for the later grades, dear. You need someone with more background in advanced subjects than I have."

"I don't really like being younger either," Redmond said. "I only have this year and then it won't matter so much."

"You'll be younger at a university as well," Tom reminded him.

"I'll probably be the only medical student in history that is still a Boy Scout," Redmond joked.

"You might at that," Tom replied with a smile.

Chapter 30 – Ireland

"Welcome to Galway, Mr. Branson, Lord Bradstone speaks very highly of you," Garth Maguire said as he shook Tom's hand at the train station when they arrived.

"My wife, Rose, and my eldest son's Redmond and Davin," Tom introduced.

"How do you do, Mr. Maguire," Rose said. If Garth Maguire was surprised by Rose's upper crust English accent he didn't show it.

"Very well, Mrs. Branson. Thank you. I thought I'd get you settled at the hotel and we can go over the particulars of the position and what I'm looking for in an Estate Manager over dinner," Mr. Maguire said. "We'll head out to Eagle Cairn in the morning."

"Why is the estate named for a pile of rocks?" Davin asked.

"The story goes an eagle used to make it's nest on top of a tower of ruined castle on the estate and everyone came from miles around to see it," Mr. Maguire replied.

"Does it still?" Davin asked. "Eagles build their nests larger and larger until the trees topple over from the weight. There was one that did that last year at Downton."

"I'm afraid not for many, many years, but I could be mistaken. I've only just bought the place."

"Enough questions, Davin," Rose scolded softly.

It didn't take long to arrive at their hotel in Galway.

"Why don't you men go and talk. I'll get us registered and then telephone the university for an appointment," Rose said.

"You have business at the university as well?" Mr. Maguire inquired.

"Redmond here is looking for a medical school for next year. He's trying to make up his mind between an English school or an Irish one," Tom said.

"Forgive me for saying so, but aren't you awfully young to be going to medical school?" Mr. Maguire asked. The boy's face still had a baby softness about it and his chest and arms weren't completely filled out yet.

"I'll be sixteen next spring," Redmond replied. "I would have gone this year but I'm not old enough. You can't practice medicine until you turn twenty. That should make me just old enough for residency."

"Good gracious," Mr. Maguire exclaimed in shock.

"It's part of why we're considering the move," Tom said. "We'd like to be somewhere close to a university so the boys won't be too far afield."

"Yes, well. Let's go down the way to a pub. We can get a drink and talk for a bit before dinner."

"Dinner at seven in the dining room?" Rose asked.

"I'll see you there," Tom said.

Tom and Garth Maguire found the pub and went in to get to know each other better. Garth knew Lord Bradstone from university and had been titled without land before the Irish government had ended the Irish peerage. He now worked and lived in England but had a number of holdings in Ireland as well. He was looking for someone who had experience running a large estate and modernization. In particular he was hoping an Irish Estate Manager would bring about a smooth transition with the tenants. He wasn't interested in running the property himself as he didn't have time.

"You do know I was an Irish rebel?" Tom asked him.

"I've had you looked into Mr. Branson," he replied. "You've been the Estate Agent for Downton for twelve and a half years. Under your leadership the estate remained intact through the restructuring of the early twenties and through the downturn of the crash. You have a reputation among your tenants for being fair minded. You are the son-in-law of the Earl of Grantham through your first marriage and the son-in-law of the Marquess of Flintshire by your second. Your brother-in-law Lord Newtonmore is a man of considerable influence in London as is your current father-in-law. Should I continue? You are a man of considerable influence should you care to exert it. I am only interested in hiring the best. I'm not averse to finding those individuals and compensating them generously."

"I see you've done your homework," Tom replied. "I can't say I've done the same."

"There's not much to tell really. I'm an Irish national the same as you, Mr. Branson. I work in England as a financial manager. Thanks to some astute investments in land rather than stocks, I weathered the crash quite nicely. Some day I'm going to throw in the towel in England and come home. Eagle Cairn is the property I intend to someday call home permanently."

"And where would that leave me?" Tom inquired.

"I don't know that much about running a farm especially a large one. I'm a financier not a farmer. Even if I live at the main house, which is currently rented I would still need a manager to run things. May I ask why a man already in a lucrative position would consider this one?"

"I've always wanted to come home, but family is the real answer. My wife and I would want any move we make to benefit our family. We have six children. You've met the eldest two. Everyone is bright and talented although those two are somewhat exceptional. We are going to have to educate all of them. My wife is looking into the university here as we speak. In my current position I am the Agent, here I would be the Manager. It's a step up."

"Or a step down depending on how you look at it," Garth Maguire said. "You wouldn't be surrounded by the peerage you are at your current position."

"Mr. Maguire, I'm a republican. I don't particularly care about peerage. I deal with it because it's family."

"Fair enough. We should get back for dinner. I'll tell you a bit more about the property and then you'll see it for yourself in the morning. I think you'll find the farming methods here quite a bit different than you've been dealing with in Yorkshire."

"It should prove interesting," Tom said.

-0-

"It's a lovely Georgian," Rose commented as they were standing in front of the house that came with the Estate Manager position.

"Six bedrooms with four servants rooms," Garth Maguire replied. "There is a carriage house and stables around back."

"It reminds me of the Dower House at home, just not quite as grand," Redmond said thoughtfully. "I've always wanted to live there. I liked it better than our old house."

"You never mentioned it," Rose said thoughtfully.

"You'll notice as we go around there are few things in the way of modern methods or machinery in use," Mr. Maguire commented. "The last owner kept the rents too high during the economic troubles. It has prevented the tenants from moving forward. It was his undoing when they defaulted on the rent in mass."

"Have you lowered the rents since you assumed ownership?" Tom inquired.

"Yes, I've cut them to what I think is a reasonable level with a promise to review in six months," Mr. Maguire replied. "That is where a manager that is on top of things would be useful. As you know, too low and you can't pay your taxes, too high and you bleed the tenants and everyone suffers in the end."

"I haven't noticed much in the way of machinery and there are certainly fewer cars than in England," Tom commented.

"Fuel is higher and prices for products are lower. It will take someone with know how to turn things around and move the estate towards a more prosperous existence," Mr. Maguire said. "Steam power may be the answer here, but I'm not entirely certain."

"An estate is about more than profit and losses," Tom said seriously. "It's about the people who live there and the land. If one is doing well, usually the other is. Push one too hard and they both fall apart."

"A modern approach to management," Garth Maguire replied. "I like it. There is a new theory that is not too popular with the old guard that says if a person's base needs are cared for they are more productive. The old way was to keep people hungry and striving for more. Look at the mess with the strikes and the unions in both Ireland and England. No one got ahead and in the end everyone suffered. If the owners had paid slightly more, the workers could have afforded housing and food and in the long run they would not have lost a fraction of what they did to the strikes. You just can't make everyone see the big picture."

"You're a rather progressive thinker yourself," Tom commented.

"I think outside the box and I've been successful," he replied. "My father used to say greed makes men make foolish decisions. Think where what you want will be in twenty years and then make it happen."

"It is beautiful here," Rose commented. "It's a lot like home. I mean home in England."

"Different government, similar issues when it comes to farming and tenants," Garth Maguire replied. "I understand you're priority since the crash has to been to keep men working?"

"Working and fed with a roof over their heads," Tom said. "The winter of 1929 and 30 it got to the point where some worked for food on the table and rent. We've slowly been able to increase wages as we've found better markets and prices have rebounded a bit."

"Did you venture further afield to find buyers?"

"No, quite the opposite, the closer the buyer the cheaper the shipping. Once Michael Gregson came on board we found the best avenue was to sell in either bulk or local to cut shipping costs. We're still using a method of bulk sales through the Farmer's Association. It has kept the goods moving all year round that would otherwise be a slave to the commodities market."

"Interesting," Garth Maguire said. "Modernized not just in farming but also the marketing of crops."

"It didn't happen overnight and some methods such as selling to your neighbor and bartering are the old ways that have gone out of favor," Tom said. "It's taken years of trail and error. Not everything has worked."

"I'm surprised you're as versed in farming and estate management as you are Mrs. Branson," Mr. Maguire commented.

"I've been going out with Tom around the estate every since I first moved to Downton. I can't help but pick things up," Rose replied. "It's getting late. Would you be able to get the boys and I back into town? We should get to the university for a tour this afternoon You men can be free to look at all the sheep and crops you like without us in tow."

"Of course, right this way," Mr. Maguire replied.

-0-

"What did you think of Ireland?" Tom asked the boys while they were on the train back to Downton.

"It was interesting," Davin said. "I don't think I would want to live in Dublin though."

"Why not?" Tom inquired.

"In London we visit Uncle James and when Cousin Robert opened his house, we visited there as well. I didn't feel as welcome in our relatives' houses in Dublin as I do in London."

"I don't either," Redmond said.

They had stopped and visited more relatives on the way back through with about the same results. The boys couldn't relax around people who hadn't wanted to take them in when they were first orphaned. Tom and Rose had never mentioned it but Redmond could remember bits and pieces of his life in Ireland and he did remember people arguing about not wanting him and his brother.

"It's not a bad place and you would make your own friends if you lived there," Tom said.

"Garret is going to like the tin flute we got him," Redmond commented.

"He would have liked the drum at the store better," Davin said.

"It's called a bodhran and we'll wait with a drum as well as the bagpipes," Rose commented. Garret was still on about wanting bagpipes. Rose had visions of the stately columns in the Abbey cracking and crumbling to rubble at the racket he would make while learning to play.

"What did you get the others?" Tom asked.

"A lace trimmed dress for Sybil, paints for Dylan and a postcard book of scenery, a book of Irish legends for Bradley and the tin flute for Garret."

"We should have got a gag for Elizabeth," Davin said.

Redmond punched him in the arm.

"Davin that isn't a nice thing to say," Rose scolded. "We got her a book of paper dolls with traditional Irish costumes."

"Any thoughts on university?" Tom asked.

"I think I'd like to go to London and visit Uncle James and tour a university there," Redmond said. "If I understood the requirements in England correctly the process is actually shorter but more intense, which would suit me better."

"I think in the long run anything Redmond would save in tuition in a year would amount to the same thing over the longer time period," Rose commented. "They were all very good schools though with excellent programs."

"What about you Davin?" Tom asked.

"I'm not totally sure what I want to do, so I don't know. I think if I want to be a doctor like Redmond then England, but if I want to be a veterinarian then England, Scotland or Ireland would do. I think I would prefer Scotland really."

"Why Scotland?" Rose asked.

"I liked it there when we visited and they have schools that teach agriculture," Davin replied. "I read in a book they have the largest agriculture program in the United Kingdom at Aberdeen. Veterinary medicine and agriculture go together don't you think?"

"That is a very astute observation," Rose replied not bating an eyelash. Tom was wondering where the two boys came up with some of their ideas, but the two of them were usually bang on with their observations.

"And what did you think, Tom?" Rose asked.

"I told Mr. Maguire I would give him an answer in a week or so once we had time to think things over," Tom replied. "Don't you two tattle that Daddy was offered a job. I need to think things through."

"We won't," Redmond said with exasperation. "We know how to keep secrets."

"By the way. The two of you can stop taking my motorcycle apart when we get back. I gave you the old one to work on. It's going to have to do," Tom said.

"Who told?" Redmond asked right away.

"I told you he knew," Davin replied.

"The reworked carburetor was a dead give away and you didn't get the gas tank back on perfectly straight the last time," Tom said calmly. "You increased the speed but you also increased the fuel consumption. I put it back the way it was. The secret to more speed is in the timing and don't the pair of you get any ideas about monkeying with that."

"All right, Da," Redmond said sheepishly.

"I got you something else to do," Tom reached in a bag and pulled out a paper wrapped box for each of the boys. Inside was a model kit of an airplane.

"Thanks Da," Redmond said giving his father a large smile.

"Thanks Daddy," Davin added. He was busy pouring over the picture on the box.

"Just don't leave them where anyone you don't want playing with them can get to them easily," Tom reminded them.

"We won't," Davin said. Redmond already had his open and was reading the instructions.

"Could you spoil them just a little bit more?" Rose asked.

"Maybe you would prefer a real airplane?" Tom said with a cocked eyebrow.

"Maybe I just might," Rose said with a sniff then a smile. "I'd be the one you wouldn't be able to keep out of it."

"I can't win," Tom said. "Maybe I need a plane in a few years so I can get away fast when Garret starts with his bagpipes."

Rose's only response was a chuckle.

Chapter 31 – Coming Home

"Mummy, Daddy, I'm so glad you're home," Sybil said running across the great hall to greet her parents and receive an embrace from each.

"Sybil that wasn't a very lady like greeting," Rose said with a smile. "But I am awfully glad to see you, too."

"I missed you," Sybil said.

"Were you into something?" Tom asked while he had her in his arms and twirled her a bit.

"No. I just missed you," Sybil replied.

"Tom, Rose, welcome back," Edith said as she came across the hall. "How was Ireland?"

"Nice. We took in three universities and saw some of the countryside," Rose replied.

"There was a call for you Rose, from the Headmistress at the village school. It seems Miss Reid decided to leave early and they need you to call first thing in the morning. Papa told them you were out of town."

"My goodness," Rose replied. "I'll ring her in a few minutes. She might be still at the school. It's still early. How is everything around here?"

"Mary and Anthony have put Elizabeth in Haxby. Today was the first day. She was so busy playing with the other girls after school on the grounds she didn't want to come home. Otherwise everything else is the same as normal," Edith replied. She turned to talk to the boys as the other children spotted their parents and came to meet them.

"Did you bring a set of bagpipes home?" Garret asked hopefully.

"Nothing quite that large," Tom replied. "You'll have to come upstairs and be patient to see what we brought."

-0-

"I hate to say this, but we need to make a decision sooner than later," Rose said to Tom when they got a few minutes alone before dinner. "Miss Reid has left early and the village school has offered me the post. She made the decision suddenly and they haven't even had time to advertise. The spot is mine if I want it."

"It never rains but it pours," Tom said with a sigh. "Tonight we sit down and talk this through until we reach a decision."

"I was hoping to wait a few days, but it isn't to be. If I take the post it will answer the question right away if Dylan, Bradley and Garret are going to day school and whether we're staying or going."

"Think on it a bit and we'll come to a decision later," Tom replied.

The sound of Garret playing a tune on his new tin whistle could be heard coming down the hall. He was playing a folk song he knew on violin.

"Is there anything that boy can't play?" Tom questioned.

"At least it isn't too loud," Rose commented.

-0-

"Thoughts," Tom said later that evening when they were alone in their sitting room. The two older boys had retired early as they were both tired from the trip. The others had followed to bed soon after as tomorrow would be a school day. Elizabeth had been so tired from her first day and all the excitement she had almost fallen asleep on her plate at dinner.

"We should make a list of the good and bad on each side and decide from that. At the moment I'm almost thinking we stay in England and just make a few changes to suit us, but we have to come to that decision together," Rose replied.

"I know what you mean," Tom said. He let his head drop back on the sofa. He was tired from the trip as well and all the thinking about whether or not to move the family to Ireland. "I feel the draw to move to my homeland, it's what I've always wanted but the children's happiness has to come first."

"Let's look at the job first," Rose said. "It comes with a house as does this one. You aren't happy here at the Abbey. It's exactly what happened when you lived in this house before. In Ireland we would have a beautiful Georgian home. Here we could possibly arrange to live in the Dower House which would also be an elegant Georgian home."

"What gave you that idea?" Tom asked. "I've always thought of the Dower House as Old Lady Grantham's."

"Redmond said he'd always wanted to live there. It occurred to me Cousin Robert and Cora are a long way from moving there and they would rather have family in it than strangers."

"True enough," Tom said. "Housing wise we'd have a roof over our heads either way and food on the table. A farm is the same no matter where it is as long as the crops don't fail."

"Wages?" Rose inquired.

"Slightly more there, but I think we'd have more expenses. We'd need a new housekeeper and there isn't an existing stable. I'd have to buy at least three mounts probably more so everyone could get around. We'd need a groom to take care of that many animals. In the long run more expense so the wage really isn't a gain."

"Here we have people we know we can trust to care for the children," Rose said. "There is everyone here at the house, your brother and mine. None of them would ever see our children out on the street and they are always welcome. We wouldn't have that in Ireland."

"No, we wouldn't. The way Redmond and Davin reacted to being back with the family spoke volumes. Everyone there is a stranger to the others as well."

"Do you remember how your mother reacted to our lifestyle? Everyone was very pleasant and welcoming but I think it would be a repeat performance if we got to know the family there better."

"Most likely," Tom said. "It looks like things are stacking up for staying in England."

"We thought about education but it really is apples for oranges," Rose commented.

"It's a beautiful part of the country," Tom said.

"One I'd like to visit again but long term would it improve things for the children?"

"No, I don't think it would," Tom replied. "In some respects I think it would make things harder for them."

"So we stay," Rose said.

"We stay," Tom agreed.

"Now do I take the post at the school?"

"Do you want to?"

"My wages would pretty well cover the cost of private school for Dylan, Bradley and Garret. It would give them the opportunity to be in class with more children."

"Which means we could easily afford their schooling since things have improved here with my wages."

"I do think we should talk to Cousin Robert about moving to the Dower House," Rose said.

"Reasons?"

"You don't care for associating with aristocrats constantly."

"You forget I married one," Tom teased her with a grin.

Rose smacked him with a pillow.

"Be serious. In the village the school bus used to stop practically at our door. Getting six on the bus will be no mean feat and I'll be able to walk to school. I won't have to take the car no matter what the weather."

"There is a stable and carriage house. We could bring down a couple horses to use. The older children take the old governess cart when the boys have Scouts and Sybil has Brownies. It would be simple enough to move it all over. No one else uses it anymore."

"There is one other thing to consider," Rose said slowly. "Sybil has a terrible crush on that boy Russell. If we move down to the village it will put a little distance between them. Hopefully it will wear off as all childhood crushes do."

"I've noticed it too," Tom said. He picked up Rose's hand and fiddled with her fingers. "I agree distance would be a good thing and as would keeping her busy. She won't be here to the house as often so she won't see him as much. I can't say I'm going to miss Anthony's visits or his daughter's presence."

"Moving back to our own place will make the rules with our own that much easier and I won't miss the daily dose of Elizabeth either," Rose said. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck. "Tomorrow we divide and conquer. I'll let the school know I can start day after tomorrow. We need to find Redmond and Davin's old uniforms, see what fits and get the boys registered for school."

"And see about a house," Tom added. "Who has time to feel old? Our life never seems to slow down one bit."

"I'm going to take a bath," Rose said. "Want to join me?"

"Of course," Tom replied getting up to follow her.

-0-

Autumn passed in a blur of activity. Lord Grantham had agreed to allow them to live at the Dower House as it would be a long time before George would be ready to assume any kind of control of the estate and he preferred the house not sit empty. As part of the family homes it had never been rented. All of the children were up in the mornings and out the door to catch the bus and Rose was off to the village school to teach the first and second year students. They had decided to have a housekeeper come in through the days rather than a live in since everyone was school age now. Mrs. Barrow had become an employee of the main house as a result of the move. The estate could afford two live in employees as well as day staff at the Abbey and it made sense for her to remain there as she already did half of the cooking, arranged the purchasing and laundry.

Garret was the happiest of all the children to be at a day school. He had talked his way into the school music program that was held at lunch break two days a week. The music teacher had been annoyed at first that he had ignored the sign that said fourth year students and older only. As soon has he had sat down to the piano, the instructor had changed his mind.

Shortly after they moved out Isobel Crawley passed away peacefully in her sleep. It had been coming for a long time. Her passing seemed as though it marked yet another shift in things at the Abbey that would never be quite as they were before.

Tom couldn't believe how much his children were changing again. It was Davin's turn to start shaving and Sybil's looks seemed to have altered slightly again. Her face was a bit narrower than it had been before, her mouth seemed to be slightly less like her mother's and more like his and her bust was definitely getting bigger. Dylan still bore a strong resemblance to Rose's brother which was increasing as he aged and the younger two seemed to both take after their mother with odd resemblances to himself thrown in here and there. It was almost as if the pair of them were in a growing race. One day Garret would be fractionally taller and the next day it would be Bradley. The two boys shared a room and Tom was pretty sure neither of them knew which clothes belong to whom. They just put on whatever fit.

Shortly before Christmas a notice came home from the grammar school the three eldest attended that there would be a formal dance just before Christmas. It was the main topic of conversation over dinner.

"We have dance classes in the gymnasium. We don't normally have the boys' class with the girls' class but we do for dance," Sybil said wrinkling her nose. "I already know how and we aren't allowed to dance with the boys from different levels until the dance itself. I wanted Davin for my partner but the teacher said no."

"Those are the rules," Rose replied ignoring Sybil's complaint.

"I had to dance with Millie Gordon. She stepped on my foot," Davin added.

"You can dance together when it is the real dance can't you?" Rose asked.

"Yes, except the ones where they draw your name from a box," Sybil said. "None of the girls want to dance with Billy Waverly. I just know I'm going to get him."

"What's wrong with Billy Waverly?" Tom asked. He was trying not to laugh.

"He looks at all the girls' chests like this," Sybil replied opening her eyes as wide as she could and staring at the middle of her father's chest.

"Box his ears for him if he looks at your chest like that," Tom said. "He'll think twice the second time."

"I'll probably get in trouble," Sybil said despondently.

"And who are you dancing with during the practices?" Tom inquired of Redmond.

Redmond's face turned bright pink.

"Evangeline Noxworth, who else," Davin supplied rolling his eyes. Redmond's face turned even redder.

"There are more boys than girls in my level so I had to go with a girl from a different year," Redmond said.

"Just be polite son," Tom said.

"I am, Da," Redmond replied.

"You should have picked me and saved me from Billy Waverly," Sybil said to her eldest brother. "I don't like any of the boys in my level."

"To change the subject, Mummy and I have been discussing what to do with the unused servants' quarters. Any ideas?"

"A sewing room," Sybil said promptly.

"A day nursery so we have somewhere for games and things when our friends come over," Bradley said.

"I wish we had an art room with good light," came from Dylan.

"All very good suggestions," Rose said. "Saturday we will get to work. We still have all sorts of furniture and rugs in storage at the Abbey. I think we could do all three. Daddy will have one room for his office. We'll make the largest room into a day nursery and I'm sure we can make an art room and a sewing room so we keep the mess in the house to a minimum. The rooms need painting but with all of us working on it, it shouldn't take long."

"I was thinking of a billiard room," Tom said once he could get a word in edgewise.

"Daddy, billiards is dull," Sybil complained.

"I'd rather play chess," Redmond said.

"Me too," came from Bradley.

"Sorry Tom, you've been out voted," Rose said with a smile in his direction.

Chapter 32 – A Weekend at the Abbey

"I'm very happy to have you back, if just for a weekend, " Cora said to Sybil in mid November.

"I'm very glad to be here too, Grandmamma," Sybil replied. "Redmond and Davin left for a Scout sleepover this morning and I had the choice of going to the overnight party with Mummy and Daddy at Lord and Lady Bradstone's or coming to visit you. The last time we visited there all it did was rain and the children there are all much younger. I would rather stay here."

"I'm pleased you chose to come and stay," Cora said. "No matter what the circumstances. I'm afraid we're having company you wouldn't enjoy very much. You'll have dinner downstairs tonight but you'll be back up with us tomorrow."

"I don't mind," Sybil said. "My formal at school is coming up in another week and I wanted to show you my new dress. Mummy helped me choose one that will do for Christmas as well. I was allowed a new dress because I always get one for Christmas."

"I'm sure it is very nice. Why don't you come up with me while I change before the guests arrive and we can talk more?"

"Alright, Grandmamma. Can I try on your tiara while I'm here? I've always wanted to try it."

"Of course dear. I'll have Mr. Barrow bring it up from the safe."

Thomas Barrow spotted Sybil and Lady Grantham heading for the stairs after tea in the library. He was busy supervising the extra staff that had been brought in for the party this evening. _"Thank goodness, Russell will be occupied with work and not mooning over the girl for the next two days,"_ he thought. Thomas and Abigail had been relieved when the Branson family moved down to the Dower House. Russell was having enough problems adjusting to being in a family with two parents without constantly seeing the object of his adolescent crush and having her just out of his reach.

Russell's father had been convicted of assault and sent to prison for six years. The boy had been upset when told the news and it had unsettled him enough Thomas and Abigail had to keep him home for two days from school. The news had brought up his memories of the events of the previous Christmas season. The police were still looking for Russell's natural mother. They only had managed to find evidence of her existence in Hastings from before Russell and his father moved to Downton. After the move there was no trace. The authorities suspected Russell's father of murder but without a confession or a body they had no proof. It had been a difficult visit to the police station in Ripon where Russell was questioned again as to anything he could remember about his mother by a Detective working on the case. Afterwards he had been exhausted and couldn't sleep for the second time in less than a month. Abigail had sat by his bedside and held his hand until he fell asleep.

The hardest thing of all for Thomas had been finally sitting down with Russell when he turned fifteen and having a heart to heart talk with him about the facts of life. The conversation had quickly gone in a completely different direction than Thomas had expected.

"I already know where babies come from. I've been there when they breed the mares. I was there when the cat had kittens, too."

"Good," Thomas replied with relief. "Just take your time and be careful as you get older when you find a girl you like and want to marry. There is something called a French letter you can use to stop a girl from getting in the family way. You won't need any of those for a few years yet."

Russell look thoughtful then suddenly spoke startling Thomas.

"My Dad, my real Dad told me a long time ago to stay away from you because you liked boys," Russell said. "Was it true?"

Thomas took a moment to answer. The question made him apprehensive. His first instinct was to lie, but then the boy could find out the truth easily enough. He'd heard enough lies and half-truths in his young life. The truth seemed to be the only recourse.

"It is partially true," Thomas replied. "I liked men not boys better than women, but it has no bearing on me being able to act as your father and take care of you."

"Why did you marry Mrs. Barrow then?"

"Because I love her, the same as any man should love his wife," Thomas replied truthfully. "When you love someone, that is really love them, you want to be with them."

"Oh, so what my Dad said about you wasn't true. He said you wanted to do things with boys and that's why you were nice to them," Russell said with downcast eyes.

"No, of course that is not true. Only the worst sort of man does something like that," Thomas said.

"Why do you want to be my father?" Russell said looking straight at Thomas and piercing him with his eyes. Thomas had been thinking how much the boy looked like him. When they were away from Downton everyone accepted they were father and son without question although Russell's mouth was not as wide as his.

"There are a few reasons," Thomas said looking uncomfortable. "I thought you should live with someone who knows what it is like to have a father that wasn't kind. The other reason is that Mrs. Barrow and I are too old to have children. We could still have them but we would be old by the time they are raised and on their own. You can be our son and we can be your parents, but you'll be a grown man long before I'm an old man ready for the grave."

"Oh. I wondered," Russell said looking down.

"The other reason was different. I couldn't stand the thought of you being sent away like a criminal for doing nothing wrong," Thomas said. "When I was young, younger than you are now, I wanted to get away from my father. He berated and hit me for nothing. I couldn't do anything right for him, ever. No matter what I did it wasn't good enough. I applied for a position in service and started as a hall boy here when I was thirteen. It's not a good way to learn to be a man, completely on your own. It made me into someone I'm not always proud to say I was."

"You're a pretty good Dad," Russell told him. "My real Dad never played cricket with me or cared if I had clothes or shoes."

"I'm not really sure what a father is supposed to care about or act like," Thomas admitted. "I only know what mine was and I don't want to be like him. I hope you won't ever be like your's either."

"No, I don't want to be like him. It hurts sometimes on the inside when I think about him."

"It will get less with time," Thomas said. "You'll have your own life and you have to make up your own mind to be your own man. I don't care what other people say about me or what my father is doing any more. I have a wife and son I care for and a job that keeps a roof over our heads. I'm not going to let anyone or anything take that away from me."

"Thanks, Dad," Russell said.

"For what?" Thomas asked in surprise.

"For choosing to be my Dad," Russell said before he got up to leave the butler's office where they had been sitting.

"You're welcome, son," Thomas said to Russell before the boy walked out the door. He had sat for a long while after Russell left him alone then went to find his wife.

"He called me Dad," Thomas said to her quietly.

"How did it feel?" she asked looking up at Thomas with a smile.

"It felt strange and good at the same time," Thomas replied. "As though I'm more responsible for him now than I was before."

"He trusts you now. You are more responsible. You could break his heart," Abigail said.

"I have to make sure that doesn't happen."

"We both do," she said gently laying her hand on his arm.

-0-

"Hello, I didn't know you were going to be here today," Russell said when he had come back downstairs for the next dish and spotted Sybil setting the table in the servants' hall. His faced flushed slightly pink at the sight of her. He had only seen her twice since the family had moved over to the other house. She had a cloth on the table and was setting it for four.

"It's only me staying with my grandparents. Elizabeth has already gone to bed. I'll have dinner with you and your parents tonight."

"Russell, get a move on," Abigail scolded him when she saw him chatting. "Don't let him stop and chat when he should be working," she directed Sybil.

"Yes, Mrs. Barrow," Sybil replied with a smile at Russell. The woman had been a big part of her upbringing for long enough Sybil obeyed her instructions.

"They're almost done upstairs. It won't be another half hour or so and Thomas and Russell will be down for their dinners," Abigail said once Russell had hurried off.

"I've brought my flute down with me. I have plenty to do to keep myself amused," Sybil said.

After twenty minutes on her own, Abigail came back into the room carrying the first of the covered dishes for the family meal. Sybil went to help her collect the other two bowls and bring them in. Just as they had the hot bowls on their trivets Russell arrived still wearing his livery with his father right behind him.

"An elaborate table tonight," Thomas commented.

"Just a few flowers and a cloth, Mr. Barrow," Sybil said. "I didn't bring out the china. I don't mind the crockery. I hope that is alright."

"It's nice, Miss Sybil," Russell said.

"I wish you would call me Sybil," Sybil replied. "We've known each other for absolutely ages."

"It wouldn't be appropriate," Thomas said quickly. They were all seated and passing the different bowls around. Meals upstairs at the Abbey had gone back to being elaborate when there were guests the last year or so, but they still tended to range to available produce and meat. Many of the more exotic ingredients such as slivered almonds or exotic fruits were much too expensive in the shops. The servants' meal tended to be vegetables with some extra meat from the upstairs dinner.

"How are you liking your new house?" Abigail asked Sybil.

"I'm always expecting to walk into a room and find Great Grandmamma there, but otherwise I like it a great deal. We don't have to walk as far for the bus and the days we take the governess cart, we have the horse and cart out back so it doesn't take long to be ready to go. Everyone takes turns seeing to the horses, except I don't have to clean the stables. Do you miss the horses, Russell?" Sybil asked.

"I miss the animals once in a while, but I rather work as a footman. It is a lot cleaner and you don't smell bad at the end of the day," Russell replied.

"Are you doing anything special at school for Christmas?" Sybil asked him. "My school is having a formal dance next week. Davin and I have it all planned so we can dance mostly together."

"No, just the usual concert. I have to hold the star in the play because I'm tall. It's not much of a part. What am I supposed to say twinkle, twinkle?"

Everyone at the table laughed.

"We're going to the village dance this year'" Sybil told them. "Mummy said we should so she can say hello to the parents of her students. Usually my older brothers and I stay home while my parents go out in the evenings to take care of our younger brothers since we moved to the Dower House. This time we'll all be able to go. Redmond said he would take the younger ones home when they get tired."

"We'll go the dance in the village as a family as well," Abigail said. "You should try dancing this time, Russell. You won't be so bored."

"Why don't you dance?" Sybil asked immediately.

"I don't know how," Russell said averting his gaze.

"It's easy," Sybil said. "I can show you this weekend. I've been to the village dances before. All the children get together and dance with people their own age."

"Thank you Miss Sybil, but Russell's mother can show him how to dance," Thomas said.

"Oh," Sybil said looking at her plate in disappointment that her offer was rejected.

"We can all show Russell how to dance as soon as we have these plates put away," Abigail said swatting her husband's leg under the table. "You can play us a tune to dance by, Miss Sybil."

"Alright," Sybil said gracing Abigail with a smile.

The day staff was still cleaning up in the kitchen when they cleared away the dishes. Sybil washed her hands then got out her flute. Russell came back to the servants' hall and looked at Sybil nervously.

"It's easy. Just like swimming last year. You caught on to that in no time," Sybil said. "First you have to hold the girl like this." She came closer and put out her hands. Russell slowly took her hand and then barely touched his other hand to her waist. Sybil was busy thinking how much more solid he felt and how much taller he was than the boys at school.

"The boy has to put his hand around the girls back more than that and slightly higher," Sybil told him. He obliged but still had her at arms length. He was conscious of her hand in his and how small and soft it was. "Now you have to stand closer." Russell moved closer then suddenly stepped back.

"I think I've learned enough," he said quickly. He found the nearest chair and sat down. Sybil rolled her eyes.

Thomas had come back to see Russell move away from Sybil quickly. Abigail arrived right behind Thomas.

"Play a tune, Miss Sybil and we'll demonstrate," Thomas said to stall for time. He was pretty sure Russell was trying to hide something below the waist he didn't want Sybil noticing. Sybil played a simple waltz while Thomas and Abigail danced.

"Not so difficult, now try with your mother," Thomas said. He leaned down and whispered something into Russell's ear. The boy nodded then stood up and tried a few steps with his mother. Russell was starting to get onto things a bit by the time Sybil finished playing the second tune.

Thomas danced with Sybil while Russell danced with his mother. Thomas counted the time. They were all out of breath from laughing and dancing around after twenty minutes.

"That's enough for tonight," Thomas proclaimed. "We all have work tomorrow."

-0-

"Stone the crows. Why can't the boy choose a girl within his grasp to moon over?" Thomas complained to Abigail once they were on their own in their room.

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Abigail retorted.

"Poor little bugger. You can see the broken heart coming and there isn't a thing we can do to stop it."

"Let's hope it wears off one day and that will be the end of it. They're just children," Abigail reminded him.

"Children from different backgrounds," Thomas complained.

"She's a nice girl and don't go judging her by that upstairs lot. She can cook and sew and clean up after herself. Her parents make no bones with the young ones that they will have to study and get an education to make their own way. She's a lot less high and mighty than you might think. Now if Lady Elizabeth was older and it was her he was mooning over, I'd be telling you to start looking for a new post for all of us."

"He'll never be anything but working class," Thomas replied.

"Don't you go selling that boy short. He's doing well at school these days. He has all A's and that is no small feat. He can apply to go to college and try for scholarships. He has the wages you've been putting in the bank for him. He'll have a nice tidy sum in a few years. The Branson children may go to a finer school and wind up at fancy universities, but if Russell has his wits about him, he 'll do well for himself. I've picked up a few things over the years working for Lady Rose and Mr. Branson."

"You really think he can do all that and really make something of himself?"

"I do and he's only fifteen, his crush will wear off sooner or later. I'm constantly amazed by what a fine young lad he is despite all he's been through."

"Sybil Branson is a nice girl," Thomas replied thoughtfully. "She's like her mother but different. I doubt Lady Sybil ever sewed a stitch in her life. I was here when Lady Sybil was her age and all she ever talked about was getting a new frock and whom they were going to visit. She was always kind but she didn't get onto the Suffragettes and nursing until later."

"We're not our parents and they aren't theirs. Lady Rose is raising Miss Sybil. Her personality is bound to be different than her mother's. Give me a kiss and go to sleep. It's been a long day," Abigail said.

"I'm still worried," Thomas said after he'd given her a kiss.

"Go to sleep. You're going to give yourself worry lines," Abigail said rolling over and putting her back to Thomas.

"If you hadn't noticed, I already have wrinkles," Thomas replied with a slight pout.

"Handsome wrinkles," Abigail said with a sigh as she drifted off to sleep.


	18. Facing Change Part IX

Facing Change - Part IX - Chapters 33 through 36

_I had this section done a few days ago but wasn't feeling too good so delayed publishing. I usually mess something up when I'm feeling low. Just to answer a few notes I've had, this story is about change, not just changes in society that happened in the time period but about how people change their opinions as they age. Anyway, already working on the next section and there are going to be massive upheavals and twists coming. Just have to work the story around to getting there._

Chapter 33 – Away from the Abbey

"Relax and try to have fun," Thomas told Russell as they were leaving for the dance in the village. "Here are a few coins so you can buy yourself a bun and a drink whenever you like."

"Thanks, Dad," Russell replied. He was nervous about trying to dance in public. He still missed the steps in the two dances his parents had taught him if he wasn't looking at his feet.

Their small family took the staff car into the village. It had started to snow earlier in the day. There was just enough down to make walking uncomfortable. The hall was already busy when they arrived. Almost everyone in town was there and most had brought their older children with them. A few had come for a dance or two and had their young babies along. Thomas spotted Garret Branson with a violin case in hand pestering the band to let him play along with them. The bandmaster was trying to send him away to no avail. The boy had a stubborn streak when it came to music Thomas knew well from the Abbey. The band was going to be in for a surprise if they let him play.

Tom and Rose walked up behind Garret to see how he was making out. Tom had told him the band probably wouldn't let him play, but he had stubbornly brought along a violin just in case.

"Mr. Branson, Lady Rose," the man said. "I was just telling your son we don't have children play with us."

"He may surprise you," Rose replied. "But I can understand your concern. Perhaps if he played a short piece."

"I'm sorry but he won't know the songs we've rehearsed," the man replied.

"I probably do," Garret said confidently. The man rolled his eyes.

"Garret plays four instruments," Tom said. "He is over half way through the Royal Conservatory program. A quick tune before you get started couldn't hurt anything."

"Very well then," the man said in exasperation.

"I could play Ernte-Tänze by Strauss if Redmond plays the second part," Garret said seriously. "The name means harvest dance."

"You think you can play that?" the man asked with a dubious chuckle.

"It would sound better if Davin or Sybil was on flute," Garret replied thoughtfully.

"Very well young man. If you can arrange yourself and your brothers and sister to play that on our first break, you can play the second set with us if you manage to pull it off."

"Alright," Garret said. "I'll get everyone organized. You'll see."

"Thank you for letting him play," Tom said. "We wouldn't have heard the end of it for the entire holidays if he wasn't allowed to play something."

"He hasn't pulled it off yet," the bandmaster replied doubtfully.

"They are going to have a shock," Rose whispered to Tom conspiratorially.

"One son is a gifted musician, one is an artist and two you can't stop at their studies. At least the other two children are reasonably average," Tom said with a wink.

"Oh, is that so," Rose replied. "Haven't you ever looked in Sybil's sketch book or noticed Bradley is a walking, talking encyclopedia."

"They're normal for our family," Tom replied with a shrug.

-0-

"Garret, we just got here and now you want us to go back for more instruments," Dylan complained.

"Please, they won't let me play anything until we play a piece at the break. I want to play Ernte-Tänze. You all know it," Garret begged.

Russell had come over to join Redmond and a group of older boys from the village when he first arrived and had been drawn into what was going on when Garret rounded up his brothers and sister.

"We'll need all three violins and both flutes. Bradley can either sit out or play the piano," Sybil pointed out. Rose had picked up another violin for Garret a year before as he was forever borrowing Dylan's.

"Please!" Garret begged again.

"I'll go," Redmond said. "Who is coming with me?"

"You'll never find my flute on your own," Sybil said. "Can you come with us, Russell and help carry the instruments back?"

Russell nodded. He had been busy staring at Sybil. At that moment she could have asked him to walk off a bridge and he would have done it.

"Where are you going?" Thomas stopped Russell when he went for his coat.

"Master Redmond and I are going to get their instruments," Russell replied.

Thomas nodded his agreement and stepped to the side. He narrowed his eyes slightly when Miss Sybil had her coat on as well to go with them, but they were with her older brother so it couldn't hurt anything.

"Did you finally decide where you're going to school next year?" Russell asked Redmond during the short walk to the Dower House.

"London. I've applied to three schools and I have interviews with all of them in February. If I get accepted, I'll live with our uncle while I go to school. Have you decided what you're going to do after school yet?"

"I don't know. My new mother wants me to apply for a scholarship and go to grammar school in Ripon next year then college. The village school doesn't offer the last two years I would need for college. My Dad says he has a cousin in North London I could stay with if I went down there for college. If I do, I might take, well it sounds stupid."

"Daddy says schooling is never a stupid thing to do," Sybil said.

"I'd like to go to college and become a male nurse. They're called orderlies I think," Russell said.

"That isn't stupid," Redmond replied without a blink. "I think it's smart. You would only have to go to college for two years. You could do that pretty easily on scholarship and there are lots of jobs in hospitals. I looked at that too, but I've always wanted to be a doctor so it's the longer course for me."

"My new Dad was an orderly in the Great War," Russell commented.

"My mother was an auxiliary nurse, but I don't know if it suits me," Sybil said. "I would like to teach better, I think."

"You could be a nurse and then teach nursing," Redmond pointed out. They had reached the house. He pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Garret has this big idea of playing with the regular band. You know he is going to tire himself out and one of us is going to have to bring him back," Redmond complained.

"Of course," Sybil replied. "I'll get the sheet music and the instruments down here together. You get the ones from upstairs."

"Right-o," Redmond replied. He headed up the stairs while Sybil went into the drawing room and clicked the light on. Russell was following along behind her.

"Did you dance much at your formal dance?" he asked quietly when they were alone. He'd been so jealous the day of Sybil's formal, he had felt sick. He was running his fingers along the edge of the piano nervously.

"Yes, it was fun in the end. I didn't have to dance with anyone awful. I danced ever other dance with one of my brothers. The others I filled in with their friends. There were only three assigned partners and I managed to get out of dancing with Billy Waverly and Tommy Bradshaw, thank goodness. They are both hideous." She was busy sorting out the sheet music to take along.

"Oh, well I was wondering if maybe, well maybe would you…" Russell managed to get out before Redmond came running back down the stairs.

"I'm bringing Garret's tin flute as well. It will save me a trip once they hear him play," Redmond said.

"I just have to get my flute," Sybil said. They counted the instruments to make sure they had everything. "I'll just be a minute."

"I'll meet you back there. Just pull the door shut to lock it when you go out," Redmond said.

"Alright, Russell can help me carry this lot," Sybil said. She had the music and was putting it in a leather folder.

"What was it you were going to ask me?" Sybil said once Redmond had gone out the front door.

"Well, I was wondering, if well, would you, well, um…?"

Sybil pushed his arm with her hand.

"I can only say yes or no, so you should ask me."

"Would you dance with me? At the dance that is when we get back."

"Maybe. If you do something," she said with a glint of mischief in her eye.

"What's that?"

"Call me Sybil tonight and when we're alone. I hate the added title. You would think I'm nobility like my grandparents the way everyone goes on, but I'm not."

"I can do that, Sybil," he replied with a smile of relief.

"Can you come and reach my flute for me? I put it up high so Garret would take Davin's instead of mine. I have to stand on a chair. You're taller so you could probably reach."

"Yes, just show me where."

Sybil lead him upstairs then opened a door. Russell's eyes opened wide when he realized they were in her room.

"It's on top of the armoire."

He crossed the room quickly and pulled the case down. Sybil reached to take it from him and their fingers brushed. They both stood there staring at each other not moving.

"We should get back quickly. We're missing the dance," Sybil said finally. She still hadn't moved.

"We should," he replied. "I'll carry your flute."

"What, oh yes," Sybil said letting go of the handle and remembering they were standing in the middle of her room. She turned to put out the lights and go back downstairs. They collected another instrument and the sheet music then put out the lights. When Russell moved to open the door for her she bumped into him.

"We're going to be a disaster on the dance floor if we keep this up," Sybil said. The next thing she knew his lips were pressed against hers. She opened her eyes wide in surprise then let herself kiss him back. Russell stepped back suddenly. She could see him looking down in the dim light.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Sybil replied. "I've wanted to kiss you for absolutely ages. We had better go before Daddy comes to find us."

"You're not put off?" he asked again when they were outside and walking back to the hall.

"No, I'm happy," Sybil said smiling at him. She reached out and took his free hand in hers. "Let's go dance."

"I still don't know how to dance very well," he said blushing slightly. He was glad the dark was covering the color in his face.

"You'll learn," Sybil said as they got back to the hall then went to rejoin the others.

Sybil quickly found herself feeling jealous. Redmond and Russell were both fifteen and the girls their own age had no problems coming and asking the boys to dance with them. She had only danced with Russell once when the first break was announced. He had been so nervous she could feel him holding himself rigid through her hand on his shoulder. He hadn't looked as nervous or as tense when he danced with the other girls, which made her think there was something wrong with her.

Thomas had been keeping an eye on his adopted son from across the hall. He'd seen him dance with a number of different girls. Thomas felt a little relieved, since Russell wasn't mooning over his lordship's granddaughter exclusively at the moment. They all looked like a bunch of young people having fun in a group as they should. Mr. Branson and Lady Rose were out on the dance floor locked in each other's arms. For all the attention those two were paying the walls could have fallen in around them and they wouldn't notice. Thomas took Abigail by the hand and led her back out onto the floor. It was time to do a little loosing himself as well in his wife's embrace.

The bandleader announced the first break. He thought the little boy had given up and forgotten about performing until he saw Garret standing on the side of the stage with his violin. There were a bunch of older children with violins and flutes making their way to the stage as well.

"You're attention, please. This little boy here, Garret Branson, wants to play a waltz for everyone. What did you say it was called?" he asked Garret.

"Ernte-Tänze, it's a harvest waltz," Garret said confidently.

"Alright son the stage is all yours." There were a few titters in the crowd as the children opened their sheet music and prepared to play. Garret played the opening notes on violin followed by Sybil playing the next few bars as a flute solo. Mouths fell open as Garret turned to the audience and played the entire piece flawlessly from memory. He received an encouraging smile and nod from his parents and music teacher who immediately started dancing. Other couples joined suit and soon people were waltzing to the sound of the little boy leading his brothers and sister through the different movements of the piece. Bradley was sitting over to the side trying not to laugh at the looks on the band member's faces. The piano was the only instrument he played and it really wasn't suited to the piece of music. When they finally finished the piece of music, which was seven minutes long, everyone in the room gave Garret and his accompaniment a rousing ovation.

The bandmaster came back to the front to speak to Garret, but Garret was having too much fun and had already announced a two-step and started to play it with Davin on flute and Bradley on the piano. Some of the people in the audience twittered a bit as seven-year-old Garret was missing two teeth and two-step came out twoo ssstep as he struggled with the gaps in his teeth.

"You're out of a job, Bob," one of the men in the crowd needled the bandleader.

"I thought the little blighter was joking or could maybe play five notes," the bandleader exclaimed still in shock.

"My brother is even better on the piano," Sybil said to the man as she overheard him while she was going to put her flute away. "If you don't want him to take over put him on tin flute or keep him on violin and whatever you do don't show him a set of bagpipes or mention you have one at home."

"Thank you, Miss," the man replied dumbfounded.

Once Sybil had her flute on a shelf she went back to stand beside Russell, who was waiting for her with a glass of punch. Redmond was back with them with a glass of punch in a minute as well.

"Dance the next one with me?" Redmond asked his sister.

"I already promised Russell," Sybil fibbed.

"She did," Russell fibbed as well.

Redmond made a bit of a face.

"Now whom am I supposed to dance with?"

"You left me to dance with that horrible Billy Waverly at school. Now it's your turn," Sybil said laughing at her brother's discomfort. "Too bad Evangeline isn't here to dance with you. Maybe she'd let you kiss her again"

"Very funny. I didn't kiss her," Redmond replied. His face was crimson.

"That's not what she said. She told her best friend in the girl's bathroom. I was in the stall and I heard. She didn't know I was there."

"Sybil," Redmond ground out between clenched teeth. "I didn't kiss her. She kissed me and she shouldn't have told anyone. You shouldn't have been listening either."

"I was hiding from Billy Waverly during the assigned dance," Sybil said. "I couldn't help it if Evangeline told while I was hiding."

"Just wait until I find out something embarrassing about you," Redmond said.

The regular band was retaking the stage and Garret was standing there happily holding his violin.

"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" Russell asked her as they went back onto the dance floor together.

"No. I won't tell anyone, ever," Sybil replied. "Try not to hold yourself so stiff it makes it harder to dance."

"Sorry."

"Russell, stop saying you're sorry. You don't need to be sorry all the time," Sybil said.

He took a deep breath and let himself relax a bit. The dance did go better when he wasn't as stiff. He couldn't help the shiver of excitement that ran through him as Sybil moved a bit closer when they got jostled part way through the dance and her breast brushed his arm.

"I need to go outside," Russell said suddenly. He broke away from Sybil and headed for the side door. Sybil had a look of alarm on her face and trailed after him to find out what was wrong. The hall was very crowded at the moment and neither set of parents saw them go out the door.

"Russell, what's wrong," Sybil called after him once they were outside.

He was leaning against the building about ten steps away.

"Don't look at me," he said despondently.

"Are you ill?" Sybil asked. She ran over to him and took his arm. He turned to face the building. He had his head leaned against the building and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Sort of. I'll feel better in a minute," he mumbled.

Sybil pushed on his arm to get him to turn around but he turned further away from her. She was getting really worried by Russell's strange behavior. She quickly dashed around the other side. Then she realized what was wrong. Daddy had told her not to tease her brothers when it happened to them.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were ill," she said stepping back. "I'll wait for you inside."

Russell opened his eyes.

"You're not offended?" he asked.

"I have five brothers. I kind of know what happens to boys," Sybil replied. "They're always locking themselves in the bathroom, except the two youngest ones. They lock themselves in so they can play with Redmond's shaving soap."

Russell smiled. Sybil had been his best friend for so long he couldn't keep feeling embarrassed with her for long. The idea of Garret and Bradley locking themselves in the bathroom to play with shaving soap made him laugh and took care of his other problem quickly.

"How do you know that's what they do?"

"Because Redmond always gets mad when they use it all up. Last summer they made themselves pirate beards out of it and were chasing each other around the garden at the Abbey yelling, Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum," Sybil said laughing.

"Maybe I should be glad I don't have any younger brother's to use up mine," he said.

Sybil stepped forward and touched his cheek.

"I always think of you like when we were little and used to play in the hay at the stable," she said.

"I'm not little anymore. Sometimes I feel like I'm old and not a child at all."

"You're still my best friend," Sybil said running her fingers along the line of the shadow of his beard. He took her hand and led her back inside and onto the dance floor. The dance had changed to one he didn't know and Sybil counted him through the steps. Inside her heart she knew he was more than her best friend now. Things had changed between them but it was too soon to put a label on it. She felt strange in the pit of her stomach when she was with Russell. Mummy was always saying how things never stayed the same and she was right. They weren't little anymore but neither were they grown up.

It wouldn't be long and she would have to help Redmond take Bradley and Garret back to the house for bed. Sybil didn't care. She was busy getting the boy she adored to move in time to the music and having fun. All she had to do was close her eyes and the sensation of his lips pressing against hers came back to her. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. They danced together until Sybil's father came to collect her for a dance. Sybil peeked over her father's shoulder to see Russell immediately surrounded by girls from his school. Redmond and Davin were somewhere in the fray dancing with girls from the village and Dylan and Bradley had found some little girls to dance with as well their cousin Ella who was here with Uncle Kieran and Aunt Liz.

"What are you smiling about?" Tom asked her.

"I'm just happy to be here with my family tonight," Sybil said.

"That boy Russell is being respectful?" Tom asked.

"Yes, Daddy. He always is," Sybil replied.

Chapter 34 – A Brother's Point of View

Christmas came and went. This year Tom and Rose had done about half the entertaining they normally did. Rose was tired from working fulltime at the school and arranging the Christmas concert. She wanted some time at the house just to relax. Rose was not as worried about Sybil's crush on Russell since they had moved to the Dower House. Sybil still seemed to be very fond of the boy and had given him a box full of dried nuts for Christmas, which made Rose smile, but they were together much less than when they lived at the Abbey. Sybil had been busy with her formal dance and making gifts for her brothers as well as her activities. She was growing into a very well rounded young woman and Rose was proud of the part she had played in Sybil's life so far. They had taken all of the children along to a party at the Noxworth's. It had been more than evident that Redmond's interest in their daughter had cooled. Rose had felt a great deal of relief as Redmond would be going into a serious line of study the next fall and needed his wits about him if he was going to succeed at university.

February was another flurry of activity when Tom took his oldest son to London for a week of interviews for medical school. Redmond had no problem making it through the first round of selections at all three universities, as his marks were top level in every subject. While they sat in the waiting area at the first interview Tom couldn't help but notice how much younger Redmond looked than all of the other's waiting for their interview. It made Tom wonder if they had been wrong to allow Redmond to be put ahead at school. Here was his son who still only shaved once a week and hadn't lost the baby softness from his face yet. He would still be attending Boy Scout meetings and going to sleepovers while other lads would be going to pubs and chasing women and doing all the things young men do when they are first away from home.

"You look more worried than I am about all of this," Redmond said to his father while they were waiting. They had been getting a few odd looks from the other people in the waiting room.

"Just thinking about how you've grown up so quickly. Faster than anyone expected really," Tom replied.

"It will be strange going to school in London without Davin and Sybil leaving every morning with me," Redmond said. "I'm glad though we chose England instead of Ireland. Living with Uncle James won't be that much different than living at home and Mummy says Grandpapa Shrimpy is being transferred back to London."

"Just don't let that lot drag you off to anything at the King's or the Prince of Wales' place either," Tom said.

"Da, what would I do there?" Redmond replied with a groan.

"The same thing you were doing with your Great Aunt Violet," Tom said. "She was one of them you know."

"She was? I always thought she was an really interesting old lady," Redmond replied in surprise. "She wanted me to be a solicitor."

"She was a funny woman. Scared the living daylights out of me when I first came back from Ireland," Tom said. "In the end I realized she was a rather game old bird. Nothing every really fazed her. We'll find a shop and go for lunch after your interview. James won't be back from parliament until late."

"Sounds good, Da," Redmond replied.

A clerk came out and called Redmond for his interview. It was a scant twenty minutes later and Redmond was back. Tom thought things musn't have gone very well since Redmond was back so quickly. Other candidates had been called in before Redmond and not a one was back yet.

"You know Da, I'm going to need a tuxedo if I live with Uncle James," Redmond said as soon as he was back and before Tom had gotten to his feet.

"_If_ you come to London," Tom replied.

"They offered me a seat but I told them I had two more interviews so I wouldn't know until the end of the week," Redmond said. "Let's go to a museum for the afternoon."

"All right, son," Tom replied.

"How old are you mate?" one of the young men waiting asked Redmond. He couldn't help but over hear.

"I'm fifteen. I'll be sixteen in a couple months. How old are you?" Redmond asked him.

"Nineteen," the young man replied.

"I'm Redmond Branson, I might see you in class if I decide to come here this fall," Redmond said.

"Nigel Hawkington," the young man introduced himself. "If I make it in."

"Best of luck," Redmond replied. "Da do you have a card with our address?"

Tom produced a business card from his pocket. The young man gave one of his to Redmond as well.

"Stay in touch and let me know where you decide to go," Nigel said.

"Same," Redmond replied before they left.

"How was the interview?" Tom asked him once they were out of the building.

"Nowhere near as difficult as some of the dinners I've attended with the adults at Cousin Robert's," Redmond said. "They were all trying to be stern but none of them had anything on Grandmamma Susan. All the training Mummy gave us came in useful."

"What did they ask you?"

"Where I would live because I'm so much younger and why I wanted to be a doctor."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth. I want to be a doctor because my real mother died of tuberculosis. There aren't enough doctors in some of the poorer areas and I want a career where there is so much to learn I can't possibly learn it all. I'll never get bored or run out of things to read or patients to see to."

"That is probably the most original answer they've ever heard," Tom said shaking his head slightly.

"It's my answer," Redmond replied with a shrug. "Look there's a shop selling kites. Let's go see how much they are. Maybe I can take one back for Dylan and Bradley."

"What about Garret?"

"I'll find him something else. I might get him his own cake of shaving soap so he leaves mine alone."

"Good idea," Tom replied with a smile. For all Redmond was almost a man he was still a little boy shopping for kites and dealing with his younger brothers getting into his things.

-0-

"I'd like to go to Scotland and see if we could spot the Loch Ness monster this summer," Bradley informed the family in the middle of April.

"Bradley, those reports of sightings and photographs in the papers are a hoax," Tom said. "They're people pulling a prank."

"It would be fun to go and see," Davin said.

"I don't think so," Tom replied. "If we go to Scotland and I said _if _we'll do something educational, not go on a wild goose chase looking for mythical monsters."

"I'm going to work the entire summer and save up as much as I can for university," Redmond said. "I'll probably finish the work for this term and see about finishing school a month early."

"There's no rush and you need to take some time for yourself as well," Rose reminded him.

"I will. I'm pretty much done anyway. We always go riding and fishing and I've got two camps with Scouts this summer plus cricket," Redmond said.

"Are you happy with your choice of university?" Tom asked him.

"Yes, it's the right school I think," Redmond replied. "It has a good reputation, an extensive library and it is only twenty minutes by underground to the school from Uncle Jame's house. I timed it when we were there."

"You would," Sybil teased him.

"If we went to Scotland I could get bagpipes," Garret said not listening to the rest of the conversation going on around the dinner table.

"You don't have to go all the way to Scotland for those," Tom said smiling at his son. "I'll take you to Ripon on Saturday and we can see what they have at the second hand shop."

"Tom, No!" Rose exclaimed.

"Yay," Garret exclaimed. Everyone around the table grimaced.

"Might as well get it out of his system. Spring will be here soon. Garret can play outdoors and the mare needs a good outing. The horses are feeling their oats with all the rain this last while keeping them penned up," Tom said.

"I still want to go see Nessy," Bradley said.

"I bet we could build a Nessy to float around on the pond at Cousin Robert's," Dylan said thoughtfully. "We could make it from scrap wood and chicken wire and cover it with some fabric and old paint."

"Good idea. If we build it over a row boat, we can sail it by our Scout camp that is on the back meadow this summer and scare everyone," Davin said.

"That's a cracking idea, especially if we rig it to go by when everyone is just getting up," Redmond said starting to plot with his brothers.

"They'll scream like girls," Davin said in excitement.

"We don't scream," Sybil said haughtily. "We cry out in a lady like manner. I can hardly wait for next month. I get to advance to Guides."

"I've heard you're group scream plenty of times," Davin informed her.

"Screaming or crying out, all that matters is that you are enjoying yourselves," Rose reminded them.

"Just don't make a mess I have to send a crew to clean up," Tom reminded them. "There is some news from the Abbey. George will be here for most of the summer but Elizabeth will be going home with her parents."

"It will be good for her," Rose replied. In her head she was thinking, _"Wonders never cease." _After all this time living with Tom and compromising between his way of doing things and what she had been brought up with, Rose was very glad they spent as much time with their children as they did. If she had remained in the aristocracy and had a wealthy aristocratic husband she most likely wouldn't be any different than Mary since she would have known no other way.

-0-

Sybil decided to ride over to the Abbey with her father after breakfast and then go riding with him once he had finished his business there. She was dying to tell Russell about their plans for building a sea monster that summer and she was missing him. They hadn't had a minute alone to hold hands since the Christmas dance and he was usually working on the weekends. They put the horses on a long tether out on the lawn before they headed inside. Sybil immediately excused herself and headed off to find Russell. She asked Mrs. Barrow where he was then headed up to their sitting room to knock on the door. Russell had his homework spread out on the floor when he answered her knock. He smiled and flushed when he saw her.

"Sybil, I didn't know you were coming over," he said self-consciously.

"Only for a little while. I'm going out for a ride with Daddy while he does some business. He's busy talking to Uncle Michael right now. I have some grand news. We're going to build a fake Lock Ness monster this summer as soon as school is out. We're going use it to scare my brother's Scout camp. Do you want to help?"

"I would but I'll probably have to work," Russell replied. "It doe sound awfully fun."

"You sound like Redmond. Mummy is always reminding him to have fun too," Sybil had sat down on the sofa. Russell was sitting on a chair not far from her.

"I have to make as much as I can for school for the next two years and then college," Russell reminded her.

"You still have free time," Sybil said in exasperation. "Why don't you join Scouts? Redmond said it looks good on the scholarship application but he likes it. He has more badges than anyone else in his troop and he's learned everything about camping."

"I'd like to, but I don't want to ask," he said.

"Why not?"

"My parents aren't well off like yours. They already do so much for me, I can't ask for more."

"Your silly and my parents are not all that well off. They can only say yes or no. What harm does it do to ask?"

"Ask me what?" Thomas inquired as he arrived at the door. Abigail had told him Sybil had gone up to see Russell. The way the boy was still taken with her, Thomas didn't think it was appropriate to leave them alone upstairs. He had already had his first encounter with another young man by the time he was Russell's age. It had been unsettling and he didn't want Russell getting into a physical relationship too early the way he had done. He was relieved to see the pair of them sitting opposite each other and that nothing inappropriate was happening.

"Hello, Mr. Barrow," Sybil said.

"Good morning, Miss Sybil," Thomas replied. "What is it you think Russell should ask me?"

"Could I go…" Russell was struggling to get it out. "t..t..to um."

"Russell just say it," Sybil said rolling her eyes slightly.

"Dad, could I go to Boy Scouts?" Russell said in one breath.

"I didn't know you wanted to go," Thomas said. "I think there is a group that meets in the parish hall one evening a week. There is a poster at the church. We'll find out about it and if it doesn't interfere with school or your job, you may go."

"Really?" Russell asked brightening up more than Thomas had ever seen him before. "You were right, Sybil."

"I told you. I had better get back down. Daddy will probably be ready to go soon. I'll see you later. Bye Mr. Barrow," Sybil said.

"Miss Sybil," Thomas bowed to her slightly even though he was in his own sitting room.

"Russell, don't get too familiar," Thomas warned. "You forgot yourself and called her by her first name."

Russell looked like he was expecting Thomas to slap him. Thomas reached out and patted his shoulder.

"It's alright. Just try harder to remember. I know you were excited and forgot for a moment," Thomas said trying to comfort him. "You may be on friendly terms but always remember she is your employer's granddaughter and therefore from a different world."

"What if Sybil wasn't Lord Grantham's granddaughter? What would you say then?" Russell asked. He still hadn't looked up.

Thomas took the seat across from him.

"I'd say the same thing I'm saying now. She's just about to turn fourteen and you're still fifteen years old. You're both too young to be anything but friends."

"She's my best friend. She always has been ever since I can remember," Russell said.

"We'll see about getting you into Boy Scouts so you can make more friends and don't be so shy about asking for what you want," Thomas said. "I need to get back to work. How is your homework going?"

"Almost done. I won't have to worry about it when I have to work tomorrow," Russell replied.

"There's more to life than work, son. Get your homework finished then go down to the village and visit some of your friends from school."

"I don't know what the other boys do on weekend," Russell replied. He was still upset that he had gotten excited and made Thomas upset.

"You won't know unless you go and find out," Thomas said. "Now I've got to get a move on and keep an eye on the fill in cook so she doesn't try drinking the cooking sherry like she did last time."

"All right, Dad," Russell replied with a faint smile.

Russell finished his homework, then walked down to the village. He'd worked afterschool and evenings for years. He had no idea where any of the boys from his class at school lived or what they did on weekend. He'd never been to a birthday party or to any of their houses. He went by the church and got the contact information for Boy Scouts from the poster. He stopped to see the Scout Master to inquire if he could join. The man was out but his wife gave Russell a pamphlet and the information about the meeting time and told him to have a parent telephone in the evening to make arrangements. He went to sit on a bench in the village to read the pamphlet.

"Hi, what are you doing down here? Aren't you stuck working when you're not at school?" Davin asked. Dylan and Bradley were with him.

"I don't have to work today. My Dad told me to go visit the boys from school, but I don't know where any of them live," Russell replied.

"We're going to build a monster," Dylan told him.

"Sybil told me earlier. She was by with your father," Russell said.

"We're going to our Uncle's to see what we can find for parts. Want to come?" Davin asked him.

"Yes," Russell said with relief getting to his feet to go with the other boys.

"Are you coming to my school next year?" Davin asked Russell.

"I don't know. I don't think so," Russell replied with a frown.

"You should. You would be in my class. They tried to put me ahead again but Mummy said no," Davin said. "I bet you could get in. Mummy says schools love the students who get good marks. That is why Redmond got into university so easy. Sybil and I are good at school too. They like us so much at our school we don't have to pay any tuition. Mummy fills out a paper every year and we get to go for free."

"Do you think Nessy is real?" Bradley asked. "I want to go to Loch Ness to see but Daddy said no."

"It could be real," Russell replied. "There are many legends about the monster. People have seen something. It could be just a log though. A log would be real but not a monster. What kind of paper does your mother fill out?"

"It's an application for a scholastic bursary I think. I never pay that much attention. Redmond would know," Davin replied.

"I liked school at home better," Dylan said. "We only have art once a week. At home I could draw everyday as long as I finished my other work."

"We'll build a monster and you can design it," Davin said. "Hi Uncle Kieran. Can we go look in the scrap pile?"

"Hello, boys, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" Keiran asked them.

"Russell this is Uncle Kieran and Johnny," Dylan said. "We're going to build a Nessy. We need parts."

"You know where the scrap pile is. Don't make a mess and let me check the bits you want before you leave," Johnny said. "You can all get yourself a licorice allsort from the box under the counter as well."

"Thanks, Johnny," Dylan replied. Bradley had already gone to retrieve the candies.

"So you're the one my niece has her eye on," Kieran said speculatively. "You keep your hands to yourself and treat her with respect."

"I do," Russell squeaked out. His eyes had flown open and he looked like he was going to bolt out the door.

"Come on," Bradley said as he handed Russell a licorice candy.

"Ignore Uncle Kieran he just likes to scare people," Dylan said. "Don't look so surprised. Everyone knows Sybil likes you. She held your hand at the dance before Christmas. Every boy who has tried to hold her hand she has clobbered. She gave Billy Waverly at school a black eye for staring at her titties."

"Everyone?" Russell asked almost panicking.

"I'd have pasted you one myself if I thought you weren't treating her right," Davin said solemnly.

"Everyone," Dylan confirmed. "Hey, look at this spring thing. It would make a good leg or maybe a neck. Let's see if we can find more."

Chapter 35 – Nessy Comes to Downton

"Why aren't you coming to our school next year?" Sybil asked Russell. It was early morning and there was a thick mist covering the pond. Redmond and Davin's Scout troop was camped in a meadow beside the pond and not a soul was stirring yet.

"Even if I got a scholarship to cover the tuition, I would still need a uniform and the bus costs. If I go to the other school I don't need a uniform and the bus is included. My parents aren't well to do. I need to save every cent if I'm going to go to college," Russell whispered. "Don't they ever get up? I went to camp two weeks ago with my troop and we were up an hour before this."

The only sound they could hear from their hiding spot behind a thicket of bushes was some very loud snoring coming from the Scout Master's tent.

"We get up earlier at Guides too," Sybil whispered. "I'm getting cold."

"You should have worn trousers not shorts," Russell said. He moved back from the shoreline and took off his jacket. He laid it over Sybil's legs.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome, now be quiet," he whispered back.

They waited another five minutes in silence before they heard Garret play a birdcall on the recorder, which was the appointed signal. Sybil played a responding call on the recorder she had brought along before they gave the raft with Nessy on it a good push out into the pond. There was a great deal of splashing and voices coming from the camp, then some alarmed cries and a great deal more splashing. Russell took up the rope he would use to guide the monster from their end while Dylan, Bradley and Garret pulled the monster downstream with the rope they had rigged.

Sybil squatted down to peek through the bushes to see what was going on.

"Sybil don't look," Russell hissed, too late. Sybil had peeked through the bushes to see about a dozen naked boys standing by the side of the pond all pointing to something in the mist. Her eyes flew open in surprise. A very rotund Scout Master was rolling out of his tent in his long underwear. Davin and Redmond were standing back from the pack with their hands over their mouths trying not to laugh.

"There's something in the mist," one of the boys said. "I think the pond is haunted."

"It's Nessy. He's come through an underground tunnel or something," another boy said.

"I don't see anything," the Scout Master said squinting at the fog.

"Nessy could have nipped off my willy," another boy said worriedly.

"Go on with you. Get dried off and dressed and ready for colors," the Scout Master said. Just then a puff of breeze cleared the mist slightly and the fake monsters head emerged from the mist.

"It's Nessy! He's going to come and get us," one of the boys with a vivid imagination screamed in alarm. A chorus of screams went up as the boys ran from the side of the pond. They were about half way back to their tents when they came across Davin and Redmond doubled over laughing.

"Get them," the boys cried. The chased Davin and Redmond until they were caught and thrown in the pond. After a great deal of splashing and laughing all of the boys headed back to their tents.

Russell sat back still chuckling at the scare they had given the boys only to see Sybil with her hands pressed over her checks and her face pressed into her knees.

"Sybil, hey, what's the matter?" he said. "It worked perfectly, we fool them all."

"I'm so embarrassed," Sybil said. "I'm not supposed to look at boys when they're, well you know."

"It was only at a distance. I think it was ok," he said trying to comfort her. "Let's go before someone spots us."

They crawled back from the shrubs then started to walk back towards the village. Sybil handed him his jacket back. He took it then wrapped it around her as he knew she had to be still cold.

"Cheer up. It was a good joke," he said.

Sybil pushed her arms through the sleeves then did up his jacket and tucked the recorder inside.

"It was pretty funny," she said breaking out into a smile. "Nessy is going to get us, eeeee!"

"Nessy came through an underground tunnel, the pond is haunted, eeeeee!" Russell replied laughing. "It was a good joke."

"The others will go the long way back so they won't be seen," Sybil said. "Let's go sit in the sun over there, by that tree and warm up." She had pushed her hands into the pockets of Russell's coat to keep them warm.

"Have you ever heard from your real father?" Sybil asked.

"No, I wrote a letter at Christmas to say I was doing well in school and had a part time job. There was no reply. I didn't really expect one."

"Oh, that's too bad. You sure have a lot of stuff in your pockets," Sybil said once they were seated.

"There might be a roll of mints in there. I always forget to empty my jacket out."

Sybil pulled out a handful of stuff out of one pocket and set it on the ground between them she pulled another handful out of the other pocket and set it down as well.

"No mints yet," she said with a chuckle as she pulled the third handful out of a pocket.

Russell blanched slightly and snatched a small box out of the pile of junk she had dropped and pushed it behind the tree.

"What are you hiding?" Sybil asked immediately.

"Something my Dad gave me and I forgot I had. It's not for girls," Russell said.

"What is it?" Sybil asked again.

"I'm not going to tell you," he said. He had his fist tight around the box and wasn't about to show her what it was.

"Alright if you're going to be like that," Sybil said. She dug around in the pile of things until she found the mints. She took one then gave him one. "You are a such a pack rat. One yoyo, two marbles, a roll of mints, five pieces of paper, a piece of string, a pen cap and whatever you have in your hand." She made a lunge for the object Russell was hiding.

"I'm not showing you," he said laughing at her attempts to wrestle it from his grasp.

"I'll make you," Sybil said laughing and tickling him to make him squirm. The smile suddenly faded from her face and she sat back starting to push the things on the ground back into the pockets of his jacket.

"Sybil, what's wrong?" he questioned.

"I don't know. I feel," she paused. "I don't know how to describe it."

"Frightened? Like something should be happening but you don't know what it is?"

She nodded still not looking at him.

"I feel the same way," he said.

"We're too young to feel like this aren't we?" Sybil questioned.

"I only know that I do," he said picking up the last of the bits of things from the ground and handing them to her.

"Did you really give a boy at school a black eye?" he asked.

"Daddy told me to box his ears, but I did one better," Sybil replied with a shrug. "I got detention for a month. Mummy was mad and grounded me and said wasn't allowed any desserts when she found out but Daddy snuck me a piece of cake. The boys at school don't stare at me in an annoying way anymore."

"I wondered why you didn't come over. I thought. Never mind what I thought."

"I couldn't very well tell you I got in trouble for giving a boy a black eye when he was staring at my, well you know," Sybil said not meeting his gaze.

"You're not going to hit me are you?"

"Why would I?"

"For doing this."

He leaned over and placed his lips against hers. When she didn't push him away he kissed her again with a little more pressure.

"We shouldn't be doing this out in the open where someone might see us," Sybil said. She jumped to her feet. "Come on. I'll show you a place no one else knows about. I found it once when I rode this way while I was with one of my cousins. They were too busy chasing each other. I came back later to explore on my own."

Russell got to his feet and pushed the box he still had clutched in his fist up into the branches of the tree.

"You really aren't going to show me what that is?" Sybil questioned.

"No, I'm not," he said. "I don't really know why my Dad gave it to me now, but it isn't something I'm going to share."

"You are so bad," Sybil said. She started chasing him across the field. They were laughing and taking turns chasing each other until they were both out of breath. She took his hand and pulled him towards a stand of weeping willows. She ducked between the trailing limbs into a small glade of mossy rocks and a stream that was little more than a trickle running through it.

"I used to pretend the fairies lived here," she said. "See I put things I found on this ledge." She pointed to a piece of shale where there was a small broken china figurine and some shiny pebbles. Russell reached into the pocket of the jacket she was still wearing and pulled out the two marbles.

"I found them on the side of the road," he said. "I thought they looked almost magical." He placed the marbles on the ledge beside Sybil's things.

"You won't tell anyone else about this place, will you?" Sybil asked.

"I won't tell," he said. He laid his lips against hers again. Sybil slowly raised her hand to lay it on his shirt. She could feel his heart pounding through the fabric of his shirt. He own heart felt as though it would leap out of her throat.

"I'm not supposed to touch my employer's granddaughter," he whispered once they had broken apart.

"We're too young," she whispered in return.

"I'll get in trouble if anyone ever finds out," he whispered.

"Nice girls don't kiss boys in secret places."

"I don't care," he whispered.

"I don't either," Sybil whispered back before their lips touched again.

He held her for a long while with her head resting on his shoulder before they started to walk back towards the village.

"Do you want to go swimming this afternoon?" Sybil asked.

"Yes, I don't have to work today. Meet me at two at the swimming hole?"

"My brothers will want to come."

"That's alright. Let them. Sybil someday when were grown up…"

"Someday," she replied. "There's Mummy just getting home. I'll see you at two." She ran off through the field towards home. She stopped once to wave before she made it into the village.

He couldn't remember what he was about to say, all he could think about was how glad he was her absence in January wasn't because she had gone off him for kissing her in December. He turned and headed back to the Abbey for lunch and to tell his Dad about the prank they had pulled that morning.

-0-

"Sybil, why are you taking the horse to go swimming?" Bradley asked her. Sybil had a blanket rolled up with towels and soft drinks inside then tied at either end. She had added a bridle and tether line for the horse rolled inside as well.

"Whiskers doesn't want to stay cooped up in a hot dusty barn all day," Sybil replied. "He can come along and graze and carry the towels and things."

"Who chooses a name like Whiskers for a horse?" Bradley grumped.

"Edward chose it, remember, back when they lived here," Dylan said.

"I'm going to dig some worms," Garret informed them.

"I'll help," Bradley said.

"I'll see you over there. I'm going to go the long way and find out what is happening with Nessy," Sybil said. She had an errand of her own she wasn't about to share with her brothers. She mounted the horse bareback from a garden bench then rode out the back lane towards the pond. As soon as she was away from the village she made a beeline straight for the tree where Russell had hidden the mystery box. She had no trouble reaching from the horse's back and finding the box. She pulled it down and looked at the label on the lid. Not a word of it made any sense to her. She opened the lid to find eight foil wrapped packages inside. All of them were marked packed in water.

Whatever they were it was obviously something he didn't want to share. He said his father had given the box to him and it wasn't for girls. Sybil put the lid back on and put the box back where she had found it. She looked around to make sure no one had seen her then rode the long way to their favorite swimming spot. She could see the Scouts with Nessy pushed up on the beach in front of their camp. They were busy lashing a pole to the monster and adding a flag. Her brothers were already at the swimming spot getting their fishing gear ready. Russell was there as well.

"Took you long enough," Dylan said.

"I wanted to find out what they were doing with the monster. The boys are mounting a flag on it." She handed the blanket roll down to Russell then slid down. As soon as he had the blanket untied, he took the halter and tether to see to the horse.

She went to spread the blanket on the ground then headed for the pond. She and Russell were jumping around in the water when Garret suddenly held up something black that looked like a snake.

"Look what I found," he called.

Sybil screamed and ran for the blanket.

"It's only a piece of old rope," Garret said. All of the boys were laughing.

"I think I've had enough Nessy for one day," Sybil said sheepishly as she headed back for the water.

Chapter 36 – Difficult Conversations

"Ouch, don't press so hard," Tom said while Rose was rubbing his shoulder. He was lying on their bed with his shirt off.

"You need to be more careful," Rose scolded him. It was coming on Christmas 1934 and they were planning to spend it at her brother's in London. Tom had taken a spill on a patch of ice and wrenched his shoulder the previous week.

"I was chasing some sheep that had just gotten out. It was easier than sending for one of the men with a dog."

"Easier for who? Now you're in pain. You should get yourself a sheep dog to take along when you go out on the estate, then it really would be easier," Rose said.

"I miss Morgana. She was useless with stock but she was still a good dog," Tom said.

"I miss her too. She was a dear but she was old and she lived a good life," Rose said. "You know the boys would all like another dog."

"We have a cat to keep the mice down. I think that's enough," Tom said.

"You need a trained sheep dog. Promise you'll get one or I won't rub your shoulder any more."

"I'll make some inquiries," Tom finally agreed. At forty-four years old the appeal of chasing after a flock of sheep that had gotten out had worn rather thin. It would be much easier to have a dog to do the work.

"Are we ready for London," Tom asked after a few minutes.

"I think so. Everyone is packed and everything is ready to go except the turkey we are taking along. Victoria wrote they will have a few of the boys from Redmond's class over for the day as well, that are from out of town."

"They're hardly boys," Tom said. "I can't help but worry about Redmond being in an adult world before he's ready."

"James has said he's not up to much. He goes to school and studies most of the time. He goes out to Boy Scouts one night a week and that is about all."

"Precisely. He's still a boy."

"It's Sybil I'm concerned about," Rose said. "She's as infatuated with that boy Russell as ever. She's made an excuse almost every week or so to go over to the Abbey since school started and she barely danced with anyone else at the village dance this year. I spoke to Mrs. Barrow about it. They've noticed it too, and have been keeping an eye on things. They haven't been seen doing anything inappropriate other than holding hands and that is nothing as eyebrow rising as it once was. They chat about school and their activities and that is it. I thought the infatuation would wear off but it hasn't."

"It sounds like any boy and girl who are interested in each other stopping by to chat," Tom said. "As you say they aren't doing anything wrong. I think if we told her she couldn't see him when she isn't doing anything inappropriate would make matters worse. She's busy with school and her activities, I don't see how she can get over there more than once or twice a month and we'll be gone to London over the holidays."

"I feel like we are playing a waiting game."

"We are in a way. She's a little girl. Some day when she grows up a man will come along and take her fancy and that will be that. We just have to keep our eye on things for now. I'll find her a job to do next summer. That will keep her out of mischief."

"That's just it. She isn't up to any mischief. Myself at that age, well," Rose said. "I was looking for anything I could get into to defy my governess and my mother."

Tom rolled over and looked at Rose.

"Sybil has guidance and understanding. Maybe it's time to talk to her a little more about what goes on between a man and a woman so she doesn't get herself into a situation she can't get out of."

"I don't think she's old enough to know everything. I hope you had a good talk with Redmond as well before he went to London," Rose said.

"Yes, I had another conversation with Redmond before he left for university and no, I don't think Sybil is old enough to know everything but a little guidance couldn't hurt," Tom said. He winced as Rose touched a sore spot in his shoulder from the front.

"At least she hasn't handed out any more black eyes this last while," Rose commented.

"He deserved it."

"Tom, it was completely unladylike."

"She didn't put up with any nonsense, which means she knows right from wrong. Where is she right now?"

"Sybil, Davin and Dylan went to deliver their presents to Kieran's and to the Abbey since we aren't going to be home."

"She's taken her brothers with her. She's playing it smart."

"I'd feel better if you would talk to her about boys and their expectations."

"Fine I will as soon as you let me up from this torture."

"Torture is it?" Rose hopped off the bed. "I'll leave you to suffer then."

"Torture when I'm half undressed and your not," Tom said grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the bed.

"Tom, after all these years haven't you ever gotten enough?" Rose said with a laugh.

"I'll never get enough," he replied.

-0-

Tom took Sybil out with him the next day when he went to check the fence had been mended properly at the spot where he had hurt his shoulder. It wouldn't be the first time he'd sent workers to mend a fence only to find it wasn't as secure as it should be.

"Sybil I wanted to talk to you about something," Tom said as he retook his mount. It was cold but there was no snow on the ground so he had foregone the car.

"What Daddy?" Sybil asked him. "Is it about Christmas? I made all the boys shirts and aprons for Aunt Liz, Grandmamma, Aunt Rosamund and Mummy."

"That was thoughtful of you," Tom replied. "I wanted to talk to you a little about boys."

"I haven't hit anyone else. The boys at school are too afraid to stare at my chest since I gave Billy Waverly a black eye last year."

"That's not exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Tom replied. "I am glad the boys at school know you won't put up with any nonsense. They aren't the boys I'm concerned about. When you're friends with a boy it can lead to other things. Things you aren't ready for."

"This is about Russell isn't it?" Sybil said with a sigh.

"Yes and no," Tom replied evasively. "More about boys and men in general. I thought you should know how boys think, so you know to be careful. You're friends with a boy. You have to be careful it doesn't lead to other things."

"What kind of other things?" Sybil replied.

"Sybil, boys tend to be curious. Sometimes sensations take over and they want to touch and explore in a way you won't be ready for a long time yet. It doesn't necessarily mean they love you. Part of it is instinct."

"Were you like that when you were younger?"

"Yes, I was as curious as the next. It didn't mean I was ready to actually do anything though."

"Can I ask you something Daddy?"

"What is it?"

"What's does Durex mean? I saw it on a box and I didn't know what it was."

"Durex?" Tom asked in puzzlement. "What else did it say on the box?"

"London Rubber Company. What was in the box?"

"Where did you see that?" Tom asked in shock.

"I found it hidden. I opened the box but I didn't know what it was so I put it back. What is it? It must have been naughty if it was hidden."

"How much do you know about what goes on between a man and a woman?"

"Married people kiss a lot."

"Anything else?"

"Not really," Sybil replied thoughtfully.

"You know how I told you not to tease your brothers when they get a stiff willy?"

"They are always locking themselves in the bathroom. It's really annoying, you can never get in the bathroom when you want."

"That happens to boys," Tom replied. He thought he was going to pass out before he got it out. He couldn't believe he was telling his fourteen-year-old daughter what to do with a prophylactic. "It means their body is ready to make a baby with a girl. It doesn't mean they are ready to be parents though. The box you found had something in it the boy can use to cover his willy so the girl won't have a baby."

"What does that have to do with it?" Sybil asked in puzzlement.

"You really don't know where babies come from do you?"

Sybil shook her head.

"If I tell you, you must promise me you won't ever do that until you are married and I don't want you to even consider marriage until you are finished university."

"Daddy, I don't want a baby," Sybil said in disgust. "They cry and poop, but I would like to know how they get inside the Mummy's tummy."

Tom sighed. He'd had a talk with his two oldest over a year ago and another with Redmond on the mechanics of being with a woman this last summer. It seemed he needed to be the one to have the talk with his daughter as well.

Sybil looked at her father a bit strangely when he finished his explanation.

"You mean you do that with Mummy?" she asked.

"All married people do that, Sybil," he replied.

"Eww," she replied. "So that box I found was for that?"

"Yes," her father replied.

"Well, now I know," she said. "I don't want a baby, so I'm not going to do that. I don't think I'd like it very much."

"No, you don't do any of that until you get married. There's a bit more, but Mummy will tell you that part then."

"Alright," Sybil said. "Daddy can I meet you back at the house?"

"Where are you off to?"

"I wanted to go by the pond and see if our monster is still floating."

"Watch out for any ice," Tom said. "I have to stop by the Abbey next."

"I'll meet you there. I want to say Happy Christmas to Great Aunt Rosamund. She wasn't home yesterday."

"That's fine," Tom replied.

Sybil broke off from her father and rode to the pond. Nessy was still floating to the side looking a little worse for wear and tipped to one side. She trotted her gelding through the meadow and stopped where Russell had hidden the box. She reached around on the branch until she found the box right where he had left it all those months ago. He'd never come back for it. That meant he wasn't planning to use it with her or anyone else. Sybil felt a sense of relief. He'd said his father gave it to him. Sybil didn't know how she would ever look at married people the same ever again knowing what they did. The thought made her feel slightly queasy inside. She was glad now she had given Russell a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. He'd given her a small package but she hadn't opened it yet. Mummy said you should keep boys busy, so they didn't think about other things so much. From what Daddy had said, she was right.

-0-

Redmond seemed to have grown up in leaps and bounds when Tom, Rose and the children arrived at James' home in London for Christmas. He was full of stories about his classes and what he was learning but at the same time he was still a boy ready to wrestle with his brothers and eagerly anticipating the opportunity to eat the sugar mice from the Christmas tree.

"We learned about the detrimental effects of eating sugar this term," Redmond informed them over dinner. "I still want to eat a sweet on Christmas Day. It wouldn't be Christmas without at least one."

"Who are your friends who are coming over?" Rose inquired.

"They're my anatomy study group," Redmond replied. "They're all from small towns. Nigel is from Northumberland, Derek is from Scotland and Peter is from Wales. None of them can afford the trip home, starving students and all that. Apparently the housing and food here is really expensive. I'm glad I can live here with Uncle James."

"It does seem to have been the prudent choice," Rose agreed with him. They had been sending a hamper down to Victoria and James once a month to help cover the cost of feeding their son. Redmond had received enough scholarships to offset three quarters of his tuition. He'd had enough saved up from working summers to pay the rest himself but they had insisted on paying half of the balance so he wouldn't be completely broke. Tom already had a job lined up for him for the summer and with Davin quickly approaching on the time he would have to decide on his future education they needed to watch where the money was going if they were going to have enough by the time it was Garret's turn.

"Have you seen much of Grandpapa Shrimpy?" Tom asked.

"He came to my Scout meeting to tell us about India. He knew Lord BP when he was there."

"Our parents are living in a flat in Belgravia," James supplied. "Mummy almost had a seizure when our father insisted on a flat but it is close to work for him."

"She can hardly complain about the neighborhood," Rose said.

"You know Mummy," James said with a wink. "There is always something to complain about."

Redmond's friends arrived on Christmas Day. Every one of them was wearing a suit that looked like it had seen a lot of wear. Susan had sniffed at the sight of them but everyone else ignored their attire. Tom and Rose knew better than the rest that even with scholarships their families were most likely sacrificing to be able to send their sons to medical school. They had found out the school had an excellent reputation and had five applicants for every seat. They only accepted the best and the brightest.

Each of the young men looked more than a bit frightened as Redmond went down the welcoming line introducing each person with their formal titles. They all exchanged a look when they came to Redmond's father who still spoke with a plain working class Dublin accent.

"Don't let Da fool you, he can hoity-toit with the best of them and then turn around and fix a tractor," Redmond said quietly to his friends. "The only one you have to watch out for is my grandmother. Just ignore everything she says."

"How are you all finding medical school?" Shrimpy inquired of the young men once they were all seated around the tree in the drawing room.

"Difficult and time consuming," Derek replied. "There's not been time for much else but studying."

"Even wonder boy here gets a few wrong once in a while," Peter ribbed Redmond. Redmond's face turned bright red.

"No one could possibly learn everything they throw at us," Redmond supplied.

"Professor Blackburn seems to think we can," Derek said.

"Didn't we meet briefly during the interview process?" Tom asked Nigel.

"Yes, Redmond and I corresponded a bit before the start of the year, then got assigned to the same anatomy table. Don't let this lot fool you. They're all one as bright as the other. I'm the slow one in the group."

"Hardly," Derek said with a snort. "You only missed half term distinction by half a percent. You still had a first."

"None of the rest of you did. It's no wonder when we have the top of the class so far in our group," Nigel replied.

"Which one of you holds that position?" Susan inquired looking straight down her nose at the young men.

"Wonder boy, who else," Peter said. "Not old enough to go to the pub. We can't even sneak him in with that baby face. He turns around and scores a hundred percent on almost every examination. The other groups stopped laughing at us for having a kid in our group quickly enough."

"How are you enjoying London, Grandmamma?" Redmond inquired quickly to change the subject.

"It's not what it once was. David's taken up with that dreadful Simpson woman and she is forever turning up at events and ruining everything. The Duchess of York can't abide her but has the better taste than to show it in public and poor Queen Mary having to put up with her."

"Wallace Simpson is apparently great friends with one of your acquaintances Tom," James said. His eyes were full of mischief.

"Who would that be?" Tom inquired.

"None other than Larry Grey," James said.

"Are you trying to make me loose my appetite?" Tom inquired with a bit of a chuckle.

"More turkey for the rest of us," James replied.

"Can we do presents soon," Garret inquired.

"Yes, we'll do them now," Victoria said.

"Garret should open his first. He's been so terribly patient," Shrimpy said smiling at his grandson. "There's a rather large box towards the back with your name on it young man."

Garret and Bradley immediately went searching for the box. They pulled a large box out into the middle of the room. Everyone watched while Garret pulled off the paper then opened the box.

"Hurray," he cheered pulling out a set of bagpipes adorned with the family tartan.

"Daddy, you didn't," Rose groaned.

"They're from us as well," James said. "Someone has to uphold our Scottish roots."

"I'll have Garret pipe the household awake tomorrow," Rose said with a raised eyebrow. "He can come over the next morning to your flat, Daddy."

"After dinner son," Tom said cutting off Garret as he was about to inflate the bagpipes and start playing.

"We'll dance a reel or two then," Victoria said.

"Almost like the old days," Shrimpy commented.

"Nothing like the old days," Susan said immediately.

"Thank goodness," Rose said to her mother before she turned her attention back to the children and the gifts being handed out.


	19. Facing Change Part X

Facing Change – Part X - Chapters 37 through 40

Chapter 37 – Summer 1935

"So much for my Dad's a farmer," Nigel ribbed Redmond. All three of Redmond's friends had wound up with summer jobs on the estate. They were staying in the old chauffeur's cottage with Peter working as chauffeur. Lady Rosamund had gotten to the point where she couldn't see past the hood of the car and had finally been forced to go for glasses when she had thought a cherry tree in blossom was a flock of sheep. Lord Grantham had never been fond of driving and was getting too old as well. He barely got the car above a crawl these days. Cora still had her wits about her and could drive quite well but she was happy to have a chauffeur for the summer for her husband and sister-in-law. Russell would go for his driving permit when he turned seventeen this fall and then act as chauffeur on the weekend and evenings when he wasn't in school.

"Daddy is a farmer," Sybil informed him. They were all sitting on blankets at their favorite swimming spot at the beginning of summer on a hot evening. Peter was finished running everyone around for the day as well. "He knows everything about sheep."

"Da's new sheep dog howls every time Garret starts to practice the bagpipes," Redmond said. "It's pretty funny."

"It's the only instrument he hasn't picked up and learned in a few days" Sybil groaned.

"Where are you're younger brothers?" Peter inquired.

"Garret will be home late. He's at the music conservatory in Ripon for three weeks studying piano. Bradley and Dylan both went to Uncle Kieran's today to pump petrol. They were tired and didn't want to come."

"Seems strange without them along," Russell commented. He was feeling protective of Sybil ever since Redmond's friends had arrived. They were older boys all looking for girls and he didn't want any of them casting their eye towards the object of his affection.

"Have you made plans for when you're finished school?" Derek asked Russell.

"Nursing school," Russell replied. "I've only got next year left in grammar school."

"Why don't you apply for medical school?" Nigel asked.

"I've almost got the tuition saved for the two years and I don't want to burden my parents," he replied. "It's more school than my parents ever had the opportunity to take and I should be able to get a job and support myself right away afterwards."

"None of our parents went to university except George," Davin said. "Mummy went to college after she was married, but only for a year."

"My real Dad was a solicitor and my step father was a financier before he started the hotel," George said.

"I'm going to apply for veterinarian school in Scotland in a year," Davin said. "I'll apply for a couple in England as well incase I don't get in."

"None of our parents went to university either. It's why we all have to work. So how come your grandparents let you associate with the staff?" Derek asked George.

"We're all the same age. Davin, Russell and I are on the same cricket team for the summer. It seems stupid to stay separate when I've known Russell for absolutely ages."

"George and I are cousins," Sybil supplied.

"Where do we go to find girls around here?" Peter asked Redmond.

"There are dances in Ripon and York. You can take a bus," Redmond replied coloring slightly. "Otherwise I wouldn't know."

"We're all too young to chase after girls," Davin said rolling his eyes.

"No girl tucked away back home?" Derek ribbed Redmond.

"None," Redmond replied, tossing a piece of grass at him.

"He dropped Evangeline before he left for university like a rock," Sybil supplied.

"I didn't want a girl who discussed me with her friends in the ladies room," Redmond replied. His face was red.

"Ha ha. Not such a baby after all," Peter said with a laugh.

"It wasn't all that much," Redmond said still blushing.

"She's taken up with Billy Waverly's older brother," Sybil said with a shudder.

"He can have her," Redmond replied. "We need a good stunt to pull again this year."

"I missed Nessy last year when I had to go and visit Mama," George complained.

"We built a Nessy and scared the Scouts with it," Davin explained. "It was a lark."

"Daddy made us take it apart before summer," Sybil added.

"I'm going swimming before it cools off, anyone coming?" Russell said.

Sybil, Davin, George and Redmond all dashed into the water behind him and started splashing each other to see who could make the biggest wave.

"Redmond really is a kid," Peter said somewhat in disbelief. Redmond had taken first place in their year with the next closest contender a full three points behind him.

"Like we're all such old men," Derek said tossing his shirt to the side and running for the water with the other two-right behind him.

-0-

"It says here there was a violent confrontation at the fascist rally in London," Robert said from behind his paper. It was towards the end of the summer and the Barrows had taken their annual vacation and had gone to Brighton for a few days. Cora and Rosamund had made breakfast. Now that Rosamund could see what she was doing with her new glasses she had stopped burning the toast to a cinder. "Nasty business those fascists blaming everyone for the economic woes of the world except the banks who took on loans with insufficient collateral that created this mess in the first place. It says here they attacked the antifascist demonstrators and one man lost an eye."

"It is absolutely dreadful, Lord Grantham. We're just lucky it hasn't caught on and they haven't taken a seat in parliament yet," Michael said.

"Let's hope they never will," Robert humpfed from behind his paper.

"I've had some fairly serious news I need to share with you all," Michael said.

Lord Grantham lowered his paper to look at Michael.

"It seems my wife has taken a turn for the worse."

"Mentally?" Lord Grantham inquired.

"No physically. It seems the dementia has gotten to the point where she is refusing to eat. They've tried force-feeding her but it is to no avail. The doctors believe she won't last more than a few weeks at most."

"It's very sad," Edith said taking his hand.

"I grieved long ago for the woman that was," Michael said. "I'll go and say my final goodbyes but at the same time her ordeal will soon be mercifully over."

"It is horrible," Cora said. "Let us know if you need anything."

Michael nodded. Robert flicked his paper and went back to reading it. Maybe one day Edith would finally make a successful trip to the alter.

-0-

"All my life I've worked and struggled to try and make something of myself," Thomas said when he saw the newspaper article on the conflict between the fascists and the anti-fascists. "These Black Shirts come along and blame Jews, homosexuals, the unemployed and anyone else they can for the problems of a nation. What did I ever do to them? I served in the Great War like anyone else and I've got this hand to prove it." He made a gesture with his gloved hand. "I've a mind to go to their next rally and give them what for with the anti-fascists."

"Thomas you might get hurt and where would that leave us?" Abigail questioned. They were sitting in the breakfast room at the small guesthouse they were staying at in Brighton. It was a small Mom and Pop establishment that was clean, plain and most importantly of all not too expensive.

"I know. The whole thing still makes me angry," Thomas said. "I've always dreamed of being my own boss and having my own business the same as the next, but it wasn't too be. What do they think because I have had different preferences I don't have dreams the same as the next man?"

"You've found one of your dreams. You have a family," Abigail pointed out. She knew her husband still struggled with his sexuality. They had those young medical students working at the estate this summer. She had noticed how her husband looked at one of them and how unsettled he was in the young man's presence but he had kept his word of faithfulness to her and hadn't acted on his urges. She'd always known his sexuality was going to be a life long struggle for him in their marriage.

"You're right. You and Russell are more than I ever thought I would have," Thomas said taking her hand.

"Why don't you do this Dad?" Russell inquired.

"What do you mean?" Thomas replied.

"This. Run a small place. You can set a better table than this and you know how to be nice to guests and make them feel special. You know everything about it. Mom knows how to managed linens and ordering and you both know how to manage kitchen and cleaning staff. The only difference I can see at a guest house is people sign in and pay money and the service isn't anywhere near as posh."

"It's a nice thought, Russell, but what would I use for capital to buy a place? I gambled once foolishly on a business venture and lost my shirt. It's taken me years to get back to where I am. What's important now is that you get educated and make something of yourself. There was no choice but service for me. You'll have a choice. You'll be a college man and your children will have choices as well."

"Thomas you're forgetting something," Abigail said.

"What's that my love?" he questioned.

"I inherited a small pile of savings and a good bit of furniture that I sold from my parents," she said. "I've been working all these years and haven't spent hardly a thing and I didn't loose it when the banks failed. I was saving it for our retirement. If this is what you really want in your heart, I have enough for us to get started."

"Abigail, I couldn't let you do that," Thomas said in surprise. "That is for you. In case anything happens you'll be taken care of."

"Think about it," she said. "We could look around for our last two days here and see what's available. No one here knows us. We'd be starting fresh without any gossip dogging our heels. We'd be Mr. and Mrs. Barrow just like any other couple. I wouldn't be the village spinster who married the only man who would have her and you wouldn't be. Well enough said on that score."

"I wouldn't miss the gossip either," Russell said quietly.

"Has the gossip been a burden, son?" Thomas asked him.

Russell shrugged. "My friends haven't really changed that much. I'm still friends with the same group as before I came to live with you."

"Scouts hasn't helped?" Thomas inquired.

"A bit. The other boys in the village talk to me more now, but they all have jobs so I never see them. I've only got a year until college. Don't stay at the Abbey for me if you want to make a move." Secretly he was thinking, _"If you didn't work there, Sybil wouldn't be my employers granddaughter anymore and then she could be my sweetheart and you wouldn't care."_

"It couldn't hurt to look," Thomas agreed finally. "It won't cost us a farthing to ask around a bit."

"We're here and we'll make the most of the opportunity," Abigail said. "Do you want to come with us, Russell?"

"I might as well," he said. He still felt slightly queasy from the stick of candy he had eaten the day before followed by a bottle of pop. They had eaten fish and chips on the pier for dinner. The whole thing had sloshed around in his stomach not wanting to settle and he hadn't wanted much for breakfast. It was all too much of a change from the plain fare they had at home.

When he looked at his parents here they seemed different. They were happier away from the Abbey. No one looked at their small family strangely or avoided them when they were out. Here his father was a well-groomed, middle-aged man, not a homosexual that people somehow thought might rub off from him and contaminate their children. Russell's real father was also a topic of gossip and people thought he would be just like him. The village at Downton was full of gossip about the three of them. He'd even heard one old biddy whisper to another the only reason Mr. Barrow had taken him in was as a plaything in the bedroom. He couldn't wait to be finished school and leave for college so he wouldn't have the gossip following him anymore.

The only thing he would miss about the Abbey and Downton would be Sybil. He adored her and didn't want to be without her. Sometimes he told himself he was being stupid. She was the Earl's granddaughter and her father was the Agent. She would go to college herself in a few years and forget all about him. Why would she want him, a boy with no background and nothing to his name? Then she would make some excuse to come by the Abbey and see him and his heart would almost beat out of his chest at the sight of her. There wasn't another girl for him. There never had been and probably never would be. The few times he had kissed her haunted his dreams. Somehow, someday he would be good enough for her. He just had to find that day, someday.

-0-

Thomas Barrow looked out the second floor window at Downton Abbey to see his son switching spots with Peter behind the wheel of the staff car. Miss Sybil was in the back seat. He shook his head. The girl could talk her way into anything. Her father was teaching her two older brothers to drive that summer and Peter was teaching Russell the basics. She had talked her way into joining his lessons so she could learn to drive as well. None of them were old enough for their driving permits yet except Master Redmond, but they could drive on the lanes around the house and farms as long as they didn't venture out onto public roads. Thomas had noticed Miss Sybil was a bit of a minx for talking her way into things, but unlike her mother they usually didn't end in disaster. She was usually trying to keep up with her older brothers.

He thought of the stack of pamphlets from the realty broker in Brighton. They had collected information on guesthouses and small inns for sale in Worthing, Brighton and Eastbourne and been around to see a few. Abigail had a head for business he had never realized before. She had talked prices and looked for signs of leaking roofs, conditions of linens and china and asked very pointed questions. She refused to make an offer or spend a dime until she'd had the chance to go back in the winter months and check plumbing, roofs, and the condition of the inns when the weather wasn't nice and the tourists weren't flowing through. She'd been running a house for others long enough to know all the little details of what might go wrong and had been made to look nice to cover any flaws.

On the personal side of things Thomas actually felt a sense of relief that she had a bit of a take-charge attitude towards their life, their adopted son and their private life. After they had been together a few times she had decided she liked to be on top when they were making love and she wasn't averse to a little experimenting. He'd found the young man working as a chauffeur this summer attractive, but he'd stayed true to his word of fidelity and had made an extra effort to be with his wife more often. There was no question in his mind without her he would be lost and he had no desire to retreat back into his former lonely existence.

He was of two minds when it came to staying on about Russell. The boy didn't have many friends here it was true, but the few close friends he had Thomas had come to realize had stuck by him through thick and thin. One of them was busy having a driving lesson with him at the moment and her brother Master Davin was usually with them when he wasn't occupied with his summer job on the estate. The Abbey did have the advantage of a steady part time job for Russell. He'd be leaving for college next fall at about this time and the worry that Russell would get in too deep with Miss Sybil would be over. At times he couldn't believe that his son would be going to college. It had been a world closed to him when he was younger no matter how desperately he had wanted it. Now it was within his son's grasp. The boy already had a list of colleges he wanted to apply to and would apply for scholarships as well. If it had been left up to him, he would have never encouraged the boy to reach that far above his station. It was all Abigail's doing and Thomas was in awe of her yet again.

-0-

"Hello, Daddy, Hello Uncle Michael," Sybil said as she pulled the staff car to a stop beside her father and Uncle who were walking up from the stables. "I made it all the way up to third gear without stalling or grinding the gears once," she proclaimed proudly.

"Did you manage to drive in a straight line this time?" Michael asked her.

"I did. Grandpapa's hedging is safe," Sybil said.

"Just stick to the lanes around the house," her father warned. "I expect you to keep my daughter safe." He addressed Peter. Tom had always expected to teach Sybil to drive himself. He was feeling a bit unsettled that she had decided to elbow her way in to Russell's driving lessons but then he was teaching Davin and Redmond and really didn't have time to show her. It would be a year before Davin would be old enough for a permit and almost two before Sybil was old enough for hers, but she wasn't one to be left behind when her older brothers were doing something.

"Yes, Sir," Peter replied looking a trifle nervous.

"How are you making out?" Tom addressed Russell in the back seat.

"Not bad Sir. I should be ready for my permit by my birthday."

"I'll give you a few lessons myself before the test and to make sure you don't put yourself and Lady Painswick in the ditch your first time out," Tom said. "Carry on."

"Bye Daddy," Sybil said before she shifted the car into gear and took off on the back lane of the Abbey.

"She's not letting any grass grow under her feet," Michael commented as they watched Sybil drive along the back of the Abbey and turn onto the lane that led to one of the pastures near the house.

"It was gutting her that her brothers were driving and she wasn't," Tom said. "I finally had to give in. Dylan's the next in line and he couldn't care less."

"The family all keep mentioning how much Sybil is like her mother," Michael commented.

"In some ways. My late wife was always concerned with helping others and Sybil is kind hearted like she was," Tom said.

"You're not exactly hard hearted yourself. I'd say she's like her father," Michael said.

"My wife was a tad on the rebellious side. She had a tendency to want things her own way. My daughter is more adventurous than rebellious and she will give in if she sees a point to it. My daughter Sybil was stubborn as the day is long when she was younger and independent to a fault. She still is independent. It can be hard to hold her back at times."

"Sounds like someone I know," Michael ribbed him.

"Ha ha, very funny," Tom replied. "If I was that stubborn and independent, I'd have packed my bags and left Downton when my daughter was born."

"So you're going to give in on putting another ten acres into a hop garden?"

"No," Tom said with a chuckle.

"How about currents then?"

"The birds will eat them."

"And you don't think you're stubborn?" Michael replied with a laugh as they headed inside.

Chapter 38 – Hiding

"I didn't know Aunty Edith wasn't already married," Sybil said to Dylan when they arrived back at the Abbey for a small family reception.

"Guess not," he replied. "Do you think Mrs. Barrow made any of those little pink cakes I like? The new housekeeper doesn't know how to make them."

"I'll make you a batch next weekend," Sybil said. "The wedding was so romantic."

"Girls," Dylan said in disgust. He went off in search of his favorite cakes.

It had been a small ceremony with just the family but Sybil had thought it was more romantic than the big weddings she had attended a few times with her parents. Aunt Edith had said her vows like she really meant them and her hands had shook when they exchanged rings. Sybil had thought how she would like her own wedding to be the same way.

Sybil couldn't help but sneak peaks at Russell outside the church in his new black chauffeur's uniform. She thought he looked terribly handsome in it. He was six foot one with dark hair and drop dead gorgeous as far as she was concerned. The old uniform Daddy had worn had fit Peter last summer, but it was rather worn and there was no way it would fit Russell so he had a new one with two rows of shinny brass buttons down the front. She was supposed to be paying attention to throwing rice when they were outside the church but she had been busy looking at Russell standing by the car. There had been something different between them last summer. Whenever they were out in a group Sybil could feel herself drawn more and more towards him as though there was a magnet pulling her closer. They had never had the chance to be alone. There was always a brother or a cousin around and sometimes Redmond's friends as well. She'd had butterflies in her stomach more than once when she looked at him and her body did strange things that almost frightened her but at the same time made shivers run up and down her spine. Daddy had said boys wanted more and you had to wait, but since they were never alone, she had no idea if Russell wanted more or not.

Russell stood by the car door waiting for the bride and groom to get into the car. He knew Sybil was standing on the step to the church. He didn't even have to look over to feel her presence. Ever since they had started having driving lessons together he'd become more physically aware of her than ever. He thought it might have something to do with the fact that he was now fully grown and he was definitely finished puberty. His body had changed and his muscles had filled out over the summer. He wasn't any taller than he had been last spring but now all his shirts were too tight and he'd had to get new ones when he kept splitting the seams at the shoulders. The hard part of it all was when the other boys in the locker room at school when they had athletics talked about girls and what they did or wanted to do with them. He hadn't said a word but it had made Russell think about what he wanted to do with Sybil. Sometimes when she was around he couldn't get the things they talked about out of his mind. He dreamed about touching her at night and what it would be like to kiss her in the way the boys at school talked about. He'd broken out in a sweat more than once in her presence. He'd learned to keep his body under control by thinking about shoveling horse manure onto a pile, but it hadn't stopped the desire that coursed through him with every breath or the urge to push every other male away from her that even glanced her way.

He had driven the bride and groom back to the house and changed his clothes. He would spend the rest of the afternoon helping his Mom load the cakes and fancy hors d'oeuvres onto the trays to be sent up stairs, then collect the dirty dishes from the dumb waiter and get them washed up before dinner. She was cooking today so she would need help all afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Gregson would be away for the rest of the weekend and Mr. Branson and Lady Rose had plans as well. Sybil and Davin had their formal dance at their school and after much discussion between the adults upstairs earlier in the week he had been summoned upstairs to the library. He had been told he would be driving them to their formal dance and received a long lecture from Mr. Branson on the responsibilities of a chauffeur and not accepting drinks from any of the chauffeurs in the car park who may be there as well. Russell had been so terrified when Mr. Branson finished lecturing him he thought he was going to pass out.

"Tom stop fretting about the dance tomorrow night," Rose scolded him while they were at the reception. "The children are going to be fine. If I had known you would be like this I wouldn't have accepted the invitation for tomorrow two months back. It's too late to back out now."

"He's only had his permit a few months. What if something happens?" Tom clucked.

"You said he is a good driver. You checked him out yourself before he got his permit and he's driven Cousin Rosamund about enough in the evenings the children will be safe. If it's the dance you're worried about Sybil spent a good part of the last one hiding in the bathroom trying to avoid the boys she doesn't like."

"I feel better getting them to and fro myself," he grumped.

"They're not babies. Davin is sixteen now and Sybil is fifteen. Camilla Royston's mother telephoned this afternoon to see if she can get a ride with Sybil and Davin. They'll be in a group. They can take care of themselves," Rose said. "Now plaster on a smile and we'll go congratulate the happy couple."

Russell almost jumped out of his skin when Sybil showed up in the kitchen at his elbow part way through the small reception. The dishes had already started to come down and he was filling the sink to get a start on the washing up.

"Hello, you're very busy today. My grandparents are working your fingers to the bone," she said.

"Not that bad," Russell replied. "I'm just helping my Mom out today. The chauffeur position is easy. I don't have to fix the car or anything difficult. I just drop it round your Uncle's garage. I have to wash the car and get it ready for your dance tomorrow."

"That's what I came down to talk to you about," Sybil said. "We have to leave fifteen minutes early. Camilla wants a ride with Davin," she rolled her eyes. Then lowered her voice. "She thinks he is the handsomest, smartest boy in school. All they do is make eyes at each other. It's sickening."

"He probably is the smartest boy at your school," Russell replied with a chuckle.

"Doesn't stop it from making one nauseous," Sybil whispered. "I have to go back upstairs. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

-0-

Russell arrived promptly at the appointed time to pick up Sybil and her brother. The older cars on the estate had been retired. The Earl now had one car for doing errands that doubled as the staff car and another larger fancier car for when the family wanted to go somewhere. Tonight Russell was driving the larger car, which was making him even more nervous. When he arrived for Sybil and Davin their parents were still home. One look at her father's stern face had made him break out into a sweat while he waited by the car for Davin and Sybil.

Sybil came out wrapped in a long coat with her hair up. She smiled at him as he held her hand to help her into the car. Davin came running down the drive and almost fell into the car after his sister.

"Davin don't be such an elephant," Sybil scolded him.

"I just want to get there," Davin replied. "Hi, Russell."

"Hello," Russell replied. He closed the door and went around to the driver's side.

"Do you know where this other person lives we are supposed to retrieve?" he asked as he put the car in gear and headed off.

"Yes, just head towards Ripon and I'll give you directions when we get closer," Davin said. "How do I look?" he asked turning to his sister. "Is my tie straight? Is my hair sticking up?"

"Davin stop fussing you're worse than a girl," Sybil replied. "You look fine."

It didn't take long to arrive at Camilla's home once they were in Ripon with Davin giving Russell directions. Russell stood by the car door while Davin went to the front door to collect the girl. Russell had to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh when Camilla came out followed by an obviously smitten Davin. She was a red haired girl with a round face and a great deal of freckles. She was so busy gawking at Davin she almost tripped over the hem of her dress getting into the car if Davin and Russell hadn't both reached to catch her before she landed flat on her face. Russell quickly backed off as Davin got Camilla settled and got in beside her. When they arrived at the dance Davin opened the door himself and helped Camilla out before Russell could come around. Davin almost closed the door on Sybil's foot before Russell caught the door.

"I'll see to the door, Master Davin," Russell said formally.

"Uh huh," Davin replied distractedly as he headed in with Camilla.

"What did I tell you? They're absolutely sickening," Sybil said under her breath as she stepped out.

"I'll watch for you when you want to go home. Just come to the door," he said.

"What are you going to do while we're in there?"

"Homework. I brought a flashlight and food."

"We should be out at about eleven. I would have invited you but it is students only," Sybil said.

"Don't worry about it I have lots to do and we can dance at the village dance in two weeks," he said.

An hour and a half later Russell had his homework done and was completely bored. All of the other chauffeurs that were waiting were older men. He glanced their way then headed towards the building and ducked around the side where there were large windows. There were a great deal of students dancing in the middle of the floor and all of the girls had dance cards dangling from their wrists. At last he spotted Sybil talking to a group of girls. They all had glasses of punch in their hands. Sybil took a sip of hers, made the slightest grimaced and set the glass down on a side table.

"_Must be apple juice,"_ Russell thought. _"She hates apple juice."_ Sybil's grimace had been so slight only someone who knew her as well as he did would ever notice it. Her mother's training was in full force tonight. He walked around for another fifteen minutes then went back to the car. He got in and was about to reach for his book when he heard Sybil call his name quietly from the back seat. He turned around quickly.

"Sybil what are you doing?" he said.

She was crouched down in the back with her coat on.

"Hiding," she said. "Davin won't dance with me. He's too busy gawking at Camilla and Tommy Bradshaw's brother has been following me around all night. He's just as awful as his brother."

"Why do you come to these things if you spend half your time hiding?" he asked.

"Because I have to. Why don't you come back here with me? I'll go back in in another fifteen minutes or so. He should have found someone else to pester by then."

Russell tossed the blanket he had been using to keep warm into the backseat then quickly got out then in the back of the car.

"You're being silly. It's cold out here," he scolded. It was December and while it wasn't snowing it was cold outside and the car had cooled quickly once he had parked.

"You're out here," Sybil retorted.

"I'm wearing long underwear under this get up, not fancy dress and I've got a blanket." He reached into the compartment under the seat and pulled out a second blanket. He tossed his hat in the front seat and pulled both of the blankets over the two of them then scrunched down a bit so no one would notice them.

"Warm enough?" he asked.

Sybil nodded as she leaned against him. Even with her coat on she had been getting chilly.

"Do you like your new job?" Sybil asked.

"It's alright. Lady Rosamund pays a lot of calls so I have lots of time to do homework," he said. "Pays better than a footman too."

"I miss you when we're both in school," Sybil said quietly. "By the time I get all my homework, music practice and chores done there isn't much time and it seems you're always out with Great Aunt Rosamund."

"I miss you too," he said quietly. He bent his head and touched his lips to hers. It felt as good as he remembered. He experimentally licked her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. When he felt her lips part he slid his tongue into her mouth as he'd heard the other boys describe. He felt her gasp then tentatively touch her tongue to his.

Sybil thought kissing couldn't get any better until Russell had slipped his tongue between her lips and caressed the inside of her mouth with his tongue. Sensation rocked through her. The few chaste kisses they had shared hadn't prepared her for this. She wanted to kiss him until she couldn't breath any more and then kiss him again. She kissed his cheek when they broke apart for a moment. He kissed her jaw, then returned to kissing her mouth. All she could think about was kissing him again and again until a sudden tap on the window made her jump.

"They're coming out, mate," one of the other chauffeurs said. "You might want to get your girlfriend out of there."

Sybil opened her eyes and realized the windows had a slight layer of steam on them. No one would have been able to see them but it would have been obvious to the other chauffeurs what they were up to. Russell quickly tossed his blanket back into the front while Sybil folded the other and stored it away. He got out of the car to see what was going on. Parents were arriving at the door and the chauffeurs were handing some of the students into limousines.

"I don't see Davin or his girlfriend anywhere," he said.

"We had better go look for them," Sybil said. She checked her hair to hide to make sure it was still in place and made sure her coat was straight. She got out then put her hand on Russell's arm to stop him from walking towards the building.

"You've got lipstick on your mouth," she said handing him her hanky. He wiped his face quickly feeling sheepish then gave her the hanky back. She quickly wiped her mouth and then headed towards the auditorium with Russell behind her. Russell stopped when he got to the door.

"Come with me," Sybil said. They stepped inside the door and immediately spotted Davin passed out on a chair with Camilla on a chair beside him giggling at nothing. It was then Sybil noticed all of the students that were still there were mostly wobbling this way and that or giggling at nothing like Camilla.

"What's wrong with them all?" Sybil asked.

"I'd say they've been drinking," Russell said. "I can smell the alcohol on Davin."

"What? Davin doesn't drink. Neither does Camilla."

"Tommy Bradshaw spiked the punch," Camilla giggled. "Everyone is drunk." She got to her feet, threw hands in the air and started to twirl around.

"Oh no," Sybil groaned. "I thought the punch tasted funny. I didn't drink mine."

"Good thing," Russell said quietly looking around. He didn't know what he would do if Sybil was drunk as well as the other two. Parents were coming in to retrieve their drunken children but the hall was still half full. "I'll get Master Davin to the car." He put Davin's arm around his shoulders and pulled Davin to his feet. Davin came to slightly and half staggered, half lurched his way towards the door. Sybil had ahold of Camilla and was dragging her along behind. As soon as they got outside and the cold air hit them Davin vomited on the ground. Camilla wasn't as far gone and made it to the car without getting sick.

"Camilla, how much punch did you have?" Sybil asked her.

"One little insignificant glass," Camilla said as she tumbled into the car.

"How much did Davin drink?"

"Two or three, I lost count," Camilla replied.

Sybil looked back to see Russell guiding Davin towards the car after being sick for the second time.

"Sybil, there's some water in a flask in the front. Can you get it please?" Russell said as he arrived at the car with Davin. They gave Davin a cup of water to rinse his mouth and then a second cup to drink. Sybil got out her hanky and wiped her brother's face. Russell handed her his hanky as well. She wet it and got Davin cleaned up as best she could.

"I'm going to kill that Tommy Bradshaw," Sybil said under her breath.

"The headmaster already did," Davin said. He opened his eyes wide. "Where's Camilla."

"I'm here," she called cheerfully from the backseat.

"I'm not riding back there with those two. They might vomit on me and they smell terrible," Sybil said once Davin had climbed in the car.

Russell closed the door after Davin and opened the passenger door beside the driver for Sybil. Sybil thought she might die of embarrassment when loud, smacking kissing sounds started coming from the back seat before they had even made it out of the parking lot.

"Camilla, show me our titties," Davin slurred drunkenly.

"Errr," Sybil growled she turned around to swat her brother with her handbag only to see him with his face pressed into Camilla's cleavage and Camilla giggling madly with her arms around Davin's head pressing his face into her bust.

"Davin stop it," Sybil said knocking her brother with her handbag.

"Ow," he said. It was muffled by Camilla's dress. "Leave me alone. Go find your own titties to play with."

Russell was concentrating on the traffic but he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ugh. It isn't funny," Sybil said turning around and flopping back on her seat. She turned back again to see Camilla with a death grip on her brother practically sucking his face off.

"They probably won't remember a thing tomorrow," Russell said.

"Unfortunately, I will," Sybil said with disgust.

Chapter 39 – Not Such a Grand Prank

They pulled up in front of Camilla's house. Sybil got out and waited until Russell came around to help with Camilla. Davin's tie was undone and his shirt was half open.

"You stay there," Sybil instructed her brother. She checked Camilla had her coat and bag and that her dress was still done up. Russell escorted Camilla to the door while Sybil rang the doorbell.

"What ever has happened?" Camilla's mother exclaimed with alarm.

"Someone put alcohol in the punch and Camilla drank a glass," Sybil said. "Almost everyone at the dance drank some and is in a bad way."

"The headmaster and the school board will hear about this," Camilla's mother said. "Thank you for seeing Camilla home safely, Miss Branson. Is your brother alright?"

"Tipsy, but I think he'll be fine once we get him home," Sybil said. "Goodnight, Mrs. Royston."

"Goodnight and thank you again."

They went back to the car to find Davin slumped over on the back seat.

"I wondered where you were," he said once Sybil was in the car and Russell was coming around to the driver's side to get in.

"I saw Camilla to the door since you were in no shape," Sybil said disdainfully. "Didn't you notice there was something wrong with the punch?"

"Nope, I was busy starting at Camilla's titties," he slurred. "They're mighty fine titties. She showed them to me at Evangeline's birthday party."

"Davin, stop it," Sybil scolded him.

"You are such a prude," Davin said. "You should show Russell your titties. He'd probably love'm." He started laughing madly.

"Get us home. The sooner the better," Sybil said to Russell. Her face was bright red. Russell was biting his lips together trying not to laugh. He was blushing as well.

Davin was singing some made up song about how much he loved titties almost the entire way home. Sybil was ready to choke him and there was no way to shut him up. Once they were stopped in the drive of the Dower House and had Davin out of the car, the cold air made him vomit again.

"I don't know what to do," Sybil said. "Mummy and Daddy won't be home until late. What do I do with him?"

"I'm not sure. I'll phone my Dad. He'll know," Russell said.

As soon as they got Davin in the house he flopped on the floor and wouldn't get up. Russell went to telephone his father. He came back after a few minutes.

"He said, get him undressed and into bed and make sure he can't fall down the stairs and hurt himself. Otherwise, just let him sleep it off. If he keeps vomiting phone him and he'll come down."

Sybil looked at the staircase with a wrinkled brow.

"I don't think we can get him up there," she said.

"We'll put him on the floor in your sitting room. Where is it?"

"Here," Sybil said. She opened a door and flipped on a light. "I'll get some blankets and his pajamas."

"Sybil what's going on?" Dylan asked coming to his door and rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing. Davin isn't feeling well. Go back to sleep," she said.

When she got back downstairs Russell had retrieved a bowl from the kitchen incase Davin was sick again and was helping him get his jacket off. She set the pajamas down on the chair. Then went to make a bed up on the sofa. Davin was sick again before they had him half changed.

"This is disgusting," Sybil said as she took the bowl to the washroom to empty and rinse it.

"This is nursing," Russell commented. He had Davin changed and lying on the sofa by the time Sybil got back.

"Do you think you'll be alright on your own?" Russell asked her.

Sybil didn't have time to answer before Davin started having dry heaves. Russell went for a cold washcloth to press on the back of Davin's neck while Sybil stroked her brother's hair while he was being sick.

"Go and phone my Dad," Russell said as soon as he returned. He had the cloth pressed on the back of Davin's neck. "He said he would come and no one else is home."

Sybil nodded and dashed to the telephone. Russell got a bowl of cold water while she was on the telephone and was wiping Davin's face and neck when she got back.

"You're father said he'll be right over," Sybil said. She was wringing her hands.

"Something isn't right," Russell said. "He shouldn't be this quiet." Davin had passed out and wasn't moving.

"I'm frightened," Sybil said.

"Here you keep doing this. I'm going to build the fire up again. It's almost out," Russell said.

It was only a few minutes when Thomas Barrow knocked at the front door. Sybil went to let him in.

"How much did he have to drink?" Thomas asked while he checked Davin over. He'd dealt with more than one drunk during his stint as a medic in the army.

"Camilla didn't know. She thought two or three. It could have been more," Sybil said. "My brother is going to be alright isn't he Mr. Barrow?"

"He looks like he may have a slight case of alcohol poisoning," Thomas said. "We'll get the fluids moving through him and then he'll be fine. A glass of water if you please, Miss Sybil."

Thomas took off his jacket and put it on a chair. He slapped Davin's face to bring him around.

"Time for a trip to the water closet, Master Davin," he said.

Davin nodded and unsteadily got to his feet. Thomas guided him to the washroom and then waited outside. He was relieved to hear the sound of Davin tinkling into the toilet. It meant everything was still working and it was now a matter of moving the alcohol through his body. Sybil was there with a glass of water the minute her brother came out of the washroom. Thomas had him drink it and he was immediately sick again.

Thomas emerged from the washroom with Davin to see his son standing in the hall with Miss Sybil's arms wrapped around his waist. Russell was holding her and saying something to her quietly.

"You can go home now, Russell," Thomas said. "I'll take care of things from here. Miss Sybil you should get out of your dress before it gets ruined."

Sybil let go of Russell as soon as she realized Mr. Barrow had seen them. Russell went for his hat and gloves and headed off to take the car back to the Abbey. Sybil went upstairs to get changed once she had locked the door behind him. Thomas kept trying to get small sips of water into Davin and waking him back up every five minutes or so.

"How much punch did you drink, Master Davin?" he asked.

"Five, I think maybe more," Davin murmured during one of his lucid moments.

Finally after getting two glasses of water into Davin and another trip to the washroom, Thomas decided he would let Davin sleep and wake him at half hour intervals. Miss Sybil had come back down in a plain dress and was trying to wipe her brother's face with a cloth.

"You can go up to bed now," Thomas told her. "I'll stay until your parents get home."

"He is going to be alright, isn't he," Sybil asked again.

"You're brother will be fine. He's going to have a bad headache in the morning. It may take him a few days to get over this. How did you manage to avoid the punch?"

"I didn't like the taste and it had apple juice in it. I don't like apple juice. Davin loves it," Sybil said. "I don't know what I would have done if Russell wasn't there to help us."

"You'd have managed," Thomas said. "Now head on up to bed. I'll wait for your parents."

"Good night Mr. Barrow," Sybil said as she went towards the stairs. "Thank you for coming over right away."

"Your welcome, Miss Sybil, now go to bed."

Thomas went into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He was going to need something to keep him awake for the next few hours. He went back to the sitting room with the tea on a small tray and woke Davin up again. He had learned in the army to keep waking a person with alcohol poisoning and moving the fluids through their body were the best treatments. Davin had been to the point of dry heaves so it was too late to get his stomach pumped.

He shook his head slightly at the position he now found himself in. They had decided to make the move south once Russell left for college next fall. Spotting him with his arms around Miss Sybil just confirmed his suspicion the boy had not gotten over his infatuation with her one bit. If anything it had gotten stronger. It was only the rest of the winter and next summer and Russell would be gone from this place. He was busy with his part time job, school and Scouts and didn't see much of the girl but it didn't seem to change how they were together. Thomas wondered how it would sit with his Lordship to have his granddaughter choose the butler's son, who was the chauffeur as her sweetheart. He laughed to himself slightly. He would like to see the look on the upstairs faces when they found out about the two of them someday. He wasn't going to do a thing about it at the moment. Russell and Miss Sybil didn't have time to spend alone together. As long as Russell didn't get the girl in trouble their plans would continue on as they were. He'd have another talk with him about using a French letter in the next week, just to be on the safe side. He doubted they had been together yet as they both had an innocent untouched quality about them, but the fact that they were a couple was as plain as the nose on your face.

He went over and checked on Davin again. _"Poor little bugger and he didn't even do it on purpose,"_ Thomas thought. He found the morning paper folded in a box near the fireplace and settled into a comfortable chair with the paper and a second cup of tea to wait for Lady Rose and Mr. Branson to get home.

-0-

"Hardly anyone was at school today," Sybil told Rose when she got home from school on Monday. "They sent a letter for you." She handed Rose an envelope addressed to her and Tom.

"Is it a wonder that many were there if there are others as bad as Davin," Rose replied. "The culprit must have poured in an awfully lot to make that many of the students ill."

"There were four punch bowls, so it must have been in all of them," Sybil said. "I'm glad I didn't drink any."

"I am too," Rose replied. "Davin was up earlier. Why don't you go up and see if he is up now?"

Rose opened the letter from the school. Two boys had been caught with the empty bottles of alcohol. They had been expelled from the school and the school was offering their apologies for the incident and assuring the parents it wouldn't happen again. Rose sighed as she read the letter. Getting drunk was bound to happen sooner or later especially for a boy but she would have preferred it be on Davin's own terms. There was little the school could have done to stop the culprits if they were really determined to sneak the alcohol into the punch.

This episode with Davin had been no laughing matter. He'd been sick for two days and was off school today and probably would be again tomorrow. They had been shocked to see the staff car from the Abbey parked outside when they got home and even more surprised to go in the house and find Mr. Barrow there taking care of their son. He had explained the circumstances and advised them to keep waking Davin at least once an hour for the rest of the night. Rose had taken the day off and taken Davin to the doctor this morning. He had confirmed it was indeed alcohol poisoning and Davin had been lucky it was only a mild case. Rose had a mind to go and give the headmaster at Davin's school a piece of her mind although she was quite sure she would only be another in a long line going through his door on Monday morning. Tom had been livid when told the news. The only saving grace in all of it was Sybil hadn't gotten drunk as well and Russell had managed to get everyone home safe and sound. The pair of them had enough sense to get some help for Davin and he was going to be fine in another few days.

Sybil knocked on her brother's door then went in.

"How's the head?" she asked.

"Still sore but not as bad as yesterday," Davin said. He was sitting up in bed reading. "How was school?"

"Only about half the students were there. I saw Camilla. She said to say hello."

"I'm glad she's alright," Davin said.

"She only drank one glass. How many did you drink?"

"I don't remember after the third one," Davin said. "It might have been five or more."

"No wonder you're so sick. Tommy Bradshaw and Billy Waverly both got expelled. Their parents removed their older brothers from school today as well. They found them with six empty bottles of gin they had stolen from their parents."

"I'm glad they got expelled," Davin replied. "It was a rotten thing to do. It wasn't like we all took a drink on purpose."

"Do you remember any of the trip home?" Sybil questioned him.

"Vaguely," Davin said coloring. "Was I really bad?"

"It depends how bad you think _Camilla show me your titties_ is," Sybil said laughing at his discomfort.

"Oh no, she'll never speak to me again," Davin said in alarm. He face was red.

"She wasn't any better and from the way she was all concerned about you today, I'd say you don't have anything to worry about."

"I got a letter today, preliminary acceptance to veterinary school at Edinburgh pending interview and my final marks from school this year. As long as I have above eighty percent I'm pretty much accepted."

"You don't seem very excited," Sybil said.

"I've got a headache and my stomach feels likes it's been pulled inside out. It's hard to be excited."

"Are you going to get up for music practice later so we can practice our duet?"

"I don't think so," Davin said. "Right now I don't want to practice anything. I just want to sleep. I'll get up after a bit."

"Later then," Sybil said sliding off her perch at the foot of the bed and heading into her own room. She decided to go down and meet Russell when he got off his bus. Her bus had been early that day since there were so few students at school and the stops had been cut by over half. If she hurried, she would just catch him.

Russell was surprised to see Sybil there when he got off the bus. He said goodbye to the other boys from his stop then came over to her. The other boys tipped their hats to Sybil but didn't stop to speak to her. Everyone of their father's worked for the estate and everyone knew she was the Earl's granddaughter.

"Sybil, what are you doing here?" Russell said. "I'm happy to see you."

"Hardly anyone was at school today, the bus was early and I don't have any homework," she said. "Davin will be home from school at least one more day."

"I was scared something would happen to him," Russell admitted.

"I was too," Sybil replied. "Camilla was at school today. She was all worried about Davin."

"You have to admit the two of them were pretty funny now that it is all over," Russell said.

"I'm glad you think so," Sybil replied.

"Come on, _Get your own titties to play with, _was pretty funny when you hit him with your handbag."

"What would you say if I hit you with my handbag," Sybil said punching him on the arm.

"I'd say, what was that for. I didn't ask to see anything," he said laughing then running after her and taking her hand as they walked towards the Abbey.

"Do you have to work today?" Sybil asked.

"No. No homework either."

"Would you like to come over and play Monopoly with us? It's a board game my American Great Grandmother sent us. Davin should be up. He can't practice music. His head hurts too much. The others might play as well if they don't have homework."

"You want me to come to the Dower House as a guest?" Russell asked ruefully.

"We'll be up in the day nursery. That's where we play games. It's not babyish or anything. My brothers are all too old for that."

"I guess, as long as your parents don't mind," he said worriedly.

"They won't mind." She told him a time to come over. They were half way to the Abbey. Sybil stopped and turned to head back home. Russell didn't let go of her hand. The lane was deserted and he kissed her before he let her go. A smile spread across his face as he released her.

"Sybil show me your…" he paused to tease her. Her eyes opened wide in alarm and she took a step back. "Monopoly game," he said at last.

"I'll get you for that," Sybil said with a laugh as she headed back to the village. "Don't be late."

Chapter 40 – Looking East

"I heard from Garth Maguire," Tom told Rose in early March. He was getting ready for spring shearing and planting on the estate and was as busy as ever. The winter had gone along quickly with a trip to visit the family in London in January. The only difference in the routine around their home was Sybil had started inviting Russell over. Tom had opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. They were being more permissive than when he had been the chauffeur at the estate and he wasn't to say more than Good Morning or Good Afternoon to any of the family members. There wasn't any evidence of heavy petting or anything inappropriate. The visits usually consisted of a group of children playing a board game, popping popcorn and sometimes drinking cocoa. As Rose had pointed out it was a lot milder than anything she had gotten up to at that age and Tom had to agree with her. They had joined the children for a board game once as well. Russell had been quiet and polite as he usually was and Tom couldn't fault him after the mess with Davin at the school dance. The boy had acted responsibly and there wasn't much more he could ask.

"What's Garth up to these days?" Rose asked. They had run into Garth Maguire more than once through mutual friends and now considered him part of their friend group.

"He's offered me the post near Galway again and he's made an even better offer," Tom said.

"Tom we went through this almost three years ago. We decided then to stay in England for the children."

"Just listen. He's offered the house with live in housekeeper and groom plus he's offered a retirement package when I turn sixty-six, our choice of any house on his three Irish properties plus a pension. He's upped the offer on the wages another ten percent as well."

"That's quite the offer. What brought this on?"

"The man he has at Eagle Cairn isn't happy. He's good with stock but not good with the tenants. He's asked to be let out of his contract when it ends this summer and Garth has agreed."

"Do you think things have changed that much?" Rose questioned.

"I do. We stayed for the children. This will be Redmond and Davin's last summer working on the estate. From here on Redmond will be at school year round and staying with your brother until he's done and then who knows where he will decide to go. Davin's off to Scotland this fall as far as we can see and he's already lined up a summer job working for the veterinary here. He's been helping with inoculating livestock for years. As far as the other children, there is all kinds of music and art in Galway and they're all a ways off university. There are universities there. Good ones. I just think it is too good an opportunity to miss."

"The only thing is the family network," Rose said. "Although both Kieran and Liz and James and Victoria would be there at the drop of a hat if need be."

"As would your father," Tom said. "There is one other thing and I don't mean to sound goolish, but Lord Grantham is seventy years old and he really can't deal with the managing of the property anymore. Michael is taking on more and more and Anthony and Mary have been talking about moving over here and putting a manager in at his estate. One way or the other it needs to happen if not this year then next."

"I know. Edith and Michael already have plans to stay with Cousin Cora and Cousin Rosamund if anything happens to Cousin Robert. Cousin Rosamund is getting so dottery she can barely manage. I could choke her children. Neither of them has showed up for years."

Rose thought about it for a few minutes.

"When does Garth want an answer," she inquired.

"He's not in a great rush. The other man's contract doesn't expire until September first and he can be flexible."

"Garth really does know what he wants, doesn't he?" Rose commented.

"He wants an estate he can call home where he doesn't have to watch the tenants barely scratch out a living. It's not that different than what we've all worked for here."

"I don't know Tom. It's not like the title is holding me back. At the village school I'm Mrs. Branson. I would be the same if I worked at a school in Ireland."

"You'd have a class in Ireland with the best manners in the entire country," Tom teased her.

"I think I already have that," Rose said. "I'll take a day or two to think about this. It sounds like the right move but I don't want to be too hasty and it would be a slow transition anyway."

"It would," Tom said. He turned around and got a grin on his face he was trying to suppress. It was a good offer and with Lord Grantham getting on and Anthony coming to the estate to help run things either his or Michael's jobs were going to be cut back he was sure. It was right Mary would move here and have her husband be involved until George was done university and ready to start taking on more responsibility. The time was right, he could feel it."

-0-

Easter that year fell in early April in 1936. Redmond made the trip home for a few days. Rose and Tom decided it was the right time to make their announcement to the family. Kieran and his family were over for Easter Friday as had been their tradition for years. Johnny and Ivy had gone with their children to spend the weekend with his family in Liverpool.

"While you're all here," Tom said once they had all sat down to dinner. "Rose and I have an announcement to make. You know we took a trip to Ireland a few years ago to help Redmond and Davin decide where they would attend university. That was only part of what we were doing there. I was looking at a job opportunity that I turned down at the time. The opening has come up again and this time, I've decided to accept the offer. We'll be moving to the Irish Free State at the end of summer if not before."

Everyone looked at Tom with their mouths open. Redmond shrugged and Davin was somewhat indifferent as well.

"It's a good job, I don't see why not," Redmond said.

"I liked the farm especially the castle," Davin added.

"Pray tell what kind of job?" Kieran asked him.

"Same as the one I have now except I would be the Manager rather than the Agent. It's located just outside of Galway and the land holdings are slightly larger," Tom replied.

"I'll be damned," Kieran exclaimed.

"Kieran, language," his wife scolded him.

"Can we still take music lessons?" Garret asked.

"Yes, Galway isn't far from where we'll be living and they have a music conservatory the same as Ripon or York. There are dance classes and schools and a university. It's a very nice place," Rose replied.

"Will we get to visit Grandpapa Shrimpy?" Bradley asked.

"Yes, Grandpapa Shrimpy will come to visit us from time to time. So will Uncle James and Aunt Victoria, the family from the Abbey and some of our friends from here. We'll come here to visit sometimes too."

"What about Grandpapa and Grandmama," Sybil said woefully. "I won't be able to see them everyday."

"You'll be able to come for visits in the summer to stay," Rose told her. "Daddy will have a good job and we will be able to afford the trip."

"As long as I can take music lessons, I don't care where we live," Garret said.

"There's an old crumbled castle on the estate. You'll like it," Davin informed Dylan.

"I hope I get a school I like better than I do the one I'm at," Dylan replied.

The rest of the meal no one noticed Sybil getting quieter and quieter as the new job was discussed and questions asked about where they would be living. The younger boys all looked at it as an adventure. Redmond and Davin were both going to be at school in the fall and Davin could easily enough get over to Ireland if he wanted from Scotland and Kieran and James were both only a short train ride away as was his older brother. He'd always liked the idea of his family moving to Ireland and had been slightly disappointed when they didn't three years before.

"Remember everyone we haven't told the family at the Abbey yet. We wanted to tell all of you first. Rose and I will tell everyone there in the next few days," Tom said.

"May I be excused? I want to go for a walk," Sybil asked once the dishes were being cleared away.

"Sybil, we have guests," Rose reminded her.

"I won't be long and Dylan and Davin are doing dishes with Redmond," Sybil said.

"Very well then," Rose said. Garret and Bradley had already disappeared up to the nursery with Ella. Kieran's youngest was too little to play games in the nursery with the others and was busy chewing a wood block in the middle of the drawing room floor. Sybil got her coat and headed outside.

"Ten guesses as to where she's going," Rose said to Tom quietly.

"She'll come around," Tom said. "Davin and Redmond won't be there which will be a big change for her and she won't be able to run to her grandparents whenever she wants but she'll adapt. This is the right move for the family, I know it."

"A certain young man won't be within her beck and call either," Rose pointed out.

"He won't be here either next September. He'll be gone to college," Tom said.

Rose sighed and went to pour an after dinner cup of coffee for their guests. Sometimes her husband could be so thick.

Sybil walked along the lane towards the Abbey. She didn't want to move to Ireland. She liked it here. Grandmama and Grandpapa were within walking distance and Russell was here as well. _"What did Daddy and Mummy want to move to Ireland for anyway?" _she thought_. "We have a nice house here and everyone has friends. It won't be the same."_

Sybil went right past the house towards the garage. She spotted Russell sweeping out the interior of one of the cars. She headed straight for him and wrapped her arms around his waist without speaking.

"Sybil, what's the matter?" he questioned.

"Don't tell anyone. Not even your parents. Daddy and Mummy haven't announced it yet, but we're moving to Ireland," she said starting to break out into tears.

"When?" he asked in surprise.

"September, maybe before school starts. They didn't say exactly."

"I've got a secret too. You have to promise you won't tell anyone," he said. His arms were around her and he was rocking her a bit.

"I won't tell. I've never told anyone our secrets," she said.

"My parents are planning to leave here too after I leave for college. I won't be coming back."

"Never! You planned to leave and never see me again!" Sybil said pulling back quickly.

"Sybil, no. That's not what I meant," he said slightly frustrated. "Let's go sit in the chauffeur's cottage. It's not locked and we don't have to worry about one of your cousins spotting us."

Sybil nodded but her head was down. They went inside and Russell pulled the dust cover off the old sofa. They sat down side by side.

"I didn't mean, I was going to leave you and never see you again. I meant I wouldn't be coming back here to work," he said. "I've had enough with all the gossip about me and my parents in the village and they have too. It's hard when everyone knows your real father is in prison and they say all sorts of things about my Mom because she was a spinster and my Dad has stuff said about him too."

"I don't know why people are so mean," Sybil said. "It isn't right."

"I was going to ask you this summer before I left, but I'll ask you now. When I go to college will you write? I want to ask you to wait for me. I'll be done in two years, then I'll come and find you, where ever you are."

"I won't see you for two years," Sybil said woefully. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Not necessarily. We'll write and we'll know where each other are. I won't be your Grandfather's employee any more. I'll be eighteen this fall. Old enough to ask to be your sweetheart out in the open."

"You could ask now," Sybil said looking up at him and smiling.

"Sybil Branson, will you be my sweetheart?" he asked. "Will you write to me while I'm in college."

"Yes, I will," she said. "And we'll figure out when we can see each other so we won't be strangers."

He kissed her lightly to seal their promise.

"That's easy. I'll be in London in the winters. The college is live in for my course. My parents are moving to Eastbourne. They're buying a small inn there. I'll probably go there to work on my only summer break. It's only six weeks next summer. Otherwise I'll be in school."

"I might get to see you in London," Sybil said thoughtfully. "Mummy said we'll be coming back to England to visit. I'm still going to miss my grandparents though."

"You'll visit and come to stay," he reassured her stroking her hair. "They'll probably miss you so much they'll all pack up and run over Ireland to visit. Where are you going in Ireland anyway?"

"Near Galway, but I'm not sure where that is," she said. "I always feel better when we're together. You make it all make sense somehow."

"I wish everything always made sense," he said. "When I'm with you. I don't know. It just feels like it's where I'm supposed to be."

"You're my sweetheart of course I'm supposed to be with you," Sybil said smiling.

His mouth slowly descended to hers. She allowed herself to relax in his arms and enjoyed the sensation of his lips on her and his tongue in her mouth. He pulled her slightly closer. By the time they broke apart Sybil's fingers were tracing patterns around his collar and she wanted to pull the buttons of his jacket open and touch the lines of his chest. She had to settle for tracing a small circle on his wrist instead.

"I'd like to sit here and do this all day, but I have to get back to work," he said.

"I've got to go back too," Sybil said. "Do you get any time off this weekend?"

"Monday, there isn't any school and I don't normally work Mondays." They were sitting close and he was gazing down her top. He could see the lacy edges of her bra covering her breasts. He wanted right then and there to open her blouse and find out what her breasts looked like without her swimsuit or bra covering them, but he knew she was modest enough she would slap his face if he even hinted at it. "Sybil would you spend Monday with me? There I said it. You're my sweetheart now. I'm allowed to ask you."

"Yes, I will and I'll let you plan out what we do," she said. "Remember don't tell about Ireland."

"You have to remember to not tell about Eastbourne," he said. They walked back out to the garage. "Sybil, I… I'll see you Monday," he said at last.

"We have dinner here on Sunday. I'll see you before that," she said. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before she left.


	20. Facing Change Part XI

Facing Change – Chapter 41 through 45 - Part XI

_Book Three in this series will be published after this one. I'm just finding it a whole lot easier to publish them in this block format. Haven't come up with a title on the next one yet. It will pick up in late 1936 as our characters move to different locations but are still involved in Downton Abbey and of course the life that continues on there. Still loads to write about. Facing change was always meant to be about the economic/social changes of the early Depression as well as the changes in people's lives as they age. I should have the next instalment out in the next few days._

Chapter 41 – A Date

Tom and Rose headed over to the Abbey on Saturday. There was no sense delaying their announcement and the word was bound to get out. Redmond had gone to visit some of his friends and Sybil and Davin had gone with him in the governess cart. Davin wanted to stop and say hello to Camilla, which made both Sybil and Redmond groan, but they agreed.

"Rose, Tom, we weren't expecting you until tomorrow," Cora said.

"We were hoping to speak to the adults if everyone is here," Rose said. Garret and Bradley were along. They immediately dashed off to play with Edward and Elizabeth. George wasn't home from his boarding school for the weekend.

"Everyone is in the library except Edith and she's about somewhere," Cora said. "She should be down in a few minutes."

"Nothing wrong on the estate I hope," Lord Grantham inquired.

"Not a thing as far as I know," Tom replied. "Shearing is in two weeks, with the wool sales right after. Which is a bit late this year, but nothing earth shattering. How are you making out at the hotel Anthony?"

"Quite well, thank you," he replied. "There are all sorts from Europe these days wanting to come to England for extended stays. The hotel business is doing a brisk trade."

"That's good to hear," Robert commented.

It wasn't long and Edith came to join the group.

"Now what was it you had to say?" Cora inquired.

"Well, it's been no secret Anthony and Mary are considering living at the Abbey full time so Anthony can take on a share of the management," Tom started. "That being said, we've being weighing this out for sometime and we've finally reached a decision. I've been offered a position in Ireland as an Estate Manager and Rose and I have decided to make the move. The position wouldn't start until the beginning of September. I don't want anyone to feel we're walking out or don't appreciate all you've done for us. We happen to think this is the best move for us and our children."

"That is quite the speech," Lord Grantham said. "I hope you've weighed this out carefully."

"We have Cousin Robert. It's taken us a long time to finally decide to move to Ireland," Rose said.

"I hope it's Northern Ireland you're going to," Mary commented.

"Actually we're moving to Eagle Cairn near Galway. It's in the Free State," Tom supplied.

"But your children are all English," Edith pointed out.

"Half English, half Irish and the eldest two are Irish nationals," Rose replied. "We have thought this through carefully. There are good schools in the area, colleges and universities. Really the children will have every opportunity for education there as they do here."

"What about Redmond?" Lord Grantham asked. "He's in the middle of his studies."

"This will be his last summer on the estate I'm afraid," Tom replied. "Once his courses start in September he'll be straight through for the next three years with only short breaks. We'll be visiting back and forth. You'll all still see Sybil and the others fairly often. It's not like we're moving to the other side of the world. It's less than a day's travel and you're perfectly welcome to visit as well."

"We'll all still you miss you terribly," Cora said.

"We will miss everyone here as well Cousin Cora, but it is just too good of an opportunity for Tom to turn down. It hasn't been an easy decision."

"Well, it seems we're all going to have to make some decisions," Anthony said.

"I wanted to give a good long notice so everyone has the opportunity to make their plans accordingly," Tom said.

"How are the children taking the news?" Mary asked.

"Everyone is fine except Sybil," Rose said. "She's having the hardest time with the idea. The others all see the move as an adventure."

"We'll have to make plans to spend time with Sybil before you leave. Wont we Robert?" Cora questioned.

"It's not for at least five or six months yet, Cousin Cora," Rose reassured her. "We're trying to reassure her she will still see you often. Maybe if you told her the same thing it would help."

"I'll talk to her when you're over tomorrow," Cora said.

-0-

"Da, I told Russell he could use the old motorbike today or whenever he wants if Davin isn't using it," Redmond told his father while he was getting his bag downstairs Monday morning. He was taking an early train back to London so he could have his studies prepared for class the next day.

"I'll let him know he can have it," Tom replied. "Davin usually takes a horse or runs around on mine if he's going somewhere on the farm. I'm not taking the old one to Ireland. Ready to go son?"

"I'm all set," Redmond replied. "I do think Ireland is a good idea, Da. Don't let anyone at the Abbey talk you out of it."

"I think it is a good move as well," Tom replied. "I know you're not fond of the family there, but we won't see them that much. It's a nice area and there will be plenty of opportunities for your brothers."

"How can you be fond of people who had you sleep on a pallet on the floor and passed you from door to door like yesterday's newspaper?" Redmond responded. "I don't know if I've ever thanked you for taking us in, but I am now."

"It's been my pleasure, son," Tom said. He hugged his eldest son. "You've done us all proud. You and your brother, both." Tom had to blink his eyes a few times. "Do you have spending money for the trip?"

"Mummy gave me five pounds to see me through until summer. I probably won't even spend it all. For all the stories you hear of medical students leading wild lives, I don't know where they come from. All my friends ever do is study, eat, sleep and get up and do it all over again the next day."

"You're all towards the top of your class, I'm sure there are others who are different."

"I don't know how they get by if they don't study. We have one Professor who throws you out of class if he asks you a question and you don't know the answer. He hasn't gotten me yet and I don't intend to let him."

"Go and give them what for, son," Tom replied with a grin.

Tom turned as he heard the unmistakable sound of the roar of his old motorcycle pull up outside. Sybil came running down the stairs in a pair of trousers with a heavy woolen jacket on.

"Bye Redmond, have a good term at school," she said. She brushed her brother's cheek with her lips.

"Bye Sybil," he replied.

"I'll be back before tea, Daddy," Sybil said. She was out the door and onto the back of Tom's old motorcycle before her father could open his mouth.

"Where are they going?" he demanded of Redmond.

"I don't know. For a ride I guess. I have to get to the train. Want to walk over with me?" Redmond replied.

"Yes, fine," Tom responded. He put on his hat and coat to go to the station with Redmond. He was going to have a talk with his daughter when she got back. Going out with a boy with her brothers along was one thing. Running around on the back of a motorcycle was another.

He got back to the house twenty minutes later and went to find Rose.

"Tom, stop fretting. Sybil is a sensible girl. They've gone out to have a bit of fun. I'm sure she's fine," Rose said. "We'll have a talk with her when she gets back, but I think you're over reacting. What can they get up to on a motorbike?"

"Plenty as you well know," Tom replied.

"They could have just as easily snuck off on their own all the times they've gone swimming or visited back and forth, but they haven't. He's been very polite. I don't think they're up to much."

"We'll talk to both of them when they get back," Tom said stubbornly.

"It is a nice day. Do you have your motorcycle ready for summer?"

"I'd have to start it up and give it a once over," Tom replied.

"Why don't you go do that? Then we can go for a ride. It's such a pretty spring day."

"I want to be here when they get back," Tom grumped.

"You need something to do besides fretting," Rose said. "Besides we haven't tried out everything you can do on a motorcycle. I'm sure we could come up with something new."

"Who needs the motorcycle?" Tom said taking her hand and heading for the stairs.

"Why Mr. Branson are you the one who needs a good talking to?" Rose teased him. "I thought you wanted to be here when they got back."

"We won't be that long and some nonverbal communication, might be just the ticket," he said with a chuckle.

-0-

"Where are we going?" Sybil yelled over Russell's shoulder.

"Thirsk. It's market day there. I thought we'd get some buns and things and go for a picnic."

"Alright," Sybil yelled back. She'd been on the back of her father's motorcycle enough times she wasn't frightened at all. This older one was a lot rougher than Daddy's newer motorcycle and didn't go as fast but it was still fun. It didn't take too long and they were parked on a side road in Thirsk and headed towards the shops.

"My Dad says your move to Ireland is the talk of the upstairs. I don't go up there now that I'm the chauffeur," Russell commented.

"Grandmamma is trying to talk Daddy out of moving," Sybil said. "She did say that when we move she'll come over to visit and I'll be able to come here, so I feel a bit better."

"I do wish you would be closer next year, but we will probably see each other about the same amount if you lived in England or Ireland while I'm at college," he said.

"That's true," Sybil replied. "It's nice being on our own like this, isn't it?"

"It is," he said taking her hand and heading towards a bakeshop that was open.

An hour later they were parked by an old crumbled down church with a blanket spread on the ground. They had a few packets they had bought and two bottles of ginger beer. The trees were just starting to come out in bloom and the hills were dotted with sheep.

"What is the first thing you want to do when you turn eighteen and are officially an adult?" Sybil asked Russell while she was eating her bun.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "There is something I want to do but I don't know when I'll do it."

"Which is?"

"I'm going to go and see my father in prison," he said seriously. "I want to know what happened to my real mother. I doubt he'll tell me, but it's worth a try."

Sybil reached out and touched his arm, then slowly took her hand back.

"My real mother died in childbirth. I don't remember before Mummy and Daddy got married. I barely remember when Davin and Redmond came to live with us. I only remember them slurping their tea."

Russell got a smile on his face.

"You'll have to teach me all the fancy manners that go with the table settings," he said.

"You do pretty well on your own," Sybil responded with a shrug.

"School will be finished next month and then I'll work full time until I leave for London."

"We'll still go swimming and riding and do all the things we normally do in a summer," she said.

"With a few added bonuses," he responded with a sheepish smile.

"Like?"

"You're my sweetheart. I'll be able to kiss you more often."

"Russell, are you being forward?" Sybil teased him.

"A bit," he said. He leaned forward and kissed her, then went back to eating his lunch.

"You know there might be an advantage to living in Ireland," Sybil said thoughtfully. "No one at my new school will know my brothers. They won't expect me to be like them."

"Just don't go finding an Irish lad you like better," Russell said half jokingly. He had suddenly felt jealous of the boys Sybil would be meeting.

"I've never met a boy, I liked better than you," Sybil said with a laugh. She pushed him back now that their lunch was finished and propped herself up on all fours to look down at him. "Maybe you'll find a girl at nursing school you like better. How about that?"

"I hardly think so," he said with a laugh.

"I'm going to be horribly jealous the entire time you're there," Sybil said. "If you don't write to me at least once a week, I'll find a way to get to London and box your ears."

"Maybe I'll stop writing so you'll come and find me," he teased.

"Don't you dare," Sybil said laughing.

"Or else?"

"I won't kiss you anymore," she said.

"Can't have that," he said pulling her down so their lips met. Sybil let her weight drop on top of him. It was awfully nice to kiss him without being interrupted or having to rush. At some point she rolled to the side and slowly became aware of the damp seeping through the blanket.

"We should go," she said slowly.

"Not yet," he replied. He kissed the side of her neck then snuck a kiss lower at the V at the front of her blouse.

"Russell, what are you doing?" Sybil said. She sat up quickly.

"Kissing you," he replied.

"I don't want to do anything more than kiss or hold hands until I'm at done school. I want to wait until I'm married."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push. It's just. It's just I can't help thinking about you, about how much I want you to be my wife someday and all the things married people do."

"But we're not married, we won't be for a long time and I don't want a baby," Sybil said.

"Kissing won't make a baby," he replied.

"No, I guess you're right," Sybil said. "You can kiss me there if you want to." She pointed to a spot on her collarbone. He obligingly dropped a kiss on the spot.

"That felt nice," she said.

"I'd be happy to kiss you anywhere you like," he said coaxingly.

Sybil pointed to a few more spots on her neck and laughed when some of them tickled.

"We should go back," he said at last. No matter how much he wanted to go further he knew Sybil meant what she had said. If he pushed her she would slap him and he might loose her.

"We should before my father comes looking for us," Sybil said. She got to her feet and did up her jacket.

"Sybil, I don't think they'll ever be another girl for me," he said while they were putting the things away in the saddlebags of the motorcycle. "I do understand why you want to wait."

"Maybe you'll decide you like Camilla better," Sybil teased him. "Oh Russell, you're so handsome." She imitated Camilla's voice complete with her slight lisp then made a face.

"Oh Camilla, I just adore your freckles and they're _everywhere_," he said imitating her brother's drunken slur. He started to laugh. "Maybe you'll decide you like Billy Waverly after all," he teased.

"Now you're just being mean," Sybil replied laughing. She got on the back of the motorbike once he had it started and was ready to go. She hugged him tight as they set off then settled back to enjoy the ride home.

"Sybil, I want to talk to you," her father called from the drawing room the second she got in the front door.

"Good afternoon Daddy, what do you need me for?" Sybil inquired.

"Where did you get off to this afternoon?"

"Russell and I went to Thirsk then went for a picnic. It was fun."

"Sybil, I don't want to sound harsh, but there's a difference when you go out with a boy on your own and when you go out as a group. You're treading on dangerous ground."

"Daddy, I know that," she said. "I've known Russell since we were little and I trust him."

"He's also a man or very soon will be. You have to be careful," Tom warned her. "I don't approve of you going off on your own with him."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," she complained.

Rose had heard her come in and came to join them.

"You're not quite a woman yet either," she reminded Sybil. "We don't want you getting into a situation where things get carried away. You have to be sensible."

"I am being sensible," Sybil said. "We've agreed to write while Russell is in college and I've already told him nothing more than holding hands and kissing. I don't want anything more than that until I'm married and I definitely don't want a baby."

"And what did he say to that?" Tom said almost angrily. He didn't like the idea of his daughter kissing any boy.

"He agreed," Sybil said. "We hardly ever go anywhere on our own. I don't see what the problem is."

"You are being very sensible," Rose agreed. She had reached out and placed her hand over Tom's. "You must protect your reputation as well and that is best done when you are out with a group of friends rather than one on one."

"That makes sense," Sybil replied. "I'm going to be busy with school this next while anyway and Russell is always working. Did you want anything else? I'm going to go up and change."

"No, that's all," her father replied with his anger going out of him. "You are being sensible. I didn't mean to sound like you weren't."

"You're just being a Daddy," Sybil said. She got up and dropped a kiss on her father's cheek. She headed off up the stairs to her room.

"So she's been kissing that boy," Tom said to Rose with a cocked eyebrow.

"And she's laid down the law to him. She has a good head on her shoulders," Rose informed him.

"She is a character and babies don't get made with pen and ink," Tom said with a grin.

"Just so long as she doesn't inform her grandparents of her choice of beaus," Rose said. "It would finish Cousin Robert if he thought his granddaughter was snogging another chauffeur."

"Hardly snogging and what is wrong with a chauffeur," Tom said suddenly smiling.

"Nothing when he becomes the Agent or decides to go to college," Rose replied sliding into his lap.

Chapter 42 – Curiosity

"Please come, Sybil. If you don't come and we don't have a group for riding, Camilla won't be able to come over," Davin coaxed. "I've done it for you before."

"That's true. You have," Sybil replied. They were having a family dinner a few days after Davin had graduated from grammar school. He'd been thoroughly bored the last two years of school and was happy to be done. Redmond was home but he was working on the farm and wasn't home yet. Tom and Dylan were still out as well as it was Dylan's first summer having a job. "Who else have you got lined up?"

"Camilla's brother William, you and me, that's four and we have a mount for one more," Davin said.

"I'll ask Millicent from school. That will make William happy," Sybil said. "I don't know why you picked Saturday to invite Camilla over. Absolutely everyone is working."

"I get Saturday, Sunday this week. I have to work through the weekend next week. It was the only choice," Davin replied.

"I'll telephone and have everyone bring their swim wear as well. We can have a picnic at the pond later and invite the usual group for swimming after they get off work."

"Thanks, I knew you'd figure out something," Davin replied.

"It's very nice of you to organize the day for your brother," Rose said. "I'm sure the girls' parents won't object to you being in a large group. You may extend an invitation to their mother's to stay for luncheon when they drop their children off as well." She didn't have much time to organize anything herself at the moment. Rose was occupied with all the details of the upcoming move and sorting out what was going and what was being sold or given to charity.

"The girls will be surprised when they see all the boys at swimming but it's usually only me and sometimes Elizabeth when she comes along," Sybil replied. This summer Redmond's friends were back staying in the chauffeur's cottage and working on the estate. Nigel had taken on the position, as footman slash doer of jobs Mrs. Barrow wanted done in the main house. Peter and Derek were working on the farms. Russell was in his post as chauffeur until he left for London at the end of August. Between Lady Rosamund and Lord Grantham Russell was kept busy driving them somewhere almost every day except his one free day a week, when Peter was diverted from his farm work. A swimming get together usually happened a couple times a week in the evening once everyone was done for the day.

"I'll come to the swimming part," Bradley said.

"I will as well," Garret added. "I don't really want to go riding with a bunch of girls."

"I was quite sure you would say that," Sybil replied. "I'll make some of Dylan's favorite cakes for the picnic. The last time I made them Redmond's friends devoured the entire batch in a few minutes."

"They're young men who don't get home very often. I'm sure they appreciated them," Rose commented.

After dinner Sybil got busy organizing Davin's party. He was good at inviting but her brother had no idea of all the small details she would have to organize to make the day successful. If all of their friends and extended family came to the swimming portion, they would have twelve boys and four girls at the pond for a picnic although Redmond was now eighteen and his friends were a bit older they all ate like it was their last meal. By bedtime she had menus made and had telephoned Millicent and Camilla to let them know to bring their swim wear and extend invitations to their mothers. She had the written invitations for their mothers ready as well. She needed Mummy to sign them and then she would drop them off for Russell to deliver while he was waiting for her grandparents or Great Aunt in Ripon in the next few days.

Sybil had to go to the Abbey anyway tomorrow to do filing for Uncle Michael. Her father had her doing the same job as last summer, filing stacks of paperwork and organizing the mail. It usually took her half a day to do the filing and organize the mail. She wondered if she would have the same job when they arrived in Ireland. If she did it certainly would make the weekends go quickly next year when she was back in school.

"You've done very well, so far," Cora remarked as she was going over the lists and arrangements Sybil had made for Saturday.

"Thank you for helping me, Grandmamma," Sybil said. "I've made a list of the things I need picked up and dropped off for the picnic at the pond."

"I do wish you wouldn't invite the staff to these things when you're having guests," Mary said.

"Aunty Mary, I don't have a title and neither do my brothers or the friends we're inviting. All of Redmond's friends are his regular group from university. I don't see it matters much," Sybil replied.

"It isn't appropriate to mix classes," Mary said stiffly.

"Every one of the boys is either a university or college student or going to be. If there is a war like people say there will be every one of them will be officers. Just because they have different summer jobs doesn't mean anything," Sybil said in exasperation. "Besides the older boys help keep an eye on the younger ones."

"Swimming parties weren't something that was allowed when I was young," Mary said.

"Didn't Elizabeth go to a party the other day where the people had a swimming pool in their yard?" Sybil pointed out.

"I'd have preferred a riding party or a tea party, but yes she did," Mary said. "I must agree with Mama. You've done an excellent job so far of organizing the day."

"I think I have everything. Luncheon with our mothers, the horses will be at the Dower House before luncheon so we can leave as soon as everyone is changed. I need the staff from the house to deliver the inner tubes, blankets and towels to the pond as well as picking up the food from the Dower House. I think that about covers everything. Daddy or Redmond will drive Camilla, William and Millicent home at the end of the day."

-0-

"Davin, this is such a wonderful picnic," Camilla lisped. "You went to so much trouble."

"It was really S…" Davin began.

"He did, didn't he," Sybil cut him off. "I told him he was going to too much trouble for a riding and swimming party but he wouldn't listen." She winked at her brother.

"It's no trouble to me at all," Davin said playing along.

Camilla bestowed a glowing smile on him. Most of their friends who were already at the picnic and knew Sybil had arranged the day for her brother were trying to hide their smirks. They were still waiting for Russell and Nigel to arrive after they had taken the car back to the house and gotten changed.

Cora and Mary had thought Sybil should have china and silverware for the party with the butler and footman in attendance, but Sybil had stuck to her original plans of plain plates and bottles of soda in a bucket of ice. They did have one table for the food with a tablecloth so the ants and other insects wouldn't crawl into the food and ruin it. Sybil and Davin both had to plead with their parents and the adults at the Abbey that they didn't need a chaperone since they went swimming with the group all the time and it was such a large group there wouldn't be a chance for anything inappropriate to be going on. In the end they had won out, although Anthony had said he might stop by to go for a dip with Edward and Elizabeth at some point during the picnic.

"You're all medical students?" Millicent inquired. She was seventeen and was busy eyeing up the older boys.

"That's right," Peter said. "There's one more. He'll be along in a bit."

"My father is a dentist. He wants me to become his assistant when I finish school. I just don't know if I will. I don't know how he stares into people's mouths all day," she said. "You must be ever so dedicated to take on such an honorable profession."

"Or stupid for putting ourselves through the torture of having to study twenty-four seven," Derek chimed in. "I wish those two would hurry up. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Redmond said with a laugh. "What are you planning on this fall now that you're done school?" he asked William.

"I'm going to take geography and become a surveyor," William said. "I'm going to York so I'll be able to live at home. Where has my sister got off to? All she ever does is talk about your brother. It's enough to make you sick."

"She's in an inner tube and he's pushing her around the pond," Edward supplied. Everyone glanced over to see Davin and Camilla out on the pond together. "Sybil can I eat now. I'm really hungry."

"Yes, everyone can eat. See there are Nigel and Russell coming now," Sybil said.

Elizabeth went down to the side of the pond to call Davin and Camilla in for the meal.

"They were kissing," Elizabeth said with a curled up nose when she got back to the group.

"It's not polite to spy or tattle, Elizabeth," her older brother admonished.

"It's not spying if they're doing it right in front of you," Elizabeth retorted.

"It's still not polite to tattle," her brother insisted.

"You two took you're time," Derek said when Nigel and Russell finally arrived. "The rest of us could have died of hunger."

"His Mum wanted more furniture moved before the cleaners come on Monday. It took the pair of us a bit," Nigel said.

"Spring cleaning lasts most of the summer when there is eighty bedrooms," Russell added.

"Dylan there are enough of your favorite cakes for two each," Sybil called to him before he got to the cakes.

Sybil thought everything was going quite well. By the time everyone had something to eat and most of the boys went back for seconds there wasn't a dot of the fried chicken, salad, rolls, pickles or any of the cakes she had made left on the table. Russell, Nigel and Redmond helped stack the dirty plates and serving dishes in a box in the back of the family car Redmond had brought and left up on the lane. The table had been stowed in the back of the car as well. The younger children were busy running around playing tag and the older group was lying back letting their meal settle and drinking pop or cider when they got back from the car. Millicent was hanging on Peter's ever word much to William's disgust and Camilla and Davin were busy whispering to each other as per usual.

"You've done a good job of getting things organized," Russell said to Sybil.

"Shh" she replied quietly. "Camilla thinks this is all Davin's doing and we're letting her think so."

"Oh," he said. "Fancy going for a swim?"

It wasn't long before Anthony and Mary showed up. Anthony went into the water with his children while Mary stayed on one of the blankets. George was in the water busy splashing his stepfather with Bradley and Dylan's help. Sybil went to sit with her Aunt as she was feeling the chill.

"Are your guests enjoying themselves?" Mary inquired.

"I think so Aunty Mary," Sybil said. "The boys ate every morsel of food. Would you like a ginger beer or a cider? There are still some left."

"No thank you, I'm fine," Mary said.

"Which girl is the guest of honor?"

"That would be Camilla. She's right over… She and Davin were right here a minute ago," Sybil said in confusion. "He's probably taken her to see where we go fishing. It's just up the stream a bit. I'll go find them so you can meet her."

"Don't go off on your own," Mary cautioned her.

"There's Russell just getting out. I'll take him with me," Sybil said. She had her towel wrapped over her swimsuit and went to ask Russell to go with her to find Davin. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair before he followed Sybil down the stream while still patting himself dry.

"Aunty Mary wants to meet Camilla and I don't know where they've got to," Sybil said.

"Snogging in the bushes probably," Russell replied. Sybil rolled her eyes then took his hand. He smiled at her and gave her a quick peck.

They were almost to the fishing spot when Sybil spotted her brother with his back to them.

"Davin Aunt Mary wants to meet Camilla," she called.

Davin was startled and turned quickly. Sybil gasped and turned to press her face into Russell's chest.

"We'll wait for you over here," Russell said. He guided Sybil a few feet away.

"He shouldn't be doing that," Sybil whispered quietly. She had seen enough to know both Davin and Camilla had their hands inside each other's swimming costumes and Camilla's was half off.

"It's not our business," Russell whispered back. "He's not a little kid. He's leaving for university the same as I am."

"We're ready," Camilla said cheerfully a minute later. She was hanging onto Davin's arm and looking at him happily.

"I told Aunty Mary you had probably gone to see where we go fishing," Sybil said.

"You could call it that," Camilla said with a giggle. Davin laughed slightly too.

"I'll go "_fishing"_ with you anytime," he replied.

Sybil's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. She headed back into the water with Russell following her the minute they got back to the group.

That evening once the party had broken up and the guests had been seen home, Sybil heard a knock on her bedroom door. She looked up to see Davin standing there.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Sybil said.

He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Sybil, thank you for organizing the day, Camilla loved it," he said.

"You're welcome. You should learn to organize these things yourself. You'll be going out with friends and things on your own when you're in Scotland," Sybil replied.

"The next one I'll do more," he said. He fiddled with the things on her vanity for a moment. "You're not going to tell about me and Camilla are you?"

"Davin, I'm not going to tell, but you should be more careful. You're going to get caught and what if Camilla has a baby. You're only sixteen."

"I'm almost seventeen."

"No, you're not. Not for another three months. You're being inappropriate."

"We haven't gone all the way yet. She's not going to have a baby," he said. "Don't pretend you and Russell haven't been up to the same sort of thing."

"We haven't. We're waiting until we're married. You should too," Sybil said. "Do you love Camilla?"

Davin shrugged.

"I don't know. She's crazy about me and I really like her. It feels good to be around her."

"Promise me you'll be more careful and use something so she doesn't have a baby if you decide to, you know," Sybil said.

"How do you know about what to use so you don't have a baby?" he questioned. Davin always picked up on everything Sybil realized too late. He could read her like a book.

"I just do and you haven't promised me yet," she said.

"I'll promise if you tell me how you know about French letters. That is what we're talking about isn't it?"

"Davin. You're embarrassing me," Sybil said.

"Well, how do you know?"

"I found some once and I asked Daddy what they were," Sybil replied turning bright red. "He told me what they were for."

"So who's were they?"

"I'm not telling and it was a year ago or more," Sybil said.

"Where were they hidden then?" Davin asked.

"In a tree, which a stupid place if you must know. Now promise."

"I promise. Can you show me where they were hidden?"

"I don't know if they are still there or not," Sybil replied.

"We'll go and find out tomorrow after church."

"What's the rush?"

"Curiosity. This is a true mystery. It's something to think about. Who would hide their French letters in a tree that my sister would come along and find?"

"If you're so smart figure it out and be more careful," Sybil said pushing her brother out the door.

-0-

"What are you doing?" Tom asked Davin the next afternoon.

"Sybil's making me help her clean up from yesterday," Davin said. He was running the washed towels through the wringer. He already had the pegs in the basket to take the laundry basket outside.

"And so you should," Tom said. "It wasn't Sybil's party. She shouldn't have all the work and you have all the fun."

"It was fun," Davin said. He set the washer to empty and headed out the door with the basket. "Tell Sybil I'll be ready to go for our walk in a few minutes."

Tom spotted Sybil finishing drying the plates and their covers and putting them into the cupboards.

"It's good to see you're making Davin help out with the clean up," Tom said.

"I told him he could organize the next party and I would be a helper only," Sybil said. "We have to walk to the pond next and make sure all of the inner tubes were taken back to the garage at the Abbey.

"You sound so very grown up when you talk like that," her father said.

"Not yet Daddy, I still need you," Sybil said. She gave her father a quick hug then went to the laundry room to see if Davin was finished.

It wasn't long and they were walking out of the village towards the pond.

"It's this way," Sybil said. "I can't believe I'm showing you someone else's stash of French letters."

"What are brothers for?" Davin replied with a grin.

"Brothers are good for playing duets and keeping their sisters out of trouble," Sybil replied.

"I'd choke any boy I thought wasn't treating you right," he said suddenly serious. "Have you made up your mind yet what you want to do after school?"

"No, but it certainly isn't nursing," Sybil replied. "Daddy thinks I should be a nurse because my Mama was one, but I'm not interested. I like sewing and I like to teach music."

"You know what happened when you taught Garret to play recorder early," Davin replied with a grin.

"I have another two years to figure it all out. Maybe I'll decide I want to do something completely out of the ordinary, something that will make you and Redmond look dull and boring by comparison."

"We already are dull and boring by comparison," Davin said.

"Hardly. We're here. Right up there at that fork," Sybil said pointing to a branch.

Davin reached up and felt around.

"The box is still there," he said.

"Are you satisfied? Whoever it was obviously didn't care to come back and get them. Now let's go check the pond."

"Coming," Davin said.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the swimming spot. Sybil was busy thinking how glad she was Russell had never gone back to get the French letters. She knew he wanted more than she was ready to give. He'd played with the buttons of her blouse this last while but hadn't tried to open them. She liked the way it made her feel when his fingers grazed her breasts. Maybe, just maybe sometime this summer she would let him undo her top. She wasn't sure, but she was definitely not ready for anything like what Davin was up to with Camilla.

There were three inner tubes bumping and drifting at the side of the pond when they arrived there. They collected them and headed towards the Abbey. Sybil immediately forgot about her brother and his curiosity. Russell was working but she was hoping he would be at the garage when they arrived possibly washing one of the cars and they might have a chance to chat. They had a long separation coming up and there was always something to talk about. She wanted to make plans for tomorrow as well. She could easily have the filing done by luncheon if she got there early. Here steps quickened every so slightly in her haste to get to the garage and speak to her sweetheart.

Chapter 43 – Temper

"Excuse me, Sir," Russell said to Lord Grantham. He had just emerged from the house and Russell was about to drive him to York.

"Yes, what is it, Beldon?" Lord Grantham asked.

"Would it be permissible Sir, if I did a personal errand while you are at your meeting with the North Riding Volunteers?" Russell inquired. It was late summer and he was set to leave for college in just over a week.

"What type of errand?" Lord Grantham inquired.

"I was hoping to visit my real father at the prison in York," Russell said. "I would be back in well before the time you've scheduled for your departure."

"Yes, well, be sure to be back by six to the armories," Lord Grantham replied.

"Thank you, Sir," Russell replied before Lord Grantham stepped into the car and he closed the door for him.

This was the day. He'd been playing with the idea of going to see his father all summer. If he didn't go now it would mean a special trip north once he left for college. His parents would be putting their notice in a few days as well and Sybil's family was set to leave in two weeks. If he didn't go now, he didn't think he would ever go.

He got Lord Grantham dropped off. Lord Grantham wasn't doing so well these days he leaned heavily on a walking stick and more than once Russell had taken his arm to help him into a building. Today was no exception as he had helped him into the building before returning to the car for his own errand. Now he was standing in the receiving room at the prison asking the guard to see his father. He signed a paper to log in as a visitor and took a seat in the waiting room. He didn't have long to wait and a guard came to show him to a visitor's table.

-0-

"Rose there are too many boxes in the entry way. I can't find the telephone," Tom complained as he was trying to locate the ringing telephone amongst the confusion.

"If you had carted all of this to the parish hall for the upcoming jumble sale, you wouldn't have to trip over it," Rose replied calmly. "The telephone is where it always is. Right under your nose." She reached through the boxes and produced the telephone receiver. Tom took it and placed it to his ear.

"Hello, Branson residence," he said.

Rose could hear some very loud feminine squawking coming through the telephone but she couldn't make out the words.

"Mrs. Royston could you please slow down. I'm having trouble following you." He listened to what the woman was saying. "Yes, it's troubling news indeed. My wife and I will be right over. Goodbye for now. Yes, we'll leave for your house as soon as I collect my wife," he said then hung up the telephone.

"Tom what's going on?" Rose asked.

"Get your hat and coat. I'll tell you in the car," he said. "Luckily Redmond didn't borrow it today. Where is Sybil?"

"In her room sorting and packing," Rose replied.

"Sybil," Tom called.

"What is it Daddy?" Sybil replied coming to the door.

"Keep an eye on your brothers and have everyone stay home this afternoon," he said. "I don't know when Mummy and I will be back."

"Bradley has cricket practice in an hour for his final game," Sybil said.

"Fine. Keep everyone together and get Bradley to his practice," Tom said.

"All right Daddy," Sybil replied she turned and went back to her packing and sorting.

"Tom, now are you going to tell me what's going on?" Rose said once they were in the car and headed towards Ripon.

"You know how we didn't let Davin be put ahead like we did with Redmond and he's been bored for the last two years at school?"

"Yes, I've though for some time it was a mistake. He could have easily finished school when he was fourteen which is even faster than Redmond. He didn't want to be and he would have been much too young for university," Rose replied. "Even with music and Scouts it hasn't been enough. He's finished every badge in the Scout book."

"He found something to amuse himself," Tom said. "Her father just walked in and caught them in the act. Her mother kept saying Camilla was ruined."

"NO!"

"Just wait until I get my hands on him," Tom said. "How could he be so stupid?"

"Tom calm down. He's young and made a mistake. Now we have to deal with it," Rose said. "Remember it takes two. I just hope they didn't make three. We've been worrying so much about Sybil, did we forget to get after Davin?"

"He is the quiet one," Tom said. "Obviously I didn't drive the message home enough with him."

"What did you tell the boys?"

"To make sure they used protection," Tom said with a sigh.

"And Sybil?"

"Wait until you're married."

"A somewhat difference in the message don't you think?" Rose said raising an eyebrow at him. "I have to take responsibility for this too. I've talked to Sybil about all manner of things to do with boys but I haven't talked to our sons. I'm going to have to change my ways."

"Boys will be boys," Tom said. He was pulling up to the Royston residence and parked out front. "Here we go," he said as he got out and came around to open Rose's door.

-0-

"Well, well, look who we have here all dressed up fancy. You've moved up in the world," Russell's father said as he took a seat across from his son. "I barely recognized you."

"Hello Dad," Russell said. "You still look the same."

"Not like you've ever stopped by to say hello," his father replied. "Why are you here?"

"To tell you I'm moving to London in a week. I'm going to college there for the next two years," Russell responded.

"College, hum. You always were a bright one. You'll be too good for your old man now."

"Why didn't you write back to me?"

"Couldn't. Don't know how to write," Matthew Beldon said.

"I didn't know that," Russell said. He was looking at his hands.

"My cell mate read me your letter. From the sounds of things you landed on your feet."

"I have a family that took me in. They don't have any other children. They took care of me and sent me to school and got me a job. I'm working as a chauffeur for the summer. I'm going to college to become a nurse."

"Sounds like a pansy job," his father stated emphatically.

"They prefer male nurses in the army and in mental hospitals. Men are stronger and better able to lift the patients. It's not a pansy job," Russell informed him. "There's lots of openings and a shortage of qualified applicants. I won't have any problems finding a good position when I'm done."

"Has that puff that took you in kept his hands off you?"

"What the hell kind of question is that? Of course he has. Mr. Barrow is for all intensive purposes my father," Russell retorted getting angry.

"Don't get your knickers in a knot. You still haven't told me why you're really here."

"I want to know," Russell pressed his lips together. "W..w..what h..h..appened to my mother?" he finally managed to get out.

"She left," Matthew Beldon said sitting back in his chair. "When you were little."

"There's no trace of her. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, she left," he repeated. "We were never married. She just used my last name so people would think we were married. I didn't make enough to keep her in the style she wanted. She packed her bags one day and left. Tried to take you with her, but I wouldn't let her."

"Who is she and where is she?" Russell demanded.

"Why should I tell you?"

"You owe me at least that much," Russell said.

"I don't owe you a damn thing."

"Why you miserable old bastard," Russell said starting to rise. The guard stepped forward and Russell sat down again.

"Look Dad, what can it hurt now if I know who she is? I'm grown up. It can't hurt you to tell me and it will get the police to stop looking for her. They want to charge you with murder."

"I didn't kill her. I didn't lay a finger on her," Matthew Beldon said starting to get mad. "I'll kill any man who says I did."

"So prove it. Give me a name, a location anything," Russell said. His legs were starting to tremble from the stress of dealing with his father. It felt like his starched collar was going to choke him.

"Lady Margaret Evans. I was a groom at her father's estate. They lived near Horsham down south."

"Was that so bloody hard," Russell said. "I have to go. I have to pick up my employer in an hour. I'm late already."

"Will you write to me?" his father asked almost pleading. "I still have your last letter."

"Yes, Dad. I'll write. I'll let you know how I'm getting on," Russell said. He got up to leave "Bye, Dad," he said turning back from the door. His father didn't answer. He just looked at the table.

-0-

"Lady Rose, Mr. Branson, come in," Mr. Royston said. "The two of them are through in the sitting room with my wife. We sent the others from the get together home."

Tom and Rose went through to the sitting room to see Camilla looking as though she had been crying. Her normally pinkish complexion was pinker than ever and her eyes were swollen. She had a crumpled handkerchief in her hands. Davin was standing beside her looking pale.

"Thank you for coming right away," Mrs. Royston said.

"What do you intend to do about this?" Mr. Royston demanded. "My daughter is ruined."

"I intend to discuss the situation as adults," Tom replied. "They're young, they've made a mistake and now we have to pick up the pieces and move on."

"You're just lucky young man that you're too young to be charged with statutory rape," Mr. Royston said angrily. He was a barrister. They lived in a nice house with a housekeeper and a maid. They weren't titled like the boy's mother but they lived a comfortable existence. Everything had been going along quite well until this happened.

"That would only create a scandal and solve nothing," Rose pointed out. "Would we be able to speak to our son alone for a few minutes?"

"You may use the dining room, Lady Rose," Mrs. Royston said.

Camilla clung to Davin's hand not wanting to let go.

"I've got to talk to my parents Camilla. I'll come back in a minute," he said.

"This is a fine mess," Tom said the minute they were in the dining room. "What the hell were you thinking? You're leaving in five days for Scotland."

"I wasn't thinking, Da," Davin said with a shrug.

"Could Camilla be with child?" Rose asked.

"Probably not," Davin said coloring. "I used, well, um."

"Did you use protection, yes or no?" Tom asked.

"I did but one broke. I got some newer ones and that took care of the problem," Davin said.

"Holy Christ," Tom said. "You're sixteen years old. Didn't you have any inclination what you were doing was wrong?"

"Camilla wanted to and well, it seemed like a good idea," Davin said.

Tom's face turned bright red. Rose could see the red tinge of his beard standing out on his face.

"Tom calm down. We've got to find a solution. You're too young to get married. Camilla is sixteen but you won't be eighteen for just over a year. You're just lucky her father would be well within his rights to send you to prison."

"No he wouldn't. We're less than a year apart in age. I looked it up," Davin said.

"Don't get smart! You knew what you were doing was wrong and you went ahead and did it anyway!" his father bellowed.

"Tom!" Rose said. "He isn't the first young man to get caught and he won't be the last neither will she."

"I'm sorry, Mummy, Da, I didn't mean to make everyone upset."

"What's done is done," Rose said. "I think the best course of action at the moment is for everyone to go home and take some time to cool off."

"Since he's leaving in five days, I think her father will want an answer to what we intend to do sooner than that. If it was my daughter I would," Tom said.

"What do you think it will take to make things right with Camilla and her parents?" Rose asked Davin. He'd made the mess, let Mr. Smarty pants figure out the solution.

"I'll get her an engagement ring. If she has a baby and I don't think she will, we'll get married once I turn eighteen. If she doesn't we'll see how we feel about things when I finish university," Davin said.

"You're too young to get engaged," Tom said. "You've got your entire life ahead of you and how do you intend to support a wife and child?"

"I've already got more scholarship money than my tuition for this year Da. I've got my room and board paid for as well. My wages from the summer are a bonus. It isn't that hard. I should have gone ahead like Redmond when they wanted me to. School was too easy," Davin said. "Now this."

"I don't know where you get these ideas," Tom said. "This isn't a game. Are you going to get bored with Camilla as well?"

"Ideas just come to me," Davin said not blinking. "I really like Camilla. She's exciting."

"Tom Davin is right as he usually is," Rose said. "You weren't right to do what you did," she said before Davin could utter a word. "You'll buy the girl a ring if she'll have you and her parents agree."

They went back to the sitting room. Davin went right to Camilla and took her hand again.

"Well what have you come up with?" the girl's father said. "It better not be we're going home to sleep on it!"

"Have your say, Davin," Tom said. "This is your mess. You do the talking."

"I well, that is to say," Davin said. "I thought Camilla and I could get engaged."

Camilla bounced out of her chair and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Davin, your so wonderful," she said.

"Camilla sit down and take your hands off him," her father demanded.

"I'll be eighteen next fall. We can get married then if we have to or wait until I'm done university to decide," Davin said. "Camilla still has another year of school."

"She can't go back to school. The gossip will be everywhere by the end of the day. Maureen Millhouse was here. She's a complete gossip just like her mother," Camilla's mother said.

"You can put a ring on her finger but it won't change the fact Camilla has acted like a trollop," her father said. "You're lucky I can't touch you legally but Camilla is no longer welcome under this roof. I'll decide where we're going to send her in the morning."

"Now see here," Tom said. "The girl has made a mistake. Granted they've both been foolish. She'll be engaged. The rumors will die down eventually. Believe me. I've been the object of gossip. If you bow to it, it will only get worse."

"I want to be with Davin," Camilla wailed. She threw herself on Davin. "How can you be so mean, father?"

"You'll be out the door tomorrow morning. I would throw you out this instant if I could think of what to do with you," Mr. Royston said.

"Now Arthur, don't be too hasty," Mrs. Royston said. "They'll be engaged and that's something."

"I don't give a damn. She could marry the Prince of Wales himself and I wouldn't have her here anymore," Mr. Royston bellowed. "She's as bad as one of those flappers that used to be around before the crash. They were nothing but a bunch of sluts. Camilla is just like them."

Rose's spine suddenly stiffed.

"I can do you one better, Mr. Royston since I was a flapper and still consider myself to be a modern woman," Rose said. "Camilla, pack your things. You will leave this house tonight. If you wish to see your daughter Mrs. Royston she will be at the Dower House in Downton Village for the next ten days until we leave for Ireland. Mr. Royston, once you have settled down, I hope you will be able to speak to your daughter in a civil matter. Until then I have nothing further to say on the subject. Good day to you both. Davin, Tom, we are leaving. Davin help Camilla get packed. I expect you both in the car in five minutes." She got to her feet and sailed out of the room. Tom couldn't believe how much she resembled her own mother at that moment. Davin knew better than to defy his mother when she was in full aristocratic mode. It meant she was furious. He grabbed Camilla by the hand and headed out of the room towards her room. Camilla's parents were both staring at the door with their mouths open after Tom and Rose had left.

"Rose, what are you thinking?" Tom said when they got outside.

"We're taking her in, until her parents calm down or her grandparents can be contacted," Rose said. "Did you hear him? He called me a slut. Me! I am the daughter of a Marquess! How dare he? And you Mr. High and Mighty, do you forget what we were up to before we got married?"

"It was different we were adults and I could support you."

"What about Sybil's mother, could you support her?" The sparks were flying from Rose's eyes.

Tom ground his teeth but she had him dead to rights and he couldn't argue with her. At exactly five minutes the door opened and Camilla came out carrying a stuffed bear and a china doll under her arm and carrying a bag in her other hand. The tears were streaming down her face round face. Davin was behind her with two suitcases that looked like they would spring open at any second.

"There, there, dear," Rose clucked. "They'll calm down and everything will be fine. For tonight you'll be with us and for as long as it takes to sort everything out," Rose soothed. She put a finger under Camilla's chin. "Now stiff upper lip, back straight. You've just become engaged into an aristocratic family. Show no sign of weakness."

Camilla pressed her lips together and did her best to stand up straight as instructed. Tom and Davin had her things in the boot and were ready to go.

"In you get. Davin hold the door for your fiancée," Rose instructed. She was calming down slightly. She had a tendency to be impetuous, she was just hoping she hadn't opened her mouth and made matters worse.

Chapter 44 – Rose Takes Over

"Miss Camilla will be staying over tonight," Rose informed the housekeeper when they got in the door. "She will be in Master Davin's room and Master Davin will be in with Master Redmond." Rose was taking her gloves off. Davin was headed for the stairs with Camilla's bags.

"Not so fast. Both of you in the drawing room and shut the door," Rose informed them. Sybil was just coming in the door with her brother's from cricket practice. They all gave Camilla's cases a questioning look, but their upbringing prevented them from saying anything. "Dylan, Bradley, Garret, put Camilla's things in Davin's room, please."

"Yes, Mummy," Dylan said.

"Now," Rose said as she entered the drawing room. Tom walked in behind her and closed the door. "There will be no sneaking down the hall, no rendezvous of any kind. You will treat your fiancée with respect, do I make myself clear, Davin?"

"Yes, Mummy," Davin said shamefacedly.

"Camilla, while you are under my protection you will not look at another boy, flirt with another boy or act in any way that will create gossip or reflect badly on my son or my family. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Lady Rose," Camilla said sadly.

"Davin you will help your father get the boxes in the hall over to the parish hall while I have a talk with Camilla. You may tell the housekeeper to send in tea," Rose informed them.

"Was there anything else, Rose?" Tom asked.

"I suggest you have a talk with Davin while you're moving the boxes," Rose informed him. "This time I hope it will be on the virtues of waiting for marriage, not on the merits of preventing pregnancy."

Tom opened his mouth to retort and then snapped it shut. He hated it when she was right and he knew better than to argue with her when she was in this kind of mood. Rose reminded him of the Dowager Countess when she got like this.

"Come along son. We'll get the boxes into the car. It will take a few trips," he said.

"Now a good cup of tea always makes everything seem a bit better," Rose said. "My husband is so absent minded, he's probably forgotten to order it. Davin can be just like him at times. They don't just look alike."

Rose went to the door and let the housekeeper know she wanted tea delivered to the drawing room.

"Tell me something about yourself," Rose said as they waited for the tea.

"I have one more year of school. My birthday is in December," Camilla said. "My grandparents live in Manchester and the other ones in London. My father is a barrister." Her lips started to tremble.

"Any career aspirations?" Rose inquired. Camilla shook her head.

"What is it you like to do?"

"I like to embroider," Camilla said. "And I'm good at knitting."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"A little. We had cooking at school, but I wasn't allowed at home. The housekeeper did it."

"Depending on how long you stay with us, we'll change that," Rose said. "All of my children know how to cook. Davin can cook a formal meal. Did he ever tell you that?"

"No," Camilla said in a small voice. "Lady Rose, what's going to happen to me?"

"I can't answer that with any certainty," Rose replied. "Ah, here's our tea now."

Rose poured the tea then sat back in her chair when she had her cup.

"Tonight you will stay here. Depending what your parents have to say tomorrow, will determine what happens. Davin has asked for you hand and over the next few days he will get you a ring before he leaves for Scotland. You aren't the first young woman to get yourself in a precarious position and you won't be the last," Rose said. "You can be assured I will not let any harm befall you."

"Oh," Camilla said quickly. "I really do love Davin."

"I'm sure you do," Rose replied. "Didn't your mother tell you, to make a young man wait for marriage?"

"She didn't tell me much of anything," Camilla replied. "I thought I was bleeding to death, the first time I had…the school nurse had to tell me."

"I have a somewhat different view of things," Rose said. "We all make mistakes. It is human. What boys want isn't always the right thing for the girl. From here on you will make my son tow the line. He will hold your chair for you, open doors, and he will keep his hands to himself until such time as you are wed. You may hold hands but nothing else."

Camilla nodded her understanding.

"What if father won't let me back in the house?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Rose said. "Once your parents have had a chance to calm down and think things through, we'll see what they have to say. Right now you may go up to your room and unpack. If you are going to be staying on, I'll send for the rest of your things tomorrow."

"Yes, Lady Rose. Thank you," Camilla said. She set her cup down and stood up. "May I be excused?"

"Of course," Rose said with an incline of her head. _"Oh my, she's just a little girl,"_ Rose thought. _"A little girl with a teddy and a doll who might be having a baby. Time for a talk with all of my sons I think. The eldest two tonight."_

-0-

"Why is Camilla here?" Redmond inquired while he and Dylan were setting the table for the evening meal.

"Beats me," Dylan replied. "Mummy and Daddy left in a hurry this afternoon. They came back with Davin and Camilla. Now she's staying over."

"Hmm," Redmond said. "Interesting. I guess we'll find out what is going on later."

"I suppose," Dylan said. "Can you bowl a few balls for me after dinner?"

"If you like," Redmond replied. "Isn't your cricket gear packed?"

"Bradley still has his bat out," Dylan said.

Dinner was a rather quiet affair that evening. Bradley was the only one who was really talkative as he had his final cricket game coming up. Garret was busy fretting over a piece of sheet music that had been packed and he now wanted to play and Sybil was mopping over the upcoming separation from Russell.

"I have an announcement to make," Davin said towards the end of the meal. "Camilla and I are engaged." His voice cracked on the last word.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at their brother.

"Have you lost your wits?" Redmond exclaimed. "You've got four years of almost constant study ahead of you and it isn't going to be easy like grammar school."

"I…" Davin started. "I'm engaged. I thought you all should know."

"Congratulations," Sybil said to Camilla. She could see Camilla looked like she was about to cry. It was obvious to her the two of them had been caught. "The two of you make a perfect couple, even if it is a bit sudden."

"We do, don't we?" Camilla said brightening up considerably and looking at Davin adoringly.

"We all need to offer Camilla and Davin our congratulations," Rose said.

"I'll play the music at the wedding," Garret offered.

"Thank you, Garret," Davin replied. "When we do get married it won't be for a long time yet. I have to get through university first and Camilla has to finish secondary school as well. You can't get legally married before your eighteen, sixteen for girls."

"Camilla needs to go to college," Sybil informed him. She turned to Camilla. "We're all expected to at least complete college. You'll have to pick what you want to study soon."

"I don't know I haven't thought about it," Camilla replied uncertainly. "My parents don't approve of anything past grammar school."

"I haven't figured it out either," Sybil said. "I'm hoping something will come to me. I'm going to look through the courses offered at the university when we get to Ireland. I might find something inspiring. How long are you staying?"

"I'm not sure," Camilla said almost breaking into tears again.

"As long as she needs to," Tom spoke up. He hadn't said much over the meal. "Camilla will come with us to Ireland if she needs to. There are schools there just as there are here. We'll have to find the pair of you an all girls school if Camilla comes along."

"That might be interesting," Sybil replied. "No Irish version of Billy Waverly. I like the sound of Ireland more all the time."

Camilla got a slight smile on her face.

"What was your opinion of Billy Waverly?" Tom asked Camilla.

"He gave me the willies," Camilla replied. "He almost got expelled before but his parents covered it up. I know because my father took his case."

"What did he almost get expelled for if it wasn't putting alcohol in the punch?" Tom inquired.

"I'm not supposed to say," Camilla replied.

"We're all moving to Ireland in nine sleeps. Who are we going to tell?" Bradley asked her.

"Well, if you put it that way," Camilla said. Her eyes got a bit wider. "Billy Waverly pushed a girl into the boys bathroom last year and then put his hands under her blouse. He ripped her blouse too. She screamed and her parents wanted to sue but my father arranged so the girl's parents got a lot of money. They transferred her to a different school."

"That's an interesting piece of news," Tom said. "I can't say I'm sorry none of you will be attending that school next year."

"I'm not sorry in the least," Dylan said. "I still want to do school at home."

"Dylan, we'll figure it all out once we arrive in Ireland," Rose said.

There was a tap at the back door. The housekeeper came through to announce Master Russell was there and would like to speak to Miss Sybil.

"Not tonight," Tom said.

"Why not Daddy? I took care of everyone all afternoon and Trix needs an evening walk. I took her to the cricket pitch but she still has too much energy. You didn't take her out this morning," Sybil said.

"Fine. Take the dog for a walk, but stay in the village and don't be too long," Tom said. "Take one of your brother's with you."

"I'll go," Garret said.

"Your on dish duty," Rose reminded him.

"I'll come," Redmond said. "I'll practice cricket with you when I get back," he told Dylan.

-0-

"Hello, Russell, what brings you by?" Sybil said as they left the dining room. Redmond went to get the leash for the dog.

"I wanted to see you. I've had a bit of day," he said quietly.

"We're having one of those around here ourselves," Sybil replied so no one could hear. "Redmond is going to come for a walk with us. We'll take Trix around the village." She said in a regular voice.

"I was hoping to speak to you on our own," he said.

"I don't think it would be a good idea today. Davin has just announced his engagement and Camilla is staying over."

"Oh," Russell said raising he eyebrows. He realized right away Sybil's brother must have been caught with his pants down literally. "My news can wait then. It's still good to see you."

"Ready," Redmond said when he came to the door with the dog. "Hi Russell, what brings you by?"

"Not much. I wanted to see Sybil," he said. They went outside and headed into the village. Redmond was quiet and thoughtful.

"Are you all packed?" Sybil asked Russell. "I spent the day sorting and packing and watching Bradley's cricket practice. I'm going to go through the keep pile once more to see if I can get it down a bit more."

"I'm pretty well ready, just the last minute things. My parents put in their six week notice today," Russell said. "It's been an unusual day all around from the sounds of things."

"Where are your parents going?" Redmond asked him.

"Eastbourne, they've bought a small inn they're going to run. It's a nice place. It's not far from Brighton," Russell said.

"I think Cousin George went to a private school not far from there," Redmond said. "When are you leaving?"

"Next Wednesday. I'm driving the motorbike your father gave me down. It's old and slow but it will do for now. How about yourself?" Russell replied.

"Wednesday as well on the train. We'll have to get together in London," Redmond said. "I'm going to run Trix on the green for a bit."

"We'll sit over here," Sybil said. They found a spot to sit while Redmond ran the dog.

"It was a tense dinner," Sybil commented. "None of us are really sure what's going on, but Camilla is staying with us tonight and Davin announced they are engaged. Redmond is upset."

"Davin is leaving in a few days isn't he?"

"Monday," Sybil said. "What news did you have to tell me?"

"It can wait," Russell said. "It's good to see you. I'm going to miss you something terrible."

"I'll miss you too," Sybil said. "You should have heard me at dinner scolding Camilla about going to college. I sounded just like my father."

"I'm dreading college and welcoming it, at the same time. I feel like I'll have a future, a good one and won't have to work dead end jobs all the time," he said. "But it's frightening to think of being completely on my own."

"I could kill Davin. Now my parents aren't going to let me out alone for a second. You should have seen the look I got when you came over. The first thing Daddy said was take a brother with you," Sybil rolled her eyes a bit.

"We'll go out on the motorbike on Monday."

"If they let me," Sybil groaned. "I can just hear the lecture coming."

"They trust you," Russell pointed out.

-0-

"That's it then isn't it," Tom said. "The girl's father is completely unreasonable. He's pretty well washed his hands of her, the mother is going along with it and the grandparents are no better."

"They're old fashioned Tom," Rose said. "This isn't a good situation to be in, but we need to make the best of things. This is one time I'm very glad my brother is who he is. We'll have them sign over custody and take her with us. They'll bow down to our wishes pretty quick when our solicitor is from a high powered firm in London."

"I think the gravity of the situation is finally starting to sink in with Davin," Tom said. "His fun and games could ruin her life. I can't believe they would put her out on the street like that."

"Is it any better than what happened to that maid from the Abbey years ago Isobel Crawley told me about? She wound up on the streets as a prostitute when the father wouldn't acknowledge her child. Even the fact that she had been with a man ruined her without the baby," Rose said. "Times have changed but not that much."

"This is one time your family connections may prove useful. I'll give James a call in a few minutes."

"I'm going to try her mother again. Maybe she'll bring Camilla's things over, if not I'll send the housekeeper. I don't wish to set foot in that house again," Rose said. "It's not how I envisioned our life starting out in Ireland."

"It isn't what I expected either, but we have to deal with the cards life deals us," Tom said. "I'll get the phone calls made and then take the two of them around to pick out a ring. It's too bad Davin's summer job finished a few days ago. He'd have been at work and too busy to get himself into this mess."

"I think the mess was already made," Rose said.

Davin was in the back garden sitting on a bench trying to comfort a sniffling Camilla. He wanted nothing more at the moment than to run into the house and cry into his mother's lap like he did when was little. He hadn't been thinking straight. He could see that now. It had felt good and he'd gone for it, but they hadn't been ready for the aftermath. He'd had a lecture last night from Mummy, another from Da and Redmond had lit into him after they went to bed about the realities of university and how much you had to study to stay on top. He wouldn't be the only smart kid in the class or in a group of two or three in the school. His class would be full of others and to stay on top and in contention for the best scholarships he was going to have to study hard and stay out of trouble. Camilla didn't even really know what she wanted to do with her life. He had thought they would get in trouble and be punished if they got caught. Nothing had prepared him for the reality that he was now responsible for Camilla and possibly another life.

"It will be all right, Camilla," Davin said. "My parents will take care of you like they did me when I was little and came from Ireland."

"What do you mean you came from Ireland?" Camilla snuffled.

"Didn't you notice Sybil and I are less than a year apart? Redmond and I are from Dublin. Da and Mummy brought us here when our father died. Our Mam was already dead. I was so young when she died I don't remember her. I barely remember coming here."

"But you look just like your father," Camilla said sitting up in shock.

"Da is really our cousin. He and our father were first cousins through their fathers. Da took us in and became our father from the first day. They're my parents whether I was born to them or not."

"If we have a baby I hope it looks just like you," she said.

"Let's hope we don't. At least not for a few years yet," he said. "I'll try to come and see you at Christmas when I get my first break."

"Davin we were foolish. I never thought this would happen. I'm sorry for all the mess and confusion."

"It was both of us," he said. "I'm sorry too. I'll find a way to take care of you. I want to be a country vet and see to large animals. Do you think you'd like to be a proper country girl and live surrounded by dogs and cows and sheep and things?"

"I've never thought about it," Camilla said. She sat up straighter. "If I'm going to be a country vet's wife. I'm going to have to learn everything I need to know. Your mother said to show no sign of weakness, so I'm not going to. I wonder what I need to learn."

"I have no idea," Davin said. "You certainly don't need to learn the bedroom part."

Camilla slapped him. "You will be respectful of me as your fiancée," she said. She got to her feet and stamped her foot. "No more of that until we get married."

"You sound like my mother," he said. He was rubbing his cheek.

"Good. She's a Lady, a real one and I want to be just like her," Camilla said. The light caught the red of her hair and made it look like it was on fire along with her temper.

"If we have a child it's going to have red hair," Davin suddenly realized.

"Of course silly. Now mind your manners and show me how to make lunch," she said heading into the house.

Chapter 45 – Continuity

"Have you selected a new butler yet?" Mary asked her father. The Barrows were set to leave in another three weeks, Tom and Rose had left for Ireland with Davin's _"fiancée"_ in tow and Edith and Michael were talking about moving to the Dower House. Edith and Mary had never really gotten along and after all these years they still saw things differently.

"Where are the Carsons of the world these days? People who were happy to have a job for their entire lives, they didn't decide to up and move on all of a sudden," Robert replied.

"Papa, Thomas Barrow was here for well over thirty years except during the war," Mary reminded him. "You didn't answer my original question."

"I've interviewed two and neither of them was suitable. One was a headwaiter before he became a butler. He has no sense of how to run a house like this and I rather liked the husband and wife pairing with the Barrows. Perhaps we should advertise for another couple."

"Have you at least found yourself a chauffeur? None of you are really able to get yourself around anymore. Mama does but she shouldn't really," Mary questioned.

"Yes, I've found someone. No more young handsome chauffeurs. I relented for a short time but what is it with the young women of this house and chauffeurs? First Sybil and then her daughter, I can't understand it, although I never let on I knew about with the last one and young Sybil."

"Russell Beldon one was a footman before he was a chauffeur and Sybil never tried to hide their relationship," Mary pointed out. "It's not whom I would hope my daughter takes up with, but Tom and Rose have different opinions."

"At least he's applying himself to college, but what a field of study," Robert complained. "If Sybil stays as fond of him as she always has been, I could wind up with a male nurse for my grandson-in-law and the father is a jail bird to boot."

"He can't help who his father is and Anthony says Russell Beldon may someday wind up as a hospital administrator if he has his wits about him and applies himself," Mary said. "It could be worse. He could be a new order German or a communist or involved in the Fascist Party."

"Well, you may be correct in your assessment, but I don't have to like it," Robert grumped. "There are two more applicants for the butler's position to interview and then you're Mama needs to select a housekeeper. Gone are the days when there were applicants lined up at the door."

"I'll have to make inquiries and see who we can entice from another large house," Mary said. "Perhaps we should look in a different barrel and find someone locally."

"No more locals. If they are from out of town they won't know anyone in the village to gossip with," Robert said.

"You're right as always, Papa," Mary agreed.

Things were quiet for the moment at the Abbey, Mary thought. Both of her son's were off to boarding school and Elizabeth was at Haxby during the day. All of the young men had left for university and Tom and Rose had left for Ireland. Rose had sent a note to say they had arrived safely and were settling into their new home. Mary couldn't help but feel a twinge of pitty for the girl who had gone with them. All those years ago, Granny had been all for packing her off to Italy to dispel the gossip. She'd been quite a bit older than sixteen, but it had taken all of her training to keep her back straight and chin up during the worst of the gossip storm. She couldn't imagine how a girl as young as Camilla Royston would ever weather the public ridicule she would be subjected to if she had stayed at her school and in the same town.

The entire incident had made her think what she would do if her sons found themselves in the same position. It was one thing if the girl was from the working classes and could be bought off. It was another thing if the girl was from a better family as Camilla was. She made her mind up to have a talk with Anthony about getting onto George about inappropriate conduct and its consequences for all the good it would do if George found himself overcome with desire. It was a hard thing for a mother to face, but one day her son would be marrying and producing an heir. The way the Crawley family went through heirs, a young marriage would be the preferred choice for both of her sons with a long line of Crawley babies to perpetuate the family line and another for the Gillingham heir.

Mary headed down to make herself a pot of tea. She couldn't help think how things had changed at the Abbey since she was a girl. There hadn't been a chance she would have done things for herself all those years ago. The days of former glory she had held onto so tightly had only survived in a very few privileged households. Even then behind the scenes uniforms were tattered around the edges and furniture was slightly worn. Anthony had increased her allowance to the point where she could afford to shop at her favorite boutiques in London, but a ladies maid to do up her shoes and run her bath was something she would most likely never have again and frankly no longer appealed to her.

She headed back up once her tea was made and she had sent the tray up in the dumb waiter. Mary paused in the Great Hall. Christmas 1936 would most likely see a complete change in staff and providence only knew how much longer her parents would hold on, but there was still a continuity to the old place. The tree would adorn the hall, her children, family and friends would open gifts and a fire would blaze in the hearth as it had done for generations. No matter how much things changed and peoples dreams along with them, there were still some things that stayed the same. The Abbey was like a rock. Anchored in history and moving through time with the rest of them. Times had changed and they had faced them. Goodness only knew what the next ten years would bring.


	21. Coming Home Part I

Coming Home – Part I – Chapter 1 to 4

Chapter 1 – September 1936

Tom Branson drove along the dusty winding road towards his new home approximately half way between Loughrea and the City of Galway, on the central west coast of the Irish Free State. His thirteen-year-old son Dylan was with him fast asleep in the passenger seat. They had decided to bring the car over from England as it wasn't that old and with all the upheaval they had gone through in the last while the last thing Tom wanted to do was shop for a new car the moment he got to Ireland. His wife Rose and the rest of the family would follow in a few days accompanied by his brother Kieran who had volunteered to come along and help the family get moved.

All three of his sons still living at home had wanted to come along on the drive, but only Dylan had managed to convince his father he was old enough for the trip on rough windy roads and waiting on the docks while the car was loaded and unloaded from the barge that would bring them and the car across from England.

Tom couldn't deny he was nervous about his new post. It was a big gamble to pack the family and move them to the Irish Free State. He'd left a job he knew well and a comfortable position although he wondered how long that position would last in the future. Lord Anthony Gillingham, Mary's husband had moved to Downton to start taking over responsibility for running the estate from Lord Grantham until Mary's son George was ready to assume more responsibility. George was now fifteen years old. In another seven years he would be finished university and ready to begin assuming a managerial role on the estate. As well Michael Gregson was involved in the estate. The old adage too many cooks spoil the soup came to mind when he thought of Downton. In this case too many bosses spoiled the estate.

Dylan woke just in time to see the ruins of an old castle on the estate as they drove past.

"Are we close Da?" Dylan asked. The boys had all started calling him Da this last while instead of Daddy. Only his daughter Sybil called him Daddy these days.

"Very close," Tom said.

"Is there a village?"

"A small one," Tom said. "Not as big as Downton but we're close to two larger towns and you'll be able to visit the shore next summer. It's not too far."

"Close enough to walk or ride?" Dylan asked.

"Not quite that close," Tom replied. He pulled up in front of a large Georgian house. "We're here."

"It's a lot like our last house back home only a bit wider," Dylan said.

"Grab your bags and let's go take a look," Tom said.

They went to the front door and knocked. A small middle-aged woman came to the door.

"If you're here with another delivery take it around back," she said before Tom had a chance to say a word. "Just add it to the pile of boxes that are already there whatever it is and don't make a mess."

She shut the door before Tom could utter a sound. Tom knocked on the door again.

"I'm Mr. Branson, this is my son, Master Dylan," Tom said as soon as the door was part way open and before the woman had a chance to say anything.

"Oh my, oh Mr. Branson, I'm ever so sorry," the woman said. "The first truck load of your things arrived just before lunch. We've been working to get them unpacked. The lorry went back to the train station for another load but they haven't returned yet."

"I'm sure you have things well under control, Mrs…?" Tom said as way of inquiry.

"O'Rinn. Clara O'Rinn, she supplied then stepped back to allow them to enter. "Welcome to Eagle Cairn Mr. Branson, Master Dylan."

"My wife will be arriving tomorrow with our other three children. We have another girl staying with us indefinitely, a Miss Royston while her family is abroad and my brother will be along for a short stay," Tom said.

"Yes Sir. I'll just call Sean. He's the new groom and household handyman. He'll see to your bags."

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Rinn," Tom replied.

"Mr. Maguire was by earlier. He left a telephone number he can be reached at. It's on your desk, Sir," Mrs. O'Rinn said.

"I think we can unload the car, get a cup of tea and look around before I start making telephone calls," Tom said.

"I'll make the tea, Da, after I see my room," Dylan said.

"That would be good of you son," Tom said heading for the stairs. He was still carrying the bag he had brought from the car.

"Mr. Branson don't you want Sean to carry your bags? I can make tea for you," Mrs. O'Rinn said in a confused tone.

"Oh yes, have Sean come and help us unload the car when he gets a chance," Tom said. "My wife didn't want to risk our wedding china in the regular freight. She loaded it in the crates in the back seat. Master Dylan can make the tea. He needs to move around a bit after sitting for so long."

"Yes, Sir," she said with a slight shrug as she went off to find Sean.

-0-

"I don't know what to tell you, Evie," Clara O'Rinn said to her sister on her first day off after the Bransons had arrived at Eagle Cairn. "They're the oddest family I've ever come across. The Mrs. is a highborn English lady with a title. She said her brother is a Scottish Lord and her father is a Welsh one so that makes her mixed up and then she laughed and told me to call her Mrs. Branson. The children all see to their own rooms and set the table. She comes down and cooks breakfast. I'm not sure what they need me for."

"What about the new manager? What's he like? Everyone wants to know. The last one stayed to himself and only ever talked about stock prices and the weather," Evie inquired.

"That's the oddest part. He speaks with a brogue and his brother was here. There's nothing fancy about the brother. He informed me he was a mechanic, not some fancy pants like his brother. I have no idea what a man who speaks with a working class accent is doing married to an English lady and taking on a job as an Estate Manager."

"But what's he like?"

"Confusing. I don't know how else to describe the man," Clara O'Rinn said.

"Are they Protestants?"

"No Catholic, every last one. At least they all packed up and went to the Catholic Church on Sunday. Then there's Miss Royston, she's some kind of ward. All she does is sniffle, write letters and knit. Mr. Branson, well, he's…handsome. I just don't know what to say." Clara threw up her hands.

"You're just a fountain of information today," her sister said disdainfully.

"The youngest one plays the bagpipes. The first thing he did was unpack them and started playing. His mother made him go outside with them. He didn't even want to see his room."

"Heaven forbid, you have to listen to a child making a squalling racket all the time."

"That's just it. He can play like nobody's business. The next thing I knew there were a bunch of them at the piano in the drawing room with violins and a flute playing some fancy piece of music I'd never heard before. Then they turned around and played a jig. It's the strangest thing. I just don't know what they're going to do next. One of the boys informed me the house was designed by Sir Robert Taylor but had influences of John Payne. I had no idea who he was talking about."

"It's a good position. Let's just hope you can hold onto it and it certainly won't be dull," Evie said.

"Let's just see how long he lasts with his fancy English wife in the middle of the Irish countryside. I'm hoping they last longer than six months so I won't be out looking for a spot again when I've just found this one."

"Only time will tell," her sister replied.

-0-

Russell Beldon finished counting the supplies at his station and initialed the log book before he headed back to his dormitory room. He was one of two male students on his nursing course. After two weeks of school he wondered what his roommate was doing there. It was obvious Gerald Bothwell had never made a bed in his life and his mother had picked up after him and done his laundry. Russell had steadfastly refused to do his laundry for him. There was a sheet exchange on Sundays in the dormitory where all he had to do was take his sheets and get clean ones and a laundry room right down the hall. Gerald had tried helping himself to one of Russell's clean uniforms after Russell already left for class. The instructor had noticed right away as Russell was taller and his uniform hung on Gerald like a potato sack. The head nurse of their course had paid a visit to the men's dormitory and put them on dormitory inspection. Russell's side of the room was neat and tidy and he had no problems with the inspection but they seemed to take special pains to find something wrong with Gerald's bed and closet and were constantly pulling his dirty socks out from under the mattress where he had hidden them. Russell was trying to stay out of it but it didn't look like Gerald was going to last much longer.

Russell had other things on his mind. He hadn't told his adoptive parents any of the information he had found out about his natural mother. He had been going to share the news with Sybil but with all the upheaval of her brother being caught with his pants down with his girl friend and her subsequently moving in with Sybil's parents when her own parents disowned her, he had decided to keep it to himself. He had written a note to the police detective in Ripon who had the case file to let him know what he had learned. The more he thought about it, the more he thought keeping the news that his parents had never been married to himself. He was a bastard, not someone suitable to marry anyone of direct descendent of royalty and the tag would dog him and make finding a good position when he finished school more difficult. He wasn't sure how he felt about a woman who had walked out and left him behind. At least thirteen years had passed since he last saw her. There was no rush to find the woman if ever.

His girlfriend Sybil had consistently said no to anything physical even before he asked. By the end of the summer she had let him touch her breasts through her blouse when they kissed but that was as far as things went. Once her brother Davin had been caught her parents hadn't allowed her out alone for a minute. They had planned to go out on his motorcycle but her father had put his foot down. In the end they had sat by the pond on his last day in Downton and talked while her younger brothers fished.

Her last letter was burning a hole in his pocket. He had just enough time to get back to the dormitory and run his laundry through the washer before the evening meal was served. Thanks to his roommate and a dormitory inspection first thing he would have to spend the evening studying for tomorrow's test in the laundry room instead of the library. He had to be back on the ward from nine until midnight, changing sheets, scrubbing washrooms, counting syringes and a hundred and one other tasks the ward nurse had lined up for the students. He was just glad Gerald was not assigned to his shift. He had to work with one of the female students. She was a dumpy little thing with slightly bucked teeth and one crooked eye, but she went about her tasks without complaint and got her work done.

He looked in his laundry hamper and tossed Gerald's dirty clothes back into his own hamper. Then headed for the laundry room after he had collected his soap flakes from the top shelf of his wardrobe. He leaned against the wall in the laundry room once he had set his clothes to wash and tore open Sybil's letter with an Irish postmark.

Her letter started off much as her others, saying how much she missed him and she would come to London at the first chance she had. They had arrived without any problems and she had started at an all girls Catholic School that was taught by nuns. It was a bit hard to get around at the moment as most people there used horses. They were only using the car when they had to. Her father would go to a horse auction next week and was also going to look for at a hunter at one of the tenant farms. Many of the girls at school were involved in show jumping and Sybil thought she might join a group since she knew how to jump. She had also found a Girl Guide group and was hoping to make friends that way as well. Her parents were still being very strict about no boys at her activities.

Camilla had started school as well and was taking typing and bookkeeping as well as cooking at school. Sybil was showing her some things about sewing and the girls were making themselves spare blouses to go with their school uniforms. Her younger brothers were all fine and getting involved in music and cub scouts. They were all in a boy's school that offered classes for all grades. Garret had already joined a pipe band and they were all busy exploring the new estate. They would go to the shore in a few weeks for a day trip when it wasn't raining and were planning to spend the next Saturday exploring the ruins of an old castle on the estate.

Russell folded her letter and put it in his pocket. He transferred his laundry to one of the electric dryers, which was a luxury they hadn't even had at the Abbey. He headed down to the dining room for his dinner and would read his parents letter over dinner. He would have to be quick about it and rescue his clothes from the dryer before they were completely dry and get them pressed and starched. If he really hurried, he might be able to get to the library after all. At the moment he would like to throttle his roommate for the extra work he was causing. All of the work Russell had done as a footman and helping his adoptive parents at the Abbey was paying off in spades. He had no difficulty making beds, ironing and starching uniforms, folding sheets and towels or many of the other beginning tasks many of the others were struggling with. Laying a suture tray out with precision wasn't all that different from setting a formal place setting. All in all things weren't going too bad as long as he kept his roommates mess on his side of the room.

-0-

"I'm off to speak to the Farmer's Association about winter crops. We have a short meeting this afternoon," Michael Gregson told Anthony Gillingham. "Would you care to join me? It won't be a long meeting since we're on the verge of harvest and most of the farmers are busy with haying at this time of year."

"Part of my education as to what goes on around the estate," Anthony replied. "I suppose I should get to know some of the tenants. I'll come along."

The two men went out the front door. They spotted Thomas Barrow instructing some of the day cleaning staff on a job he wanted done. The man would be leaving in another week. Lord Grantham had finally found a butler who was returning from India and a new housekeeper who was coming in from Wales. Anthony had shuddered a bit at the prospect of a butler who had trained in India. What could he possibly know after tending the colonials? In his opinion no one of any real breeding settled for a post in India if they could help it. Lord Flintshire had been sent there by the King to help deflect the gossip when he lost his estate, but now he was back via Belgium and living in London with no one the wiser as to the man's downturn in fortune.

Anthony's own downturn in fortune since the crash had been hard to take. His ancestral family home was now a hotel that was doing quite nicely. He had increased his wife's allowance and they could afford to send their youngest to a private school. A little creativity and things had worked out to the point where he and his wife could stay in London at her father's house and he was thinking of buying a new automobile. He didn't know a lot about farming which the Downton estate was based on, but he did know a great deal about profit and loss. In his opinion Tom Branson had been too soft on the tenants. Farms in the area were doing well and the farmers could afford to pay more rent than they did. Michael Gregson had some modern ideas as well about newer crops and machinery. All this constant investing in diversified crops and new machinery didn't make sense to Anthony. It seemed to him the prudent course of action would be to stick to the proven methods. He would go along tonight and see what the group had to say. If he was going to have any kind of positive impact around the place he would have to keep his finger on the pulse of what was going on.

Chapter 2 – The Stranger in Town

Tom Branson pulled up on his motorcycle in front of a local pub and killed the engine. He'd been to look at a mare at one of the tenant farms and taken the groom along with him for a second opinion. The groom Sean was somewhere around thirty years old and looked at Tom's motorcycle with fear when Tom had told him to get on the back. There had been more than one odd look when they had arrived at the tenant farmer's and there had been a row of heads sticking up over fences and around the sides of building when they'd left.

Tom had forgotten how much slower the pace of life in rural Ireland could be. He'd been driving a motorcycle for the last sixteen years but to the people on the estate it was an oddity and an Estate Manager zipping around on one was an even bigger peculiarity. He was actually quite surprised by the odd looks he was getting. There was considerable tourism around the city of Galway and in the region and he had assumed people in the area were used to some of the things he took for granted. He'd assumed wrong.

Rose had gone out today to a Ladies Auxiliary meeting at the church to try and get a sense of things in their new community. She hadn't applied for any teaching positions as they had decided to get everyone settled this winter and the best way to do that was for Rose to be around when everyone got home from school and on weekend. As well they had Camilla staying with them. It had turned out the girl wasn't pregnant, but her father had still been adamant that his daughter was ruined and he wanted no part of her. Tom had a copy of the temporary custody papers her father had signed before they left England, with another copy on file with his solicitor's office in London. He'd taken on responsibility for the girl until her eighteenth birthday. So far she had written letters to her grandparents and her mother with no response. Tom was hoping the family would see reason once they cooled down, but so far no luck. It looked like the girl could very well be part of his family for years to come if she did in fact marry his second oldest Davin who was partly responsible for the mess.

"Are the meals here decent?" Tom asked Sean before they entered the pub.

"Fair to middlin'," Sean replied. "Seamus who runs the place will know if there's anyone in these parts with a decent mount or two for sale. If you play your cards right you could have the stables stocked by tomorrow at a decent price. I'll leave you to do the talking."

Sean didn't mind his new boss one bit. The man seemed to know his business and had been out with the owner almost every day since he'd gotten here. The wife was a bossy little thing. She'd informed Mrs. O'Rinn she wanted to see the servant's quarters. She taken a look then headed up to the attic to see what previous occupants had left behind. Right afterwards Mrs. O'Rinn had set him to plastering the cracks in the walls in both her room and his and told him Mrs. Branson would be purchasing paint for him to do their rooms in the next week. Mrs. Branson pulled a pile of old draperies out of the attics and some rugs and she had Mrs. O'Rinn getting them cleaned up and the draperies remade to go into their rooms once he had them painted. For her own children's rooms she'd made a list of additional furniture she wanted and she had some plan cooked up for the vacant servant's rooms as well. He'd never worked for anyone before that gave a tinker's damn about the help. He could have froze for all they cared. For all the country was now independent of the English there was still a great deal that hadn't changed. The wealthy still lorded it over the poor and many were still choosing to immigrate to America where jobs were more plentiful than deal with the employment difficulties. He'd been quite happy to get this post. He didn't give a damn if the lady of the house was English. He had a warm bed, food in his stomach and the work wasn't all that difficult. Things could be a lot worse.

"What can I get you gents?" Seamus asked when Tom and Sean walked up to the bar.

"Two pints and whatever you have for the lunch special," Tom replied.

"Here's the list. Take your pick," Seamus replied. Plunking the menu down in front of Tom.

"A ham sandwich for me then," Tom said. He handed the menu to Sean.

"Haven't got no ham," Seamus replied. The men in the bar were leaning over to hear what was going on.

"Whatever you have," Tom said completely unfazed.

"We got haggis or meat pies. Take your pick," Seamus said.

"A pair of meat pies as long as you have some on hand," Tom replied.

"Chips are extra," Seamus said.

"Just the pie for me, how about you Sean?" Tom inquired.

"Just the pie for me as well," he said. Seamus was busy giving the new manager a hard time. How Mr. Branson handled it would make or break his life in the area. Every last word the new manager uttered in the place would be reported to every door on the estate within the hour he was sure.

The two pints were delivered. Tom took a drink of his.

"This is one of the things you don't realize you miss until you taste it again," Tom said. "Irish ale is so much better than that warm piddlin' English stuff."

"How long were you gone, laddie?" Seamus asked him.

"Almost seventeen years," Tom replied. "Couldn't come back if I had wanted to for quite a while."

"Why's that?" one older man down the bar inquired. All of the men's ears in the pub were practically flapping.

"Got myself banned for being a rebel back in 1920," Tom replied. "Took a bit to get a pardon, then life happens you know. Seemed like the time was right to come home."

"Saints be praised he's one of us," one of the men in the bar said. They all came forward in a wave to introduce themselves and shake Tom's hand.

"Barkeep a round for the house," Tom said.

"It's us who should be buying you a round," the older man from down the bar said.

"Another time," Tom replied. "What you could do for me is let me know anyone around these parts that has a decent Hunter for sale. I've bought one but I need another three or four for the stables and a horse and cart as well."

"Here's your lunch," Seamus said plopping the plates down on the bar in front of Tom and Sean. He dropped the plates from a good four inches above the surface so the meat pies bounced. "You leave it to me. I'll send a few around for you to pick from."

"Thank you kindly," Tom replied.

"Is your Mrs. a Protestant?" someone asked. Tom could barely get the food to his mouth before the men in the bar were asking questions.

"She's a Scott and yes she is, but she's attended the Catholic Church since we got married. All of my children are Catholic as well," Tom said.

"Sounds English so I've been told," one of the men said. Once they were on to something or someone new they were a nosey lot.

"Raised half in Scotland, half in England with an English governess. That accounts for the accent," Tom said.

"How long you planning on staying?" another asked.

Sean was groaning a little on the inside. He was hoping the local's nosey attitude wasn't going to put his new boss off and he would be out of a job in a few months time. It had been six months between jobs last winter. He'd had to go and stay with his parents, which had been a burden on them when his job gave up the ghost between racing seasons. He'd managed to find employment for the summer at the track. He'd jumped at the opportunity to have a spot that came with room and board and lasted through the winter.

"Gentlemen, I plan to stay here in County Galway for the rest of my life," Tom said with a grin. He was getting a bit of a laugh out of all the questions. "My grandfather was a tenant farmer in County Galway and this is where I spent my summers as a boy. I was raised in Dublin. I went to England as a young man for the work then came home and managed to get myself banned from the country for a few years for my involvement in the War for Independence. I've worked as an Estate Agent for the last sixteen years in England where I'm happy to say not a soul from the Estate was sent to the poor house in the entire time. I have six children and a ward. My oldest two are Irish born and are away at university. Anymore questions?"

"Dermot Mac Carthaigh says he has a pair of Hunters you can take a look at," Seamus said getting off the telephone. "You can go by when you've finished your lunch. Sean will show you where his place is."

"Thanks for the tip," Tom said. He peeled a few notes off and set them on the bar to cover their meals and the drinks. It hadn't been the best meat pie he'd ever eaten and it had been heavy enough he doubted he would be hungry again before tomorrow morning.

"Keep your money. It's on the house as a welcome," Seamus said. "Don't let Dermot over charge. He's a tight sot but he raises some of the best hunters in the county."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tom said as they got ready to leave. Sean hadn't said a word the entire time they had been in the pub. Seamus was back on the phone when they left. The men all started chattering the minute they were out the door.

"I guess I gave them something to talk about," Tom said with a chuckle.

"They'll talk about fly shyt on the wall if you give them half a chance," Sean said. Then colored when he realized he'd forgotten himself in his boss' presence. "Sorry, Sir."

Tom laughed and started the motorbike.

"Just don't let my wife hear you talk like that. She'll think you're going to corrupt the boys and give you lessons on deportment. Which way to the Mac Carthaigh place?"

-0-

"Horses!" Sybil and Bradley exclaimed in one breath as they got home from school the next day. They could see activity at the barn behind the house and the groom wasn't inside tending to any tasks.

"Three were delivered this morning," Rose said. "Your father telephoned to say another two will be arriving before dinner."

"I'm so glad we'll be able to ride again," Sybil said. "I really miss it and the girls at school have all been talking about a show coming up. Can I enter?"

"Since you've never ridden in a show, I think it would be more prudent to go and watch so you can see if it is something you would want to do," Rose replied.

"I'm going to go out and see the new horses," Bradley said.

"After you've changed and cleaned out your lunch boxes, you may go out and see the new horses," Rose reminded them all. Camilla was hanging back from the others not saying anything.

"How was your day, Camilla?" Rose inquired.

"Fine. Did I receive any mail, Lady Rose?" she asked.

"A letter from Scotland," Rose said. "Nothing else I'm afraid. I picked up some more wool for you when I was in town."

"Thank you, Lady Rose. I'll knit it up this weekend," she said.

"There's no rush Camilla. You'll want to go riding with the others once all the horses arrive."

"It won't take me long," Camilla replied. She took her letter and headed to the kitchen to clean out her lunch box.

Rose watched her go. Camilla had been such a bright, happy girl before all this happened. She'd had a massive dose of growing up thrust on her shoulders before she was ready for it. Rose didn't think she was a promiscuous girl, just one who had let infatuation carry her away and now she was paying the price.

When she had gone to sign the girls up at school, Camilla had looked through the course selections carefully and then chosen typing and bookkeeping over French and History. She had insisted they were more practical skills than speaking a foreign language and she had signed herself up for cooking as well instead of the choir class her mother had insisted she take in England. She had finally stopped crying at the drop of a hat. Rose had been amazed at Camilla's knitting skills. She had finished a pair of gloves and hat she had partially finished when her parents tossed her out on the trip here. She had used a fine wool and they were every bit as well made as anything Rose had seen in the boutiques in London. She'd knit two pairs of sock for herself as well in the time they had been here. Rose had picked up wool for a hat, scarf and glove set for herself she had asked Camilla to knit for her. It would keep the girl busy and Rose was in need of a new set of wool gloves for the winter.

When they had made arrangements for Camilla to accompany them to Ireland, Rose had sent the housekeeper to collect the rest of Camilla's things. She'd been surprised at the finality her parents had shown. Even Camilla's knitting box and all of her puzzles and games had been packed and sent along as though they were never expecting her back through the door again. The girl was understandably upset but she had been showing some metal when she wasn't sniffling and learning to cook, sew and how to do laundry. The one thing her parents hadn't sent was her coin bank or a passbook to a bank account. If she had those things before, she didn't any longer. The only money she had to her name was two pounds she'd had in her handbag when she left the house.

"What news from Scotland?" Tom asked Camilla that evening at dinner.

"Davin says he got a hundred percent on his first test," Camilla replied happily. She always brightened up considerably when she heard from him. "He's been going to the swimming pool at the university three evenings a week and he's thinking of joining the men's rowing team."

"That will keep him busy," Tom replied.

"Sounds cold," Sybil commented.

"Anything new at school?" Tom inquired.

"My art teacher says my drawings are good but out of perspective," Dylan said. "He's given me a book to study for extra credit."

"You're happier with this school, son?" Tom asked him.

Dylan nodded. "I like this school. We have art three times a week instead of once and they have a drama club as well at lunch times. I might join."

"I'm going to audition for the play for my grade," Bradley said.

"I'd rather play the music for the play than be in it," Garret chimed in.

"That's obvious," Bradley said.

"Have you found us a piano teacher yet, Mummy?" Garret inquired.

"No one local teaches your level, dear. I'll make more inquiries when I go into Galway next," Rose replied.

"Camilla have you found any clubs at school that interest you?" Tom asked.

"No, Mr. Branson. I want to concentrate on my studies," she said looking down.

"You may pick an activity to be involved in," Tom said. "You know what they say about all work and no play, don't they Rose."

"That's true," Rose replied. "We all need to play a bit. I think I'll take the girls riding on Sunday and let them off church for a week. We'll play a bit of hooky and have some fun doing it."

"I don't want to go to church either," Dylan complained

"Me either," Garret said.

"Too bad. Boys get the penance while the girls get the fun," Tom said.

"Just as long as it isn't the other way around," Rose commented. Camilla smiled while still looking at her plate before she took her next bite.

Chapter 3 – Christmas

"It's not how I like to do things," Lord Grantham said. It was two days before Christmas 1936 and Anthony had proposed raising the rents in January. "The rents are low on purpose. The tenants understand they need to reinvest in their farms and spend money locally to keep things going. I understand things are picking up down south but I don't want to cripple the farms if there is a crop failure or if something happens again. Goodness knows people just hung on by their nails, the family included. It doesn't feel right."

"The capital base for the estate isn't growing as it should. By keeping the rents low you could be hurting the family in the long run," Anthony said.

"I don't see how," Michael said. "The estate farm is going strong and getting stronger every year. We all have a roof over our heads and meals on the table. We're living a comfortable existence. Reinvesting in the land builds a stronger future. If the land is strong the estate will survive whatever comes our way."

"You have to admit all of these diversification schemes haven't worked. Some of them have only broken even and others have lost money," Anthony pointed out.

"And some have made a great deal," Michael retorted just as quickly.

"I'm trying to say the core business of the estate farm is raising sheep. I think we should stick closer to that and leave some of these more experimental schemes out until we know they will work," Anthony said.

"No," Lord Grantham stated emphatically. He was sitting in an armchair near the fireplace in the library with a lap blanket. This year he was feeling the cold more than he ever had before. He felt as though his joints would break when he got the slightest draft. "You were involved in your own problems, Anthony when things fell apart. We had sheep we couldn't sell. If we had sold them we would have lost money. It took time to straighten everything out and the estate was sustained on the other crops. The diversification was the only thing that kept the place afloat."

"Things have rebounded to an extent. The rents are too low," Anthony insisted.

"I will agree to slight rent increase after the first of the year," Lord Grantham said. "But only a slight one. The house is no longer a major employer, it is up to the estate and the tenant farms to take on that role. I won't have men out of work because we've raised the rents."

"I can live with that," Anthony replied.

"I think it's a mistake," Michael said. "But I will go along with it if you really think it's best Lord Grantham."

"George will be going to university in a few years. The estate will need to be able to cover it," Lord Grantham said. "I think a small rent increase is for the best."

-0-

Russell rolled over and turned off his alarm. Six a.m. and his new roommate, a resident doctor was already up and gone. When his roommate was in their room he was either sleeping or studying. The pace on his course was even more grueling than Russell's and he didn't envy him one bit.

Gerald Bothwell hadn't made it past the fourth week of nurse's training before he'd packed his bags and left. Russell had almost cheered when he'd come back and Swilly as he'd privately named his former roommate was gone. He wasn't the only one that had left training in the first few months. The class was down by almost a third. The days were long with classroom mixed with practical work and the constant quizzes and examinations kept him chained to the table in the library with little time to go out and explore London. He'd chatted on the telephone once with Redmond, but other than that he hadn't even had a chance to go and see his parent's new place. They exchanged letters regularly and the constant flow of letters from Sybil were something he looked forward to even if he thought his own return letters were rather lack luster. He'd have four days without practical over the holidays. It would have been three but he volunteered to take Christmas and New Year's Day and was given the extra day as a bonus. Russell got up grabbed his towel and shaving kit and headed to the showers. He'd have just enough time to have a quick bite and make it to class.

"So we're the Christmas crew," Beth one of the nursing students said to the three others who had volunteered for Christmas Day that included Russell at the end of classes for the day.

"We should go out this afternoon for a bit of a celebration this afternoon. We're off early and goodness knows we won't get a chance tomorrow. I'm on twelve hours straight," Alice replied.

"Twelve hours of straight bedpans," Ida said rolling her eyes.

"I'm in the emergency ward. How much do you want to bet it will be sutures, fingers caught in toys and at least two babies being born and I get to clean up after all of it," Russell commented.

"How about when the dog tips the tree over and knocks the Granny silly tomorrow," Alice joked.

"Let's go for a bun and tea," Beth coaxed. "I need at least an hour out of this place. I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I stay here a minute longer."

They all walked across the way from the college and stopped at a small bakeshop two blocks away. The wind and slush on the sidewalks made walking slippery and they had their collars turned up against the cold.

"So only man left in our class, tell us something about yourself," Ida said.

"Not much to tell really," Russell replied. "My parents have recently moved to Eastbourne and I worked as a chauffeur last summer. Otherwise there isn't much to tell."

"Most importantly where are you from and do you have a sweetheart?" Beth questioned.

"Yorkshire and yes I have a sweetheart. She's in the Irish Free State at the moment with her family," Russell said.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Ida said. "My young man is in Scotland with the army." She dug around in her handbag for a picture.

"No young man for me," Alice said.

"Young or old for me either," Beth said with a laugh. "Pictures please."

Russell chuckled and reached into his wallet for a picture of Sybil. The one he carried with him was of the two of them with Redmond and his group of friends taken last summer.

"Very pretty," Alice said. "Who are all the men?"

"Her brother and his friends. They were all working at the estate as myself during the summer. They're students here in London as well."

"You'll have to introduce us," Beth said. "There is no way we'll ever meet anyone on our own the way they keep us locked in the dorms. We're like a bunch of cursed princesses locked in a tower with no prince to call Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair."

"Wouldn't work with mine. It's too short," Alice said.

"It's not so bad living in the dorm since I got rid of Swilly," Russell commented.

"Swilly?" Ida asked in confusion.

"Bothwell. I called him Swilly because he was like a pig swimming around in a trough full of swill," Russell said. All of the girls laughed.

"We're going to have to talk to you more," Alice said. "I never knew there was a jokester hiding behind the ever serious expression and I wouldn't mind meeting one or two of the young men in that picture."

"Alice behave yourself," Ida scolded.

Russell only chuckled.

"I'll find out what Redmond and the lads are up to. They're all in London for Christmas I think."

"We're counting on you to brighten up our season," Beth said. She raised her cup of tea in a toast. "To not getting retched on as a Christmas present," she said. The rest raised their cups and drank a toast before they had to head back and go on duty.

-0-

"Is everyone ready who wants to go into Galway today?" Rose asked. She had some last minute shopping and errands to do.

"I'm ready," Camilla said. She had a large basket of knit items wrapped in plain paper to deliver. Rose had received so many compliments on the hat, scarf and glove set Camilla had knit her, she had mentioned to a few of the women she knew the girl who had made them for her would be happy to knit up a set. When they had inquired after the price Rose had done some quick calculations in her head and plunked a good stiff price on a set. She had been reconnecting with some of the people she knew from the old days in the embassy and London who lived in Ireland as well as making new friends. Not a one of the women had batted an eyelash at the price and Camilla had been kept busy for most of October and November making sets. A few of the women had inquired if she made sweaters and layettes and Camilla had quite a good small business going. She was a fast knitter and could turn out the finished items at an amazing rate. She had a well-stocked knitting box that had belonged to her great grandmother with every size and shape of needle imaginable. Once she had gotten paid for the first round of items, she had bought the wool and buttons for the next projects herself and was putting her new bookkeeping skills to use keeping records of what she was making against her expenses.

"I'm ready as well," Dylan said.

"I'm going to stay home and bake ginger biscuits to hang on the tree," Sybil said.

"I'll come. I want to see how the stores are decorated," Garret chirped up.

They all piled into the car and set off making stops along the way so Camilla could deliver her parcels and they could wish everyone a Happy Christmas.

"I've made almost thirty pounds already knitting for people," Camilla said with a large smile. "It's the most money I've ever had."

"You'll have to open a bank account so you have somewhere to keep your earnings," Rose said as way of praise. They stopped at a store that carried greeting cards and all manner of trinkets.

"I need a few writing things. Do you all want to come in?" Rose asked.

"Can Garret and I go to the toy store next door?" Dylan asked.

"Yes, you may," Rose replied. She went into the stationary shop accompanied by Camilla and made some selections. She had her pile of greeting cards and stationary together when she spotted Camilla fingering some Christmas cards longingly.

"Would you like some cards to send to England, Camilla?" she asked.

"It won't do any good. They won't write back," Camilla said with a sigh.

"I think you need to keep trying," Rose said. "I don't always get along with my mother, but I do write to her and she writes back. She's not an easy person to understand but she does worry about me. I'm sure your mother is worried too."

"I would like a card to give to Davin when he arrives," she said quietly.

"I'll get you a small box and then you can decide who you would like to send cards to," Rose said. "Maybe you'd like to send one to your brother or a friend."

Camilla nodded and accepted the packet after Rose had paid for it. It took quite a while to pry Dylan and Garret out of the toy store. By the time Rose had made another three stops, she was exhausted from the busy stores and Dylan and Garret's desire to inspect all things Christmas at every stop.

Sybil had the biscuits made when they got home. She and Bradley had been waiting for Rose to return with a packet of small candies for decorating the ginger biscuits. Camilla joined the others in the kitchen to decorate the biscuits then headed up to her room to examine her box of cards while the others got out their instruments and practiced the carols they would play on Christmas Eve.

The house was full of Christmas cheer and excitement when Tom got home that evening. He'd been looking over the barns and making notes on repairs and improvements that needed doing. The estate covered more acreage than Downton and getting around to everything that needed looking at took considerably more time since he did the majority of it by horseback. He had handed his mount over to Sean to be walked, brushed down and fed before he headed in to get cleaned up. Bradley and Garret had a game out on the floor, Sybil and Dylan were busy hanging garlands around the front entrance and drawing room and Rose was in the dining room wrapping presents. Even the housekeeper was humming a Christmas tune when he passed through the kitchen. His dog Trix had gone straight to her bowls for water and her super then flopped on her pallet in the corner. Even the cat they had brought over with them from England seemed to be in the Christmas spirit curled on a chair in the kitchen and watching Mrs. O'Rinn go about her tasks.

"Everyone seems busy and occupied," Tom commented when he saw Rose.

"Almost ready for tomorrow and the big day," Rose said. "You're smelling horsey. You need to get cleaned up."

"I was headed that way," Tom said. "Almost seems a bit strange without snow this year."

"Mud, mud and more mud. It makes you feel as though you're right at home in Yorkshire."

"Although it usually snowed around Christmas at Downton. I don't miss the snow this year too much. It makes it harder to get around. Where's Camilla? I don't see her down with the others."

"I think she went down to the stables. She's a bit down. It is her first Christmas away from home and all."

"I didn't see her, but I'll go back and check," Tom said. He put his heavy coat back on and headed down to the stables. He asked Sean if he had seen Camilla. Sean pointed to one of the stalls and carried on with his tasks. Tom walked to the stall to see Camilla slowly stroking one mare's neck. The mare was a gentle thing that could run and jump like the wind. At the same time she barely twitched an ear if there was a loud noise. She was the perfect animal for getting around and to have with children. Tom had been glad he bought her a number of times over this autumn.

"Allegro is always happy to be petted," Tom said. "She's an attention hog if there ever was one."

Camilla jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Mr. Branson, I was just…"

"Thinking?" Tom supplied.

Camilla nodded.

"The first Christmas away from family is never easy," he said. "My first one away from home I didn't know what I would do, then I joined in with the others where I was and it wasn't so bad."

"We decorated the biscuits Sybil made this afternoon," Camilla replied. "It was fun. I've never done that before."

"What sort of things do you normally do for the holidays?" Tom asked her.

"There's always a holiday concert for choir just before Christmas," Camilla said. "My mother insisted I enroll in chorus at school. She thought it would improve my speech. I don't lisp when I sing. It didn't work."

"Parents often want their children to be some ideal they have in their heads. With six children I've found it's rarely the case," Tom replied. "Any word from England yet?" He knew very well Camilla hadn't had one letter from her family in all these months.

"No, I've given up hope," she said.

"You can't give up hope," Tom told her. "You keep writing and writing and one day their hearts will open and they'll reply."

"I don't think that will happen," Camilla said. "It's been too long." She leaned her head against Allegro.

"It takes time," Tom said. "A long time ago, when I married Sybil's mother her parents were mad at us for getting married. They didn't like me too well. They didn't see her or write to her for a long time. It was almost a year. Then one day the letters started to come and they accepted we were married and eventually I managed to forgive them for turning their backs on her. It didn't happen overnight. Sybil doesn't know to this day what happened before she was born."

"But you worked for Sybil's grandfather and lived in a nice house at his estate!" Camilla exclaimed in surprise.

"That's not how it was at first. Come and sit," Tom said opening the stall door. They went down the way a bit and took a seat on two bales of hay.

"When I married my late wife, her parents were so angry with the pair of us, you have no idea. She cried when they refused to come to our wedding. Only her sisters came out of her entire family. Sybil's mother wrote to her parents every two weeks regularly. It was almost a year before they replied. Then one day a letter came from her mother and another and another and pretty soon we went back to visit. Things were never fully the same between her and her parents but they did learn to forgive each other and we all learned to get along. It took years. My family wasn't too happy that I had chosen to wed an English peer either. They settled down after a bit and accepted my choice."

"So you think I should just keep trying?" Camilla asked.

"I do. They need time to come to terms with what is and you need time to forgive them," Tom said.

"I was terribly wicked and sinful," Camilla said sadly.

"No you weren't wicked or sinful," Tom corrected. "You were being young and foolish and you don't have a monopoly on that. I did many things when I was younger I regret. Most people do. I would wager if you could look through your parent's lives when they were your age there would be all kinds of things they did they would never do now."

"My Grandmother once told me my mother had a string of beaus. Grandfather practically had to hold a gun to my father's back to get him to the vicar."

"Thinking about that now what do you think it means?" Tom said.

"They got caught and he didn't want to marry her," Camilla said.

"Not quite so perfect as they would have everyone believe then?" Tom pointed out.

"No," Camilla said with a faint smile.

"Time to go in and find a glass of warm cider?"

"I'd like that," Camilla said. "Maybe we could string popcorn for the tree?"

"If we have any popcorn," Tom said. "The new housekeeper must buy a ten pound sack of potatoes every week and never looks for anything else. I don't mind a spud now and then, but a steady diet twice a day is a bit much. I feel like I'm locked in some bad stereotype of what an Irish diet is supposed to be. I'd rather have beans or rice once in a while."

"I wonder what she'd do if we hid the potatoes," Camilla said starting to giggle.

"We should later and just see what she does for fun," Tom said guiding Camilla back into the house and towards the Christmas merrymaking.

Chapter 4 – Christmas at a New Home

Davin Branson pulled his winter coat tighter at the collar as he waited for the train on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. The one thing he hadn't counted on in Edinburgh was how cold it would be in the winter. The wind blew and with it the snow fell. From the end of October on he had known winter was here to stay. Class hadn't let out until noon and he was now making his way to Ireland to spend it with his family and his fiancée. It was a trip he felt he had to make and at the same time the way expenses were eating away at his savings he would have rather taken the train to London to spend the holidays with his brother and Uncle's family.

Davin had worked summers and saved towards the day he would attend university. He'd done well on scholarships. He had his tuition and room and board covered but it was all the unforeseen expenses that were taking their toll. He had quickly realized he needed a warmer winter coat, which had taken a big chunk of his cash from his last summer job. When he was at the library or one of the distant buildings from his dorm, the only way to get a hot drink was to buy one at the canteen. He'd paid a student fee for the use of the university athletic club and was trying to go there for an hour or so a day to burn off some energy and work the kinks out from studying. He'd joined the rowing team, who weren't rowing in the winter, instead they got together twice a week to work out in the gym and in spring he would try out for the cricket team, but everything came with a price tag. The rowing team uniform they wore at the gym and the fee to join the team had eaten another chunk out of his summer earnings. He'd learned pretty quickly in the dormitory not to leave his can of tea or packet of biscuits for a late night snack out at the small kitchenette on his floor. By the time he'd gone to retrieve them the next morning they were gone and yet more coins marched out the door when he went to replace them. It was an excellent school and he was learning massive amounts of new information, but trying to manage his finances and living on his own was making him think he had made a mistake by not attending an university in London and living with their uncle the way his older brother was doing.

He was doing well academically. This was what he had always wanted to do ever since he was little. He was even better at his studies than his older brother but Davin had resisted being sent ahead in grade school. He'd wanted to be with his peers, but he'd found school boring. Even Scouts he'd managed to finish the entire program early and hadn't bothered to join for what would be his last year. Here at the university he did have to study to stay on top, but he enjoyed the subject, which made things easier and all his years of working on the farms with livestock and helping out with inoculations and sick sheep had given him an edge. A few times in grade school he had struggled with the subjects, as they were so dull he hadn't wanted to do the work.

Davin had brought a book along to read on the trip. He would take a train west then catch a ferry to Belfast another train to Dublin and then a train west to his parents'. It wasn't an overly difficult trip and none of the legs were very long, but it would take quite a while to get there with all the stops and transfers and put him in well after midnight. While he was on the first leg of his journey he thought about his fiancée, Camilla. Their lives seemed so distant now. He was busy with university, making new friends and exploring new interests while she was living with his parents and finding her way in a world that had turned on her. His parents had made up a story about her family traveling abroad to account for her presence. It had all seemed like such a grand game, kissing and touching and finally going all the way. He had no idea what their reunion would be like. They wrote regularly but there was always an undertone of sadness in her letters. She had always been so happy before they had been caught in the summerhouse at her parents'. Now she was struggling to find her own way and grieving for her family at the same time and the entire situation was his fault.

He turned his attention to back to his book. He might as well kill the hours of travel by doing a first read through of a book assigned for January. People always asked him how he learned so quickly. He didn't know why he was able to read faster than average or recall almost every detail of any book he read. It was just the way he was. Being a year to two years younger than everyone else on the course wasn't the easiest. They had all gone out to the pub a number of times and he was too young to join them. He looked like a younger fairer version of his father and was often mistaken for being even younger than he was. He would be picked out of a crowd in a second and tossed out of any drinking establishment if he even set foot across the threshold. In a conversation near the beginning of term when some of his classmates had been talking about women, Davin had casually mentioned he had a fiancée. His all male class had almost laughed him out of the room.

"Has she left the nursery yet?" one of the other students had taunted.

"Does she still ride a tricycle?" another one teased.

"If you must know she'll be seventeen at Christmas," Davin said.

"A school girl then for a fiancée. How old are you, our too young to be here classmate?"

"I'm going to be seventeen in another few weeks," Davin had said.

"Just a baby. Somebody got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to," one of the others had taunted.

Davin's face had turned red. He clamped his jaw shut and determined to wipe the floor with the lot of them. So far he'd scored a perfect mark on every quiz and exam. The laughter had stopped pretty quickly once the marks were posted.

-0-

Tom, Rose and the entire family stood on the platform waiting to welcome Davin at one thirty in the morning. There were a few other people milling about waiting to welcome their loved ones home for Christmas as well. The train was late but the stationmaster had assured them the train was on the way from Dublin. "It will get here in God's own time," he said. Rose had wondered what providence had to do with a train schedule but she had nodded and gone to stand with the others. All the glaring at the train schedule in the world wouldn't make it get here any faster.

The steam billowed in great puffs in the cold night air when the train pulled in almost obliterating everyone standing on the platform. Dylan and Bradley who had been complaining about their feet being cold a few minutes before let out a cheer and were about to start chasing each other through the fog the steam was creating when a word from their father stilled them.

"Boys stay put. We don't need skinned knees or a broken arm for Christmas," Tom said. Everyone was looking towards the first class compartments as the steam cleared when they heard a voice behind them.

"Happy Christmas everyone," Davin said.

"Davin!" Camilla squeaked. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He put his arms around her and kissed her back.

"Ew," Bradley and Garret said in as a chorus.

"How did you get off the train without us seeing you?" Tom asked.

"Third class. I'm a starving student now," Davin replied. Camilla's arms were still around his neck. "Camilla we need to get to the house. I'm worn out it was a long trip."

She finally let go. Davin hugged everyone and kissed his mother, before they headed to the car. Camilla was clinging to his hand and wouldn't let go.

"You look different," Dylan said when they got inside the house and there were good lights.

"Do I?" Davin said.

"You definitely need a haircut," Sybil commented looking at her brother.

"I think you look just the same," Camilla said blushing.

Garret reached over and squeezed his brother's bicep.

"Whoa," he exclaimed.

"I've been working out a bit," Davin said turning slightly red.

"Can we open presents now?" Bradley asked.

"After we all get some sleep and your brother has had a chance to get cleaned up," Rose said.

"Bedtime everyone, that includes you Camilla. You'll have lots of time to catch up with Davin over the next few days and Saint Nicholas needs to come," Tom said.

"Long trip hard trip son? he asked once everyone else had headed up the stairs.

"Third class is for the birds but it's a lot cheaper," Davin commented as he picked up his bag and started to head upstairs.

"Are things a little different now that you're on your own?"

"I never realized before what it takes to take care of yourself," Davin said. "I'm glad to be home, even if it is only for a week."

"You'll be in with Dylan," Tom said indicating a door. "Best get the hot water tonight before the girls use it up in the morning."

"Thanks, Da, for everything," Davin said as he turned to go into Dylan's room.

Tom nodded his acceptance, before he went back downstairs to play Saint Nicholas. His son had definitely grown up a bit in the last few months.

-0-

Edith looked around the drawing room at the Dower House on Christmas morning. The housekeeper had done a beautiful job of decorating the place and it looked like a painting that adorned a Christmas card. She and Michael had moved there after Tom and Rose had moved out. There was only so much of a steady diet her and Mary could take of each other before the sparks started to fly.

She sat down in her favorite chair near their tree and looked at the lights twinkling among the tinsel while Michael fetched a cup of tea from the kitchen for each of them. They would exchange their personal presents at home and then go to the Abbey for luncheon and the family gift exchange. The house had seemed so full when Tom and Rose lived here. There had been the constant sound of children playing or practicing their music almost every time she had stopped by. There had been tears as well mixed with times of joy. It was at times like these Edith regretted not having any children.

The house was set up for a family. There was a wonderful day nursery upstairs and a room they had used for art. Michael came in and handed her a cup of tea, with toast spread with jam on the side.

"Thank you, darling," Edith said.

"You look lost in thought," Michael said. "A penny."

"I was just thinking how this house used to be for a widow and it will be again one day, but it seems happier, more alive with children in it."

"You'd like to add to our existence?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's too late now to think about that," Edith said.

"We're not that old and we're married now," Michael pointed out. "We could always go and find ourselves one or two."

"Michael, you can't be serious," Edith said. "We can't adopt."

"Why not?"

"Well, I've never thought of it," Edith said.

"Perhaps we should think about it," Michael replied. "We have a lot of offer."

"We'll think about it," Edith said indulgently. She reached into the bows of the tree and pulled out a gift for Michael. "Happy Christmas, darling."

He handed her a small gift and waited while she opened it. Edith opened the gift to find a locket inside. She opened it to reveal one side holding a picture of the two of them. The other side was empty.

"Are you trying to tell me something," she said smiling at Michael.

"I'm trying to tell you Happy Christmas. There is room in our hearts and you can fill it however you like," he said.

"You know what Mary will have to say," Edith said.

"Bolox on Mary's opinions," Michael replied.

"And Papa?"

"He only wants to see you happy as do I," Michael replied.

"You're incorrigible," Edith said.

"I'm in love. It goes with the territory," Michael replied.

-0-

Thomas Barrow wheeled in the cart with the tureen for the first course of the evening meal two days after Christmas. Their nine-room Inn, the Fisherman's Rest served only breakfast with the rooms. Dinner was available by special order. He and Abigail had both been surprised when they received six room bookings for the holidays. It turned out the Fisherman's Rest was a bit of a lonely-hearts club for the holiday season. Every one of the guests was retired or nearing retirement and had spent their lives working and never taken the opportunity to have a family. Now in their later years they had no desire to spend their Christmas alone and made a yearly pilgrimage to the Inn for the holiday season when the rates were lower and they could enjoy a chit chat and song or two around the fireplace rather than sit home alone and stare at the walls of their empty flat or cottage. The guests had all been pleasantly surprised with the formal service on fine china now offered in the dining room and the multicourse meals.

Abigail had been busy on her days off in Yorkshire before the move. She had made the rounds of the second hand shops and purchased china, linens and flatware cheaper than anything they would have been able to find down south. She'd been busy with the food purchasing as well and bought enough supplies to bring with them to see them through two months or more. They had closed the Inn for the first two weeks they were there, painted, scrubbed, rearranged furniture and fallen into bed every night exhausted but happy they were on their own and in their own home. Word was starting to spread of the formal dining room service they were offering and they had been filling their small dining room almost every evening with reservations. The prices weren't cheap, but the chance to dine like royalty was something people were lining up to try. Their hours were just as long as they had been at the Abbey and with hardly a break in guests, days off were few and far between. Thomas felt a freedom he'd never felt before not having to live under someone else's rule although he had no illusions it was his wife who was the real boss at their little Inn.

"What delights do you have in store for us tonight, Mr. Barrow?" one of the guests asked. He was an older man with a large bushy white mustache.

"Vichyssoise, followed by sautéed mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. The third course will be chicken Keiv with garden vegetables," Thomas replied. "Desert will be a surprise."

"How delightful," one of the ladies said. "I feel like I'm dining with royalty."

" 'Ere what's a veechy swa?" one of the guests asked.

"Cold potato leek soup made with a chicken stock. The recipe was published in the late 1800's in a French book called Royal Cookery although some people think the Americans invented it," a voice said from the side of the room.

Thomas couldn't help but smile when he heard his son's voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my son, Russell, home from college," Thomas said formally.

"Oh my, handsome just like his father," one of the women commented. She was wearing a hat with a feather on it that bobbed whenever she spoke. Curious eyes from around the formal table turned to look at Russell.

"Thank you, Miss Randolph," Thomas said with a smile in her direction.

"I'll go say hello to Mum and be back to help you serve, Dad," Russell said.

"Russell, we weren't expecting you for another hour or two," his mother said. She was busy at the stove with the next course. She dried her hands and placed them on his arms. "Let me look at you. Happy Christmas my boy." She looked at him for a moment. "You look tired," she said at last.

"I am a bit tired. Glad to have a few days off and be back with you," Russell said. "Happy Christmas, Mum. The place looks just grand and the dining room. Very posh."

"People like being treated like royalty even if just for a day," she said.

"Does Dad have a spare livery?"

"You don't need to work, your father will see to it."

"I can lend a hand, then we can sit and have a good visit when we're done for the night."

"You mean sit under the tree and open your gifts," Abigail said shaking her head at him with a smile on her face. His return smile was all she needed to know she had hit the nail on the head. "There's a spare livery in the closet over there. Be quick with you. I'll be sending the mussels and sauce out in a few minutes."

Russell came out of the store room wearing Thomas' spare tails. They didn't fit too badly as Russell was only a half inch taller.

"I'm every so glad your home," Abigail whispered to Russell. "Your father has been watching out the window for you all day."

"How about you Mum? Were you watching out the window as well?" Russell teased her. "Or were you too busy lording it over the guests now that you're the proprietress of a fine Inn."

"I think being your own boss has its advantages. I don't have to tell the temporary holiday staff a thing," she teased him back.

Thomas came in with the empty soup tureen.

Russell picked up the tray with the bowl of sauce while Thomas retrieved the mussels.

"Ready to do this Dad?" Russell asked.

"Just like the old days when you first lived with us," Thomas said. "Happy Christmas son."

"Happy Christmas, Dad," Russell replied before he followed his adoptive father back to the dining room and the ooh and awing guests.


	22. Coming Home Part II

Coming Home – Part II – Chapter 5 through 8

Chapter 5 – New Friends

Tom was keeping a close eye on Davin and Camilla over the course of Davin's seven day stay with them. When he'd spotted the two of the gazing at each other longingly during the gift opening it had been on the tip of his tongue to say something. In the end the two of them had sat together and held hands but hadn't tried to sneak off anywhere.

He'd spotted them another day with Camilla's book she kept her records in for her knitting business open on the dining room table and the two of them having what looked like a serious conversation, but he hadn't tried to interfere or eavesdrop. The pair of them seemed to be as infatuated with each other as ever, although there was a more serious edge to their relationship that had never been there before.

There was a local country-dance tomorrow night and they were all planning to go. The entire family loved to dance and he was hoping that if the locals could see that they were a family like anyone else's he would gain at least a bit of acceptance on the estate with the tenant farmers. So far his first few months at Eagle Cairn had reminded him of his early years as an Estate Agent at Downton without the authority of Lord Grantham to pave the way. He'd quickly learned there was no Farmer's Association on the estate. When he'd suggested to the local tenants they have a meeting to form an Association they had eyed him with suspicion. He'd tried to explain a monthly meeting would allow them to discuss issues they were all facing and help him address any problems that were estate wide more efficiently but they hadn't trusted his new fangled idea and only grudgingly shown up for the first meeting. They hadn't said much at the meeting and mostly listened to him talk. They'd elected a representative to be the chair and then all headed out of the meeting grumbling about a waste of time. He had another meeting scheduled for January and was hoping things would go better the second time around. He had to keep reminding himself over and over that it had taken years for him to be accepted at Downton. The true benefit of the Farmer's Association and inclusion of all the tenant farms hadn't happened until the Depression had hit and they had to rely on each other and turn to new ideas to make things work.

One issue he was going to bring up with Garth Maguire the owner was the lack of a medical facility of any kind on the estate. Ten miles into town by horseback was too far to go for anyone who was injured. There wasn't even a clinic with a doctor once or twice a week. It would be an easy enough thing to fix up one of the empty tenant cottages and give it over as a doctor's office and small clinic. The real difficulty was in the funding. The cottage hospital at Downton was funded by a Lord's trust and the ladies were forever fundraising for it. It was something Tom believed needed doing and would be a step in making the lives of the farmers and people living in the area better but it would be a massive undertaking and he wasn't really sure where to start.

His work in the next while would be to continue to plan out projects that needed doing and putting them in order. Really his life hadn't changed all that much from one job to the next, he did the same work, but he did miss Michael as a sounding board for his ideas and the edge and creativity Michael brought to different projects. He laughed slightly at himself. He could just see the looks on the tenant farmer's faces at the meeting in January if Michael was there with his British officer's accent. One word and they would bolt out the door and run for the hills. Whatever he came up with he was going to have to do it on his own.

-0-

"Da's put together a nice stable," Davin commented. He, Camilla, Sybil and Dylan were heading out for a ride and a bit of a tour around the local area for him. "There are some beautiful horses here."

"Da was buying a matching set of five," Dylan said. "They're all black and they're all Irish Hunters except for the cart horse. I think the groom picked them all out."

"They are nice horses," Sybil commented. "There are a lot of breeders in the area and racing is popular as well. I'm going to join a show jumping group when it gets going in March. Camilla doesn't want to come."

"I would but it costs to enter the shows and for the training," Camilla said. "I don't have a chance of winning anything either. You're a much better rider than I am."

"You think about money too much," Dylan stated while he was tightening the girth on his mount.

"When you don't have it you think about it more," Davin said solemnly. "You'll find out when you get to university." He exchanged a look with Camilla before he went around to boost her up onto her horse. Before he arrived he'd been wondering what they would have in common now. As soon as he'd seen her, the physical attraction was back as strong as ever. Over the last few days they had talked honestly about how they were both finding things and plans for the future. She had changed. She wasn't the giddy girl anymore she had been when he'd first become smitten with her although when she relaxed when she was playing a game or taking part in their Christmas sing along she was happy and looked at him with the same adoration she always had. He had been surprised when he'd seen how detailed she was about her small knitting business and her hopes to continue it as a sideline. She was talking about taking accounting next year at the university in Galway. His parents had promised she could stay with them next winter as well and there was a one year course that would qualify her to work in a payroll office or at a bank. She didn't have enough for the tuition yet, but she had made a careful plan of how much she would be able to make with her knitting and she was hoping to find a simple job for the summer. As long as she watched every penny, she would just cover the cost. It might take her all of next winter to raise the funds for a year if her plans didn't work out.

Camilla wouldn't even consider going for a full degree, as she couldn't see any way she could ever pay for it and she didn't want to burden his parents further. She was resolute and determined to make herself into someone she thought would be a suitable veterinarian's wife. She was still upset about her parents but she had pointed out to Davin they would have never allowed her to start a small business, nor would they have ever considered allowing her to take a university or college course. She was here now and learning to count Irish pounds was no different than learning to count British ones. She was determined to make the best of it.

"I have plenty to do," Camilla said. "I enjoy riding around the estate and that is enough for me right now."

"Mummy said you could. You need to make friends too," Sybil said.

"Camilla doesn't want to be a burden," Davin said stepping in for his fiancée.

"She still needs friends," Sybil insisted.

"I might join the choir at school. They practice at lunch," Camilla said. "I'm getting out of practice."

"You do sing well," Dylan said. "You're better at singing than the rest of us."

"Where are we going?" Davin asked.

"We'll go up the tallest hill around. You can just barely see the ocean in the distance if it's a clear day," Sybil said.

"Not much chance of that. It will probably rain this afternoon," Dylan said.

"As long as it doesn't snow," Davin replied. "I think all it ever does in Edinburgh is snow."

-0-

Russell got off the telephone with Redmond and went to locate Beth before she got off shift and went back to the dorm. The dormitory rules on the nursing course were so strict he doubted either Beth or Alice would receive a note if he left one at the front desk at their dorm. Redmond had said he, Nigel, Derek and Peter were twiddling their thumbs at his Uncle's since the family had packed up and gone to visit his Aunt Abigail. Redmond had stayed behind to study. The real reason was his mother and Aunt didn't get along and he couldn't stand the woman either. Their medical school was all male and they would love to meet some girls their own age at the moment. The four of them were practically climbing the walls with boredom, rattling around the house. They made arrangements to meet at a pub that was half way between the two schools. If Russell couldn't find the girls, they would get together anyway and catch up.

"You're back early," Beth said when Russell found her counting supplies behind the nursing desk on the pediatric ward.

"Shift first thing tomorrow," he replied. "Look, my friends and I are getting together at a pub later. They wondered if some of the girls from the course might like to come out with us?"

"What kind of friends are they?" Beth asked.

"Four normal blokes who are all medical students," Russell replied.

"Five single men, that will be popular," Beth said.

"I'm not exactly single," Russell corrected her. "But the others are."

"Time?"

Russell told her the time they were meeting.

"Meet us across the street from our dorm at eight," she said. "Curfew isn't until midnight. They've made the great concession for the holidays. We usually are locked up tighter than a drum by nine unless we're on shift."

"Student Nurse Beldon, I wasn't aware you were on shift," the Matron said when she saw Russell and Beth chatting.

"Not until morning, Matron. I was just sharing some news with Student Nurse Wilson," Russell replied.

"Whatever it is can wait," Matron said.

"Yes, it can wait until later," Russell replied.

Beth winked at him behind Matron's back before he left.

Russell was waiting for the girls at the appointed time. Beth, Alice, Ida and another girl Emma who always reminded him of a mouse looking for cover came across the road to and waved at him to join them down the block.

"We told the dorm matron we were going to church," Alice said with a titter.

Beth put her hands together as if she were praying. "Oh Lord, let one of the young men I meet tonight take my fancy," she joked.

"How was the visit to your parents?" Ida asked Russell.

"They are happy in their new place. It was a good visit," Russell said.

"Tell us more about your friends we're going to meet," Beth said.

"Redmond is my sweetheart's older brother. He's the same age as me. Nigel is from Northern England. He's a little older, twenty or twenty-one I think and I'm quite sure Peter is originally from Wales and about the same age as Nigel. He taught me how to drive. Derek, well he's just Derek."

"We want to know if they're handsome," Emma said, she giggled then pressed her lips to together.

"How would I know?" Russell replied with a furrowed brow. "They're blokes."

Ida put a hand over her mouth and faked a cough to hide her smile. There had been considerable discussion on the first few months of the course as to whether or not Russell preferred girls or boys. It was rather obvious he wasn't interested in men even though he had chosen a profession that was mostly women.

They took the tube, then made their way to the pub. The place was crowded. Russell's height made it easy to spot his friends at a table towards the back. They squashed their way through the crowd to the table. He greeted his friends then introduced the girls.

"Very nice to meet you," Redmond said. With his looks and posh accent he had all four girls hanging on his every word the second he opened his mouth. "We're all third year," he said once the drinks had arrived. "We won't have more than a week or so off here and there for the next two and a half years. After that, who knows?"

"Russell said you were the same age," Emma said in confusion.

"We are," Redmond replied. "I'm what six or seven months older than you?"

"Something like that," Russell replied. "Have you heard from Sybil?"

"She wrote a long letter about the new hunters. Horses, horses and did I mention she wrote about horses?" Redmond said in disgust. "I'm going over for a week this summer. Why don't you come along?"

"I can't afford to gadding off to the Free State for a week," Russell replied. "Anytime I get off I'll go down and give my parents a hand."

"It's not like I'll have a job these next few years," Redmond said. "I'm planning to work my passage on a fishing boat."

"Like you need to work," Nigel ribbed him. "Mr. my Dad's a farmer and Granddad works for the government."

"My father is a farmer and my grandfather does work for the government," Redmond said kicking Nigel under the table.

"Maybe I'll come. Depends on when you're going," Russell said.

The girls all drug the men onto the dance floor as soon as there was music. Going out was too rare a treat for them since they had started their course. They didn't want to waste a minute of their freedom. All of them including Ida were clamoring to dance with Redmond. Peter who counted himself more of a ladies man finally managed to divert Alice's attention.

Before Russell and the girls left, Peter had talked Redmond into inviting the group to the house for a bit of a New Year's party. Everyone had class starting on the second so the men promised it wouldn't go too late.

"Can't I'm on the late shift," Russell said.

"We'll have to be back for midnight," Beth pouted a bit. "But we can come earlier and pretend the clock has struck twelve when it's really ten."

"What do we need to bring?" Alice asked.

"Nothing, he's got a coo…" Peter started then went silent with a glare from Redmond.

"He means to say my Uncle has a fairly large house, but whatever you can bring would be appreciated," Redmond said. "Derek should be back in town by then as well."

"We'll see what we can find for nibbles," Beth said. "Boys are in charge of the drinks."

"That works," Nigel agreed. Redmond wrote out the address and gave it to her.

"Those are some very fine girls," Peter commented once Russell had left with the group of student nurses.

"Just don't make a mess in the house and mind your manners," Redmond cautioned his friends.

"Come on. You can't tell us you haven't been thinking about getting some," Peter said.

"After this term on maternity rounds and watching what comes out, you're still thinking about putting anything in," Redmond said ruefully.

"It was rather nauseating. I almost passed out at that breach birth," Nigel said. "Doesn't make anything else too appealing."

"You two are such a pair of Mummy's boys," Peter razzed them. "A little feminine attention puts hair on your chest."

"I think I have sufficient," Redmond said. "You lot organize the drinks. This party was your idea."

-0-

"These girls are strange," Bradley said to his older brother Davin at the dance they were at with their parents. "They sit on the side and dance with each other but the don't want to dance with us."

"Probably think you'll step on their feet," Davin replied.

"I'll dance with you Bradley, then they'll see what they're missing," Camilla said. Sybil was already dancing with Dylan.

"Tom, none of the local children are dancing with any of ours. What's going on?" Rose said to him.

"Might be the English accents," Tom replied quietly. "They're country folk, a lot of them don't care for the English. You're friends are all upper or upper middle class who go over to London or visit relations in England at least once a year. Completely different mind set."

"None of the children are having any trouble at school," Rose said with a slight frown.

"Same thing. Different class. They're all in private school. If they went to a public school or a village school, things would be a lot different. You notice the couple renting the main house isn't here with their family either."

"It's frustrating," Rose said.

"Well dance another three or four and then call it a night."

The dancing shifted to reels. Tom and Rose got some cool smiles when they joined the different lines but no one refused to dance with them.

"This is boring," Garret complained to Bradley. "We can play better than the band."

"I know," Bradley said. "There's two girls over there staring at Dylan at least he might get to dance."

The two boys snuck to the door to see what was going on outside. Garret's ears perked up.

"I hear something," he said. He followed the sound down a hallway until they came to a back room where they found a group of boys playing an Irish tune on tin whistle, a mandolin and a drum. They stopped the moment they saw Bradley and Garret. Garret produced his tin whistle out of an inner pocket and started to play the same tune they had been playing. He never went to a dance without some instrument along.

"How do you know that?" one of the boys asked him.

"Heard you," Garret replied.

"You going to tell?"

"Tell who?" Bradley asked. "We're usually the ones who get in trouble for playing in the intermissions when we're not supposed to."

The boys looked at them cautiously then started to play the tune again. Garret joined in while Bradley watched the boy on the drum. It wasn't long and Bradley was trying the drum, the other boy corrected him a few times during the tune.

"Too bad we don't have a piano," Bradley said.

"You two are pretty good," one of the boys said.

"Can you come over tomorrow? We could teach you some songs we know and you could teach us a few," Garret said. "Our brothers and sister play violin and flute. Davin's home so we have two who can play flute."

"Aren't you the Estate Agent's kid? We can't go there," one of the boys said.

"Why not?" Bradley asked. "I can't bring the piano to you. If I get one of those drums I could carry it. The piano is too big."

"It's called a Bodhran," one of the boys said in disgust. "Besides what do English kids know about Irish music?"

"We're half Irish," Garret informed him. "I know a lot about music. Can you play this?" He played a tune the other boys had never heard before. They slowly joined in adding traditional rhythms to the piece he was playing.

"Where did you learn that?" one boy asked him.

"Made it up," Garret said with a shrug. "Not so hard when you know how."

"If you come over Davin probably won't want to play any music. He's too busy making his sick face at Camilla," Bradley said making a lovesick soopy face.

All of the boys laughed.

"Won't your Mam get mad?" one of them asked.

"She won't care as long as I don't practice bagpipes in the house. I usually have to go out to the stable," Garret said.

Tom came down the hallway looking for Bradley and Garret.

"Boys we're off," he said.

"Coming Da," Bradley said. His father nodded to the other boys before he left.

"Come over at one. Our sister made Dylan's favorite cakes and hid them so he wouldn't eat them all, but I know where she put them," Garret said.

"We'll see ya," one of the boys replied.

"We can't go over there. Me Mam will skin me alive," one of the boys said after Bradley and Garret had left.

"When's the last time you ate a cake?" the first boy said.

"Can't remember," the second one replied.

"Well, I'm going. I want one," the first boy said.

"Me too," the other one said.

"Alright. A cake would be worth a licking, " the second one agreed finally.

Chapter 6 – Drawing Room Guests

"What do you three want?" Mrs. O'Rinn asked the boys who had knocked at the back door the next day. They were a shabby looking lot. They looked to be either ten or eleven years old. She had her hands on her hips and was looking down her nose at them. One of the boys opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Suddenly Garret stuck his head around Mrs. O'Rinn.

"Hi, come on in," he said. "Mrs. O'Rinn we'd like milk and biscuits in the drawing room at two please."

"You're not taking this lot in my clean drawing room," Mrs. O'Rinn said indignantly.

"They'll wash their hands first," Garret said. "Besides it's Mummy's drawing room, not yours."

"Yes, Master Garret," she replied being put firmly in her place.

"Bradley's getting everyone together," he told the boys. "Better wash your hands before we play. If I get dirty finger prints on the piano my mother makes me polish it all day." He rolled his eyes. "What are your names anyway? I'm Garret."

"Connall, Lollan and Bryan," Connall said pointing to the other two boys. Garret led them through the house after the boys washed their hands in the back washroom.

"This is Dylan and you already met Bradley," Garret introduced when the got to the drawing room. "Sybil plays flute and that's my brother Davin. He's old."

"Still play flute better than you do," Davin informed him.

"You wish," Garret replied before he introduced the three boys. All three boys were staring at their surroundings with large eyes.

"What do you know how to play?" Davin asked. "You have to watch out for our youngest brother he always takes over."

"I pretty much do," Garret agreed. "Play something and we'll join in."

The boys found seats on the hassocks that had been pulled up near the piano and started to play. Pretty soon everyone had joined in and was playing the simple reel. They immediately moved into another one. Tom heard the sound of extra instruments and came to see what was going on.

"Hi Da, this is Connall, Lollan and Bryan. They came over to play with us," Bradley said.

"Hello boys. Just don't tire them out," he said to Garret.

"We only just started," Garret groaned.

Tom laughed and wandered off in the house.

"Your parents really don't care we're here?" Lollan asked.

"No. I don't know what you're so worried about," Bradley said. "We've played this jig before see if you know it." He played a tune on the piano.

It wasn't long and Camilla came down to join them.

"I don't know any Irish folk songs," she said.

"Here's a book," Dylan said producing one from their collection of sheet music. "Does everyone know this song?" he pointed to one in the book. He got a round of nods.

Camilla picked up the book and read the words over. He played a few bars for her until she nodded her head.

She sang the lyrics while the other's played.

"Lovely," Rose said from the doorway. "You should sing more often Camilla."

"Thank you Lady Rose," Camilla said.

"Mrs. Branson when we're in Ireland," Rose corrected her for about he hundredth time. "Mrs. O'Rinn is just about to bring some drinks through. You may offer your friends a chocolate from the box under the tree Garret. Don't eat too many and get sick and don't get chocolate on the piano."

"Yes, Mummy," Garret replied.

"I'll get the cakes. No peeking Dylan," Sybil said.

The three visiting boys had their eyes wide. They barely ever got toffees let alone chocolates and no one except the housekeeper seemed to care they were here.

"Water please," Camilla said when the housekeeper brought a tray through and set it on a side table. "Milk gums up my throat so I can't sing."

"I'll get it," Davin said.

"We need a bodhran," Bradley said. "I wonder where I can get one."

"That one's my Grandda's," Bryan said. "My da plays it too."

"That's the worst part about moving," Bradley said. He picked up the bodhran and tried a few experimental taps. "You don't know where anything is or where to find stuff. We haven't even found a good fishing spot yet."

"You like to fish?" Connall asked.

"They do," Sybil said wrinkling up her nose.

"What do posh kids like to do?" Connall asked. "We've never met any before."

He accepted a small fancy plate from Sybil with an elaborate cake on it. He held the plate carefully in both hands so it wouldn't break.

"Play music, fish, go swimming and riding and play cricket, normal stuff," Garret said.

"I like to fish but I hardly ever get to. I always have chores," Lollan said.

"We do too. We got to go fishing more back in England because Sybil needed a chaperone," Dylan made kissing sounds at his sister.

"Do you want me to stop making you cakes?" she asked. He stopped quickly.

"We used to go swimming and fishing a lot in the summers after everyone had their work done for the day," Sybil said. She handed Connall a napkin when he got icing stuck on his fingers.

"Time for one or two more songs," Davin said. "Then I've got some reading to do."

The boys spent most of the afternoon playing one song or another. Camilla sang a few more songs with them before she went back upstairs to work on her card writing.

"Wonders never cease," Rose said to Tom as they watched the boys leave later that afternoon.

"Small steps, Rose," Tom replied. He had his arm around her and was watching the boys make their way down the lane. "They'll accept us eventually. It's going to take time."

"Did we do the right thing by coming here?" she asked.

"Time will tell," he said.

-0-

The front door bell rang at exactly seven o'clock on New Year's Eve. Redmond raced to the door with Derek right behind him. The butler turned around and headed back down stairs when he saw the pair of them. They opened the door to find six female nursing students standing on the doorstep holding a variety of plates of biscuits, cake, a block of cheese and one with a jar of pickles.

"Hello, again," Redmond said. "Won't you come in?"

"Don't mind if we do," Beth answered. She was always chatty and the self appointed spokesperson.

"This is a really nice place," Alice said. All of the girls had their heads on swivels looking around the entrance.

"It's my uncle's. He's a lawyer. He does quite well for himself," Redmond said.

Beth introduced the other girls. Redmond took their coats and deliberately covered the family coat of arms with the royal seal with them.

"Sitting room is this way," he said. "There's a side table for the food and drinks."

"Now this is a sitting room," Emma said. The grand piano was gleaming in the muted light given off by the lamps artfully placed around the room. The men had hung a garland over the large portrait of the Second Marquess of Flintshire making the portrait look as though it had a giant fuzzy mustache.

"Lovely, job of decorating," Alice said eyeing the portrait.

"He makes you nervous when he isn't covered up," Peter said gesturing at the portrait. "Who wants a cocktail?"

The radio was on and everyone had a drink. They played charades and a few other games. One of the girls played a tune or two on the piano. Her playing made Redmond wince slightly but the drink he had took the edge of the torturous sound.

"We need a few clean glasses," Nigel said. He was about to pull the cord for the butler when Redmond motioned him not to. "On second thought I'll go get some," Nigel said.

"I'll come help," Emma added.

"There's some in the closet off the dining room," Redmond said quickly to stop them from going downstairs. He had told the butler he would only require him upstairs if he rang. The last thing he wanted was a butler hanging around looking down his nose at everyone. Emma went bouncing off behind Nigel looking quite taken with herself.

"Are you treating patients yet?" Emily asked Redmond while they were waiting for Nigel to get back. Alice was hanging on Peter over to the side of the room and the rest of the girls were getting ready to play another game with Derek.

"No, observing on rounds," Redmond said. "No hands on yet. What have they got you doing?"

"Bandage rolling 101 and how to stick an orange with a needle," Emily replied with a slight laugh.

"So nothing too ghastly then," Redmond replied. "The last part of the term was maternity. I think they were trying to put us off our Christmas dinners."

"Babies are precious," Emily said shifting slightly closer to Redmond.

"After they've come out and nothing has gone wrong," Redmond replied. "I wonder where Nigel has gotten off to."

"You really don't know?" Emily asked him.

"Well, I... never mind," Redmond said. His cheeks turned pink. He glanced at the clock to see it was nine-thirty. He was starting to sweat slightly. Emily was looking at him as though he were a bonbon she would like to take a bite out of. "Shouldn't we join the others?"

"Only room for four in the game they're playing," Emily said shrugging her shoulders.

"Well um, I'll just freshen up everyone's drinks," Redmond said dashing over to the sideboard. He made a mental note never to let his friends talk him into this again. He much preferred meeting girls that came over when his Aunt and Uncle were entertaining. He took up a position near the game once he had the glasses filled. Emily was still eyeing him.

"Oh, almost ten o'clock, our sort of New Years," Beth said. Redmond cringed when she went to the expensive mantle clock that Redmond knew had to be at least two hundred years old and pushed the hands forward so it read coming to twelve. "Time to choose who you're going to kiss when the clock strikes twelve."

"I know, we'll spin the bottle and see who we get," Emily said. She was advancing on Redmond. He quickly ducked over between two of the other girls.

"Maybe we should just turn out the lights," Ida suggested.

"Good idea," Derek said. He went over to the light switch. One of the girls followed him. That left two advancing on Redmond. Ida was standing off to the side a bit to his left. He thought this is how a rabbit must feel with a pack of hungry fox advancing on it. The clock started to chime. Derek switched off the lights.

"Happy New Year," everyone cried. Redmond reached out to the left since he knew Emily was to his right and grabbed the first girl he could and planted a kiss on her lips. He could feel a pair of hands pulling on him from the other side but he ignored them and kept kissing the girl he had ahold of. Derek finally flipped the lights back on. Emily had a pout on her face, Ida was standing there looking stunned while the other girl looked slightly disappointed.

Nigel and Emma finally made an appearance.

"What did we miss?" Emma asked.

"Not much. Time for one more game?" Derek said.

"We've got to head back before the trains shut down," Alice said. She was playing with the dimple on Peter's chin.

"No need," Redmond said pulling the cord for the butler. "I'll have the chauffeur bring the car around. He's about somewhere."

"The chauffeur?" Ida inquired.

"Yes, my uncle's chauffeur. I usually take the tube. It's faster, but we wouldn't want you girls catching a chill or arriving late," Redmond said.

The butler entered the room and waited by the door.

"Jennings have the car brought around for the ladies in a few minutes," Redmond said.

"Very well, Sir. Do you require anything else?"

"If you could see to the coats in a few minutes?" Redmond said.

"Yes, Sir," the butler replied.

"I think I'll ride back with you and make sure you girls get back safely," Peter said. "Any of the rest of you lot coming?"

"I'll come along. Wouldn't want you to have all the fun," Nigel said. The girls all giggled and headed for the hall. Ida was still looking dazed.

Once they got everyone out of the door, Redmond went back to the drawing room. He carefully corrected the time on the clock and started picking up.

"That was fun," Derek said.

"I'm never letting you lot talk me into something like that again," Redmond said. The butler entered to collect a tray of dirty glasses. "Jennings if any of those young women stop by in future, I'm not home."

"Very good, Sir," the butler replied.

"What's eating you?" Derek asked him while he was pulling the garland off the portrait.

"They weren't my cup of tea is all," Redmond said. "I think I kissed the engaged one and they almost broke my aunt's prize clock."

"You'll have to pick a girl eventually," Derek said. "Why can't you just relax about it?"

"Because I want someone who isn't like that," Redmond said. "I felt like the worm on the end of a hook."

"Well, what kind of a girl do you want?"

"Someone who is more reserved."

"Where do you plan to find that?"

"I'm not sure," Redmond said plunking the last of the plates on a pile and picking them up to go down stairs.

Chapter 7 – Edith's News

"Camilla, you have a letter," Tom said in late January when the children got home from school.

"From Davin?" she asked while she was taking off her heavy coat.

"The postmark says York," he replied handing her the envelope. She tore it open quickly. Everyone gathered around to hear the news.

"It's from my brother," she said breaking out in a smile. "I sent his Christmas card in care of the university. He says he was very happy to hear from me and hopes we can get together if I visit England." The tears were running down her cheeks.

"That's very good news," Tom said patting her shoulder. Sybil hugged her.

Camilla nodded and folded the letter.

"I'm going to keep trying Mr. Branson. One day they'll respond," she said.

"In the meantime, chores, homework and all the rest that makes up your day," Tom said reassuringly. "That goes for everyone."

He went back into the study after speaking to the rest of his children to pack a satchel. He had a meeting with the newly formed Farmer's Association that evening and he was hoping to make at least some headway with them. He had some ideas for new crops that would turn a good profit as long as they had a good growing season. He had an feeling the tenant farmers would resist the changes he was trying to bring about if his previous dealings with them were anything to go by.

He did have one good piece of information he wanted to share with them. He had heard back from Garth Maguire and received the go ahead to advertise for a local doctor. Garth was in the process of setting up a trust and was canvasing donors. If everything went off without any problems and they could find a doctor willing to work in a rural community they would have someone in place that summer. There was a shortage of doctors in Ireland. They may be able to find someone from the United Kingdom or Europe, but the way the locals were reacting to his English family it could make finding someone willing to stay difficult.

The weather was cold and rainy but he decided to forego the comfort of his automobile in favor of taking a horse. Very few of the farmers if any would arrive at the pub for the meeting in automobiles and there was little point in emphasizing the difference in rank. He pulled on a heavy rain slicker over his suit and overcoat and tied a slicker for his horse behind his saddle in case there wasn't a spot in the shed behind the pub for his horse.

"Tom, I wish you would take the car. You're going to catch cold," Rose said. She was just on the way into the house. She had been to visit at the main house.

"I'll be fine and it's only a short ride," he said. "Camilla got a letter from her brother today."

"You can be too stubborn for your own good," she scolded not to be deflected. "We have a perfectly good automobile. You should use it and yes, it is good news Camilla has finally heard from somebody."

"I'm not the Lord of the manor," he retorted.

"No you're the manager and an automobile is a tool. One you should use when it is raining," she said. "You're being old fashioned and ridiculous. How do you expect people to accept change if you don't use modern conveniences yourself? I'm having enough trouble trying to convince the housekeeper the electric wringer is just as good as a hand cranked one. I caught her the other day using an old hand cranked wringer on the laundry. She said it got more water out of the sheets. Honestly!"

Tom leaned his head against the saddle. He hated it when Rose was right but she made perfect sense. The last thing he needed at the moment was to catch a chill. He'd had a bad cold last spring with a cough he'd had a devil of a time shaking. He'd finally gone to the doctor to find out he had bronchitis. The doctor had warned him to avoid chills the next winter and getting a cold that could lead to pneumonia as the bronchitis had weakened his lungs and with his heart murmur he would be in serious trouble.

"Fine, I'll take the car," Tom said. He started to undo the girth on the saddle.

"Tom, we have a groom for that," Rose said tapping her foot.

"You're right we do," he agreed. He knew when he was beaten. He took his rain slicker off, hung it on a peg on the wall, gave Rose a quick kiss and went to find Sean.

Rose headed into the house and collected a large handful of mail to go through while she sat by the fire to warm up. Tom always left the family correspondence to her to look after as well as the social invitations. He only opened a letter if it was from one of their sons. Today there was a letter from Davin thanking them for the spending money they had sent back with him and to say he was starting to put in for summer jobs. There was a large list posted at the university and he would also contact the vet he had worked for the previous summer. There were a few social invitations, Rose put to the side to answer. The last letter on the pile was from Edith. Rose couldn't believe the news. She stood up in excitement and then sat back down. Edith and Michael were planning to come for a visit next month and they would be bringing a baby with them. They were hoping to adopt a newborn and come straight to Eagle Cairn to visit. Edith would stay for an extended visit for two or three months and when she returned to England with a baby no one other than the family would be the wiser the child wasn't theirs.

Rose was ecstatic Edith was coming to visit. She hadn't realized before how homesick she was for England and members of her own family. She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask Edith and they would need another servant's room prepared for the visiting nanny. Rose quickly penned a reply and put it into an envelope. She left it open incase there was anything Tom wanted to add, then went to find the housekeeper and give her instructions on preparing a nursery and another servant's room for the nanny.

-0-

"Edith, I wish you would give up this foolish notion," Rosamund said. "People of our class simply don't adopt." They were having a family luncheon. Everyone was seated in the library.

"Michael and I want to have a family," Edith responded. "I'm too old to have a baby. I've spoken to the doctor and he said women of my age often have difficulty with a first pregnancy. I don't see the issue. No child of mine stands to inherit anything other than my allowance, if such a thing exists when they get older."

"I'm not a fan of adoption but I don't want to see Edith taking unnecessary risks with her health," Robert said. "I wouldn't care for adopting an older child. I can't see the harm in an infant if it is an English child. It won't know any different than what it is taught."

"We aren't going to lie about the baby's origins but we aren't going to advertise them either," Michael commented. "Edith will be gone three or for months and people will draw their own conclusions."

"You honestly think no one will catch on when you suddenly return to Downton with a baby and a nanny?" Mary said. "How do you expect a child you pluck from an orphanage to have the breeding to carry off our lifestyle?"

"Mary, Tom and Rose's oldest two are adopted and they've fit into our lifestyle well. Need I remind you Redmond is living with Lord and Lady Newtonmore in London and he is having no issue whatsoever," Edith said.

"I hope you're not getting into something you'll regret," Cora said. "You've never taken care of an infant."

"Mama, neither have any of the rest of you," Edith said. "It will only be from the orphanage to Tom and Rose's residence. Rose will have a nanny secured when we arrive."

"Oh, for the days when you had your ladies maid along," Rosamund said. "Mine could always see to the children in a pinch."

"How do you know they'll be a newborn available?" Anthony asked. He hadn't said anything one way or the other on the subject.

"Apparently, the orphanage we have been in contact with in Liverpool says they have a newborn almost every week. We'll contact them right before we leave and make sure there is a baby available. Everything has been approved. All that needs to happen is we sign the final papers and meet the child," Michael said. "They're so overcrowded they are more than willing to be accommodating."

"I still don't care for the idea," Mary sniffed.

"Like it or not, Mary, it's Michael and my decision and you will have to live with it," Edith said.

"You've been very quite on the subject Anthony," Lord Grantham commented.

"I don't like to contradict my wife," Anthony said. "I have to agree with Edith and Michael. Their child will not inherit a title or any part of the estate. As far as that goes, they wouldn't if they were Edith and Michael's natural child. I can't see the harm in it. The child won't know it's common, as long as we don't let on, no one else will either."

"This family is getting more diluted all the time," Mary said still holding on for the last word.

"The line is what counts, Mary," Robert said. "The line and the estate."

"As does society," Anthony commented. "A baby is no threat to our society, as I said before it won't know the difference. It's not like that boy that Sybil was interested in while she lived here. He'll never fit in and there is no way he could ever dine with us or be part of the family."

"Sybil is headstrong like her mother. Let's hope the distance makes a difference and that is the end of things," Cora said.

"Not a word on the subject when you're in Ireland," Rosamund cautioned Edith and Michael. "It will only make her more determined."

"You've all changed your tunes since I was young," Mary said. "If I'd have ever glanced sideways at a footman Granny would have raised the roof."

"Did it do one bit of good with your sister?" Robert inquired. "We keep silent on the subject and pray she comes to her senses before she brings a chauffeur home."

-0-

The nursing instructor announced a half hour break for lunch. Russell stood up and grabbed his jacket from the hook on the wall in the classroom for the walk back to his dorm for lunch. The minute he stepped outside the classroom Alice and Emma came up to him.

"Who is your girlfriend, really?" Alice asked. Emma giggled and put her hand over her mouth.

"Why do you want to know?" Russell asked them.

"Her brother lives in a posh house in an exclusive district and his friends won't say a word about who he is," Alice said. "We were out with Peter and Nigel on Saturday and neither of them will tell."

"My girlfriend's name is Sybil and she moved to the Free State at the end of August with her parents. Redmond is her brother and we've all been friends since we were little," Russell said. "If he wants to tell you something about himself he will, otherwise he won't."

"You're no fun at all," Alice pouted.

"Did you have a nice time with Peter and Nigel?" Russell inquired.

"Quite lovely," Emma said then giggled again.

"Peter is ever so nice. I'm ever so glad you introduced us," Alice said. "Beth is dead gone on Derek."

"I'm happy you're getting along. I have to get to lunch, if you'll excuse me," Russell said. "It's quite a bit further to the men's dorm from here than to the women's." He hurried off out the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since the group of girls had gone to the New Year's party at Redmond's, he'd been side stepping hints for information about Redmond and Sybil. The girls on his course all seemed nice enough but they were a lot more gossipy than Russell was used to. Sybil never gossiped or fished for information like these girls did. Her upbringing with Lady Rose and the other ladies at the house had been much too strict for anything so gauche and his adoptive mother was quiet and reserved. His training living with them had been to keep whatever he overheard or knew about the family to himself. His parents sometimes had discussed things going on amongst themselves but never with outsiders. The boys at grammar school had talked about cricket and fishing and cars and any number of things. They knew he lived and worked part-time at a grand house but not a one of them could have cared less. It hadn't prepared him one bit for the gossiping and insular society of a bunch of girls locked up in a dorm with nothing better to do than gossip in their free time.

Russell didn't see how any of them had time to go out on Saturday. He'd done laundry, studied, gone for a walk to get some air and then back to study. By the time he wrote a long letter to Sybil, did his laundry and ironing and done a shift at the hospital on Sunday it was time to start the week all over again Monday morning.

He was thinking over the prospect of going to the Free State with Redmond for a week. If they didn't spend too much and did the trip on the cheap as Redmond suggested it could be a lark and a welcome break from the stress he was feeling from the course. The pace was difficult and failing tests wasn't accepted. So far he had scored fairly high on his exams and was on track. There were others who were faltering on the course as the work and study intensified and the numbers of the class were continuing to drop. The government had brought in a new standard that meant he would be graduating as a registered nurse. There were also advanced course available for an additional six months that gave certification in midwifery, anesthesia, clinical and surgical nursing.

Russell had chuckled to himself when the instructor handed out the pamphlets on the advanced course and dropped the one for midwifery on his desk along with the others. He could just imagine the look on some poor woman's face when the doctor sent the nurse in to check her progress during labor and a man walked in the door. Anesthesia or surgical nursing appealed to him a lot more, but stretching out his small pile of savings to cover another six months would take some thought.

He quickly checked the front desk at his dorm, pocketed the letters from his mother and Sybil and headed for the dining room. He ate his lunch and headed back to class. He was rather regretting introducing some of his classmates to his friends. He couldn't help but overhear their gossip about their boyfriends. When those boyfriends happened to be friends of his it was more information than he wanted to know.

Chapter 8 – Answer the Question

"Stop bloody pouting," Derek said. "Old Professor Henderson has put us all on the spot. You're not the first he chucked out of rounds and you won't be the last."

"But I should have known the answer," Redmond huffed. "It wasn't fair. We haven't even covered Dressler's syndrome and it's rare. We'll probably never see another case as long as we live. How the hell was I supposed to know all the symptoms?"

"The same way I was supposed to know all the symptoms and treatments for Lupus and the correct dosages for the medications last week. I'll never bloody forget them now. It's a head game. He picked something you couldn't possibly know on purpose. Old bugger probably spent a year searching for a case that would stump you, wonder boy."

"Don't' bloody call me that," Redmond groused. "I'm not a boy any longer.

"Still look like a wet behind the ears, virgin, Mummy's boy to me," Peter said coming to sit with the other two before class began.

"Piss off," Redmond said testily.

"Henderson really got to you didn't he?" Peter said gleefully.

"No you are. I'm not a Mummy's boy," Redmond stated. "Besides I'm not the only virgin at this table."

"How do you know that?" Derek asked.

"Easy, the French letter Peter always carries in his wallet is the same one that's been there ever since I've known him. I saw it when he paid for tea yesterday during the break. It's so old the foil on the packet is crumbling," Redmond said moodily.

Derek laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair when Peter's face turned bright red. Peter was forever bragging about his prowess with the opposite sex. He obviously wasn't as good with women as he let on.

"Like you've ever gotten any," Peter said to Derek kicking his chair to make him fall off.

"You'll never know," Derek said still laughing and pulling his chair straight.

"What's your opinion about him?" Peter asked Redmond while pointing at Derek.

"Last week Dr. McRoy was examining that woman's breasts while we accompanied him on rounds. Remember she had a cyst on her lymph node, right side, he ordered a biopsy? From the protruding eyes, heightened respiration and flush on a certain lads cheeks, I'd say that's the first set of breasts he's ever seen that weren't on a cadaver," Redmond said seriously.

It was Derek's turn to go pale while Peter laughed at his expense. Nigel joined them but there wasn't time to chat as the class was set to begin. By the end of class Redmond was wondering what had ever induced him to go to medical school. He left the class once it was dismissed with a dark cloud hanging over his head.

"What the bloody hell kind of quiz was that?" Nigel said when they left the class.

"A bleeding hard one. What do you think?" Derek responded. He wasn't in the best mood either. The professor had thrown a surprise quiz at them. He hadn't known a full answer on the entire page. He doubted anyone else in the class had either. Even Redmond who normally sailed along without any problems in the surprise quizzes looked like he was living under a thundercloud.

"I'll see you all later," Redmond mumbled as he pulled on his coat and headed out into the chilly half-light of a cloudy late winter afternoon. _"I've really had a day of it,"_ he thought. _"First Henderson stumps me and then I go and fail a test." _He'd never not known the answers before in his life. He'd stared at the questions and the answers just wouldn't come.

Redmond headed to the underground station. When he got there he took a different train than he normally did and headed for the nursing school where Russell was staying. He had an overwhelming urge to find his father's old motorcycle and take it for a ride. He was hoping he'd be able to hunt Russell down and borrow the old bike for a bit. It would feel even better to take it apart, but he didn't have a garage full of tools like he did back home.

"Home," he huffed out loud. He didn't feel like he had a real home any longer. Mummy and Da were in the Free State and he wasn't really a relation at the Abbey. Not in the real sense. They were Mummy's cousins and he didn't feel like he could go there on his own, besides the thought of a steady diet of Cousin Elizabeth even for a day or two was not a treat he wanted. Uncle James and Aunt Victoria's house was more like a waiting room in a grand hotel than a house. It was so formal he had to hide half the antiques before he'd had the lads come over to stay at Christmas.

He finally arrived at Russell's school then found a school directory. He had to try two dorm buildings before he found the right one. The attendant at the desk called upstairs. It wasn't long and Russell came bounding down the enameled staircase.

"Redmond, what are you doing here?" Russell said smiling. "It's good to see you, but I'm a bit surprised."

"Rough day. I was wondering if I could take the bike for a spin," Redmond said.

"Can't. I took it to Mum and Dad's at Christmas. It's in the shed at their place until summer. You can't ride in the dark anyway and it looks like it's going to snow."

"Damn," Redmond swore under his breath.

"You look like hell."

"Rough day," Redmond said.

"Had any dinner?"

"No. I wanted to go for a ride. I need some air."

"Let's go eat. I'd say go out, but I've got to be on shift in an hour and a half. We can have five guests a year here. Who am I going to invite? I don't know anyone else in the city."

Redmond nodded his acceptance. Russell introduced him to a few of the other men at the table once they were seated and the meal was being served.

"You thought any more about going to the Free State this summer?" Russell asked him.

"Haven't had time," Redmond replied. "I've got two weeks from the last exam to the start of class after the end of term."

"I should work, but I want to see your sister," Russell said with a slight sigh. "I wouldn't mind blowing off a little steam as well."

"You want to go then?"

"A little adventure couldn't hurt," Russell said. "I almost always work. I'm feeling a little worn thin at the moment."

"I know the feeling," Redmond said.

Russell's roommate came in and practically fell into his chair.

"Sorry, I'm late lads," he said. Russell introduced his roommate, Walter Grimes a resident medical student.

"What year are you in?" Redmond asked him.

"Fifth, and yourself?" Walter asked.

"Third. It was rather a rough day," Redmond said.

"You'll have worse," Walter said knowingly.

"You're a ray of sunshine today," Russell said.

"Half an hour to eat and back for another ten hours. I've been retched on twice so far today, spat on, kicked in the shins, had an old lady grab my behind and watched a man die and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. It was enough to make me want to quit, but I'll go back in another fifteen minutes and put up with another ten hours and then do it again after six hours or so of sleep."

"Lovely," Russell commented.

"Like the fun house at a fair. You don't know what's behind the next door," Walter said. He ate the rest of his meal as quickly as he could and headed back out the door.

"I better get a move on and let you get to your shift," Redmond said.

"Don't be a stranger," Russell replied. "I'm a little tired of a steady diet of feminine company in my classes at the moment."

"I'll call you when I get time to take a breath. You can come over and we can play a few rounds of billiards or such."

"Me? Visiting the Lord Vice Chancellor's house. I don't think I'd exactly fit in," Russell said.

"You'll fit in better than your classmates," Redmond replied. "Besides it will be like home when you used to come over."

"Fair enough," Russell said.

The next morning Redmond made his way to class. He was dreading the day as a repeat performance of the day before. A quick survey around the room told him his classmates weren't too happy about being there either. There wasn't a one who didn't look like they had been at the books most of the night. Redmond took his seat in the lecture hall. Professor Henderson came in and viewed the room for a good two minutes before he spoke.

"Gentlemen. There are times you won't know the answers and even if you do they won't be the right ones. You've just lost your first patient. How does it feel?"

-0-

"I feel like I'm dealing with a pack of mules," Tom complained to Rose the day after the Farmer's Association meeting.

"What did they have to say? You've been pouting as though someone took the last chocolate from the box you were saving for a special occasion."

"They informed me a doctor and a clinic had been promised before by the last owner and they would believe it when they saw one. I believe the exact words were, _Good bloody luck getting a doctor to come out here."_

"You've admitted yourself setting up a clinic and recruiting a doctor isn't going to be easy," Rose pointed out.

"I know that," Tom snapped. "They don't appreciate how much work has gone into getting the funding."

"Tom it's not their side of things and you're being too idealistic," Rose said. She slid into his lap and tweaked his chin. "If and when we manage to recruit a doctor, he'll have a line up outside his door the first day. They've had their hopes raised before only to have them dashed. Give the tenants and the people on the estate time. They barely know you."

"I don't like it," Tom grumped.

"You're spoiled. You had the tenants eating out of your hand in England and you think these will be the same. You've said often enough there have been generations of distrust between those that own the land and the people who work it. You can't _fix _the problems overnight."

"How did you get so smart?" Tom asked pulling her a little closer and resting his cheek against her.

"Listening to you," she replied.

"The clinic is only a small part of the issue," Tom said. "The reaction was disappointing but we'll continue on and it will get done. I know they'll come around when it happens. Part of why I'm here is to aid modernization and bring in ideas that will help the estate be more prosperous. They barely gave me the time of day on the scheme to produce high quality hay."

"How many decided to go in with you on the seed purchase?"

"Three," Tom said with a sigh.

"Out of how many?"

"Thirty," Toms answered. "They're almost all older men and of the opinion they don't want to risk anything on a new venture. I've already got the buyers lined up and I haven't put one seed in the ground. We can negotiate a better price on the seed if we purchase cooperatively. The most annoying part of the whole things was it wasn't even my own idea. The groom put me onto the shortage of high quality hay for all the breeders and the racing season. They'll buy every bit they can get and pay a pretty penny for it as well. It means an almost thirty percent increase in revenue off exactly the same acreage that is being used for hay now."

"I suppose it was all younger men who went for the idea?"

"It was," Tom said.

"It's the next generation that will change, Tom, and the next generation after that. We live in a way our parents would have never dreamed of and our grandchildren will most likely be the same."

"Grandchildren," Tom groaned. "You're making me feel old."

"We still have a house full of children to raise. Dylan is complaining because they want him to play the role of a girl in his upcoming play and Bradley looks like he may have the chicken pox."

"Is he sick the way Davin was?"

"No, he only has five spots. It's not a severe case so far. He's had himself a lovely time staying home from school today and pestering the groom while he was getting the two rooms ready to paint," Rose replied. "He'll be better well before Michael and Edith arrive I think."

"In other words he was getting underfoot. I'll speak to him," Tom said.

"Leave him. It's keeping him amused and stopping him from scratching."

"At times you are too indulgent," Tom scolded her. "Bradley needs to let the man get on with his tasks."

"It's only for a few days," Rose said. "I was thinking of having a party or two when Edith and Michael are here. I miss getting together with our friends in England."

"You never change do you?" Tom said with a chuckle. "Mrs. Party, Party all the time."

"I'm not an old stick in the mud like someone else," Rose informed him then suddenly jumped and let out a squeak when Tom put a cold hand on her bare thigh under her skirt. He laughed then got up to go and see what Bradley was up to.

-0-

"Miss Branson what are you writing?" Sister Claire asked. The girls had been instructed to read a ten-page pamphlet about the Pope during religion class. It was mid-February and Edith and Michael were scheduled to arrive the following week. Sybil had been busy with Girl Guides and music practice the evening before. She had received a letter from Russell and she wanted to write back as soon as she could. She had skimmed through the pamphlet and started writing her letter on some stationary she had brought with her to school that day for the purpose of writing a reply during lunch break. Once she had started writing she didn't want to stop when the bell rang for the end of lunch period. She'd snuck her things out and was busy dreaming over the words on the page when the nun's voice interrupted her.

"Nothing important, Sister," Sybil said standing beside her desk.

"Have you read your pamphlet?" Sister Claire asked her.

"Yes, Sister," Sybil replied.

"If you've read the pamphlet you should be able to tell me the Papal motto," Sister Claire said.

"It's um The Kingdom of People belongs to Christ," Sybil said biting her bottom lip. She hadn't been paying the least attention to the information on the Pope. In her opinion church was about as interesting as watching her brothers dig for worms and the Pope was even less exciting. She could think of a hundred things she'd rather do than sit through a Sunday sermon about how she was going to burn in hell for having impure thoughts. It didn't make sense to her if every married couple in the world had impure thoughts, there would be hardly anyone left to go to heaven.

"Miss Branson are you trying to be funny. Half of your pamphlet was on the Papal motto. Now what was it?"

"I don't know, Sister," Sybil said.

"You know something well enough to write about it," Sister Claire said. "Please read what you were writing aloud to the class."

Sybil turned her eyes towards the ground and shook her head.

"I can't do that, Sister," she said. The thought of what she had written in her letter made her cheeks burn. She had been corresponding with Russell long enough for her letters to have a personal tone to them and she had written some things that were down right embarrassing and not meant for anyone else's eyes.

"Miss Burns kindly retrieve whatever it was that Miss Branson was writing and read it to the class," Sister Claire said.

The girl sitting behind Sybil gave her an uppity look as Sybil sat down slowly in her seat. She didn't like the girl who sat behind her one bit and the feeling was mutual. Sybil had overheard Cloda Burns calling her a stuck up English prig on the school ground. Cloda played the flute and had disliked Sybil from the second Sybil had replaced her as first chair in the school music ensemble. There had been an audition for quartet and Sybil had won the flutists spot as well. Sybil thought Cloda had too high an opinion of herself. Cloda didn't play the flute anywhere near as well as she did and didn't know half the pieces in Sybil's repertoire. She thought she ruled the class and could dictate who could be friends with whom. She'd already interfered with Sybil being invited to two birthday parties. The one girl who had been brave enough to defy Cloda was now on Cloda's hate list as well.

Cloda snatched the paper off Sybil's desk and cleared her throat.

"February tenth, nineteen thirty–seven," she read with a smirk on her face "Galway, Ireland. My Dearest Russell, How I miss you my darling. I think of you often. The memory of your kiss holds a special place in my heart. At times I long for our days by the pond and your presence in the evenings…"

"Miss Burns that is quite enough," Sister Claire said. "You will bring Miss Branson's letter to the front."

Cloda went flouncing up to the front of the room with her nose in the air. The other girls were looking at Sybil with a looks of surprise and were whispering to each other.

"Silence class. I hope the rest of you will be able to answer questions on your reading," Sister Claire said. "Miss Branson, a two page essay before you leave today on the Papal motto."

"Yes, Sister Claire," Sybil said standing and then sitting down again. Cloda stuck her tongue out at Sybil as she walked back to her desk. Sybil got out her notebook and slowly started writing her essay. At the end of class Sister Claire asked her to stay behind. Sybil handed in her essay. The nun handed her the folded letter. Sybil slipped it into her bag.

"You're very fond of this young man?" Sister Claire asked.

"I've known him since I was little. He's at college in London," Sybil replied. "I most likely won't see him again until he graduates next year."

"The next time keep you mind on your studies. No more writing personal letters in class. I know being far from home can be hard. You need to give the other girls a chance to get to know you."

"I am trying," Sybil replied quietly.

"Of course you are, Miss Branson," Sister Claire said. "Off you go before you miss the bus."

The moment Sybil stepped outside on her way to the school bus she was surrounded by girls from her class.

"Do you really have a beau?"

"Have you kissed a boy?"

"What was it like I'm dying to know?" came at her from all sides.

"He's very handsome and it was rather delightful but I promised my beau I wouldn't discuss anything about kissing. It's rather private," Sybil said. "He's going to college in London."

"Tell us all about him," another girl said almost dragging Sybil towards the bus.

"Where did you meet? Do your parents know?"

Sybil was barraged with questions and girls' comments about various boys they knew until it was time to get on the bus. She saw Cloda standing by the wall with a sour look on her face. She turned and walked away the moment she saw Sybil look her way.

"You can sit with us at lunch tomorrow," one of the girls said. "I'll tell you all about my beau. He's studying to be an accountant."

"Not again," another one said. "We've already heard all about him at least ten times."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sybil said with a smile as she stepped on the bus and waved to the other girls.


	23. Coming Home Part III

Coming Home – Part III – Chapter 9 through 12

I had this ready a few days ago and thought I had posted it. Next installment will be quicker since it is already half written.

Chapter 9 – A Baby in the House

"The girl is here you had me select for the nanny position Mrs. Branson," Mrs. O'Rinn said. It was almost the end of March. Edith and Michael's arrival had been delayed due to Bradley's chicken pox.

"Please show her in," Rose replied.

A young woman of about twenty came into the drawing room. She had blonde red hair and was wearing an average looking dress, which Rose guessed was probably her best. She rubbed her hands on her thighs nervously.

"Aednat is it?" Rose asked. She was seated at her writing desk and had turned to see the girl.

"Aednat Cassidy, Mrs. Branson," the girl said.

"Mrs. O'Rinn tells me you have considerable experience with young children."

"Yes Mrs. Branson. Fourteen in my family with seven younger siblings and I've been taking care of my eight cousins since they were born," Aednat said.

Rose covered her surprise and kept her face impassive. She had heard of large families in the area but she had little contact with anyone who had more than her own six.

"Lady Edith and Mr. Gregson will be arriving tomorrow," Rose said. "They will have their new baby with them. The position will be for the next three to four months while Lady Edith is here. She is the daughter of an Earl. As she is only visiting she will retain her title. You will address her as Lady Edith or milady. Mr. Gregson will be addressed as Mr. Gregson or Sir."

"Yes, Mrs. Brason," Aednat replied. Her family needed her to have this job even if just for a short time. Jobs were scarce and her wages would go to help buy shoes for her younger siblings for the winter.

"If Lady Edith is pleased with your work she may ask you to return to England with her. Would you consider working in a house where you would have regular contact with the English nobility?"

"I would Mrs. Branson, as long as the pay is regular," Aednat said. She realized she had forgotten herself and clamped her mouth shut.

"Let me see your curtsey."

Aednat curtsied lower than needed.

"Just a small curtsey will suffice and you will regularly be carrying a baby. Try again," Rose said.

Aednat tried again to no avail.

"Like this," Rose got up and demonstrated a quick bob.

"Curtsey when you enter a room and before you leave if you are dealing with any of the adults in the house," Rose said. "Mrs. O'Rinn will show you to your room and where the nursery is located. I do not require a uniform in my home, but Lady Edith may have other ideas. For now a housedress with apron will suffice. Otherwise that is all."

"Thank you, Mrs. Branson," Aednat said. She made a quick curtsey that was better than her first two attempts and headed off to find Mrs. O'Rinn. Rose made a mental note to have Mrs. O'Rinn purchase the girl one or two plain housedresses as uniforms the next time she was in town.

Rose was looking forward to Edith's arrival and was hoping she could lend a hand with fundraising ideas for the new medical clinic. Edith had been involved in hospital fundraising and organizing events since she was a young girl and would most likely have some ideas. The advertisements were out for a doctor and so far there had been two responses, which had surprised everyone. Both were from doctors who were presently in England but were originally trained in Austria. Garth Maguire would take care of the interviews. It would have been best to get a doctor who was from Ireland but beggars couldn't be choosers. There had been a noticeable influx of people arriving in England from Europe before they moved over. From her parents letters Rose knew there was a good possibility her homeland would not be able to avoid war. She hoped against hope that none of her five sons would be involved if it did come to pass. The younger ones were all too young to go to war but the older two were the age when the adventure and excitement of the recruiters called to young men.

For all her worrying about Redmond and Davin, Rose had to remind herself they were both Irish nationals, which would protect them from being conscripted if a war came to pass as long as they didn't take a notion to volunteer. Rose doubted Redmond would volunteer. He'd always been such a serious boy there was no way on earth he would ever abandon his studies to go running off. Davin was the one she worried about. He was so kind hearted the horrors of war would destroy him. He was a bit of a rascal at times but under it all he never uttered a mean word about anyone. When he was younger he was forever bringing home injured birds and rabbits to nurse back to health. She hoped Davin would come to Ireland next summer or at least stay with Edith and Michael at Downton. He was a bit young to be completely on his own in her opinion.

She couldn't help feeling homesick and wanting her two oldest closer. Rose reminded herself this was Tom's dream and as she was forever telling him it would take time to settle into their new lives. The same applied to her. They were making friends and the children were slowly as well. Garret and Bradley never seemed to have a bit of trouble with finding new friends. They'd gone with the three local boys the other day when they had shown up to collect them for fishing and had been invited for a number of birthdays and play dates with classmates. Dylan had made one or two friends through school and Sybil was slowly starting to make new friends. She had finally wound up with a small circle of friends who all belonged to a riding club that would be starting up in two weeks and the invitations had started to flow back and forth. Camilla remained quiet and serious but she had managed to make one or two friends at school and had a birthday party to attend the following week. It wasn't the large social circle they had all enjoyed in England but it was a start.

-0-

Tom and Rose stood on the platform waiting for the train to pull in with Edith and Michael. Rose glanced at her watch. It was one thing that got to her since they had moved to Ireland seven months ago. The train was either a half hour early or forty-five minutes late. It was a small thing that got under her skin. The precision of the train schedules in England and Scotland were the one thing she wondered why the Free State had so much trouble with. At long last the train pulled in and Edith and Michael stepped off the train with Michael carrying a baby bundled against the cold in a blanket.

"Edith, I'm so glad you're here," Rose said. "Hello Michael."

"We've made it and no worse for wear," Michael said.

"Welcome to Galway," Tom said. "I hope you had a good trip."

"Not too bad if you consider the pair of us on our own with a baby since we left the hotel first thing this morning," Michael said. "We had a maid overnight, but we've fumbled our way through the day."

"It's a little girl. We're calling her Violet in honor of Granny," Edith added. Rose and Tom looked into the baby's face. She was obviously less than a week old. A lacey wool cap was covering her head.

"She's lovely," Tom said. "Off you go to the car Rose, while Michael and I get the bags."

Edith and Rose were already in the back seat cooing over the baby and catching up on the news from England by the time Tom and Michael were ready to go.

"Tom, nappy change," Rose said the moment Tom opened the driver's door. He chuckled slightly.

"You haven't changed one bit since ours were little," he said. He nodded to Michael to get the bag while he collected the baby and went inside the station to find the men's room.

"I've only changed a soiled nappy under dire circumstances," Rose told Edith. "I have no intention of starting now."

"Michael and I have had a dreadful time with nappies and bottles all day," Edith said. "Violet is ever so sweet but she spit up all over my dress this morning."

"Babies do spit up. Never mind I have a girl waiting at the house ready to take over," Rose said.

"How are things at Downton?" Tom asked Michael while he quickly changed the baby.

"What is it Mrs. Levinson always says, _Through war and peace Downton still stands,_" Michael replied. "Although at the moment I would rather say she is referring to the war brewing between the house of Gregson and the house of Gillingham."

"That good is it?" Tom commented.

"You know the difference in management style. Neither side is wrong but neither side can make the other see theirs."

"Done, let's get this little one to the house," Tom said. "We'll get out and take a look around the estate tomorrow. I always thought Lord Grantham was stubborn until I met the lot around here."

"Any chance we can entice you back?" Michael asked.

"Not a chance," Tom replied with a crooked grin.

-0-

"All babies do is cry and poop," Garret complained to Bradley two weeks after Edith and Michael arrived.

"_Don't make noise. You'll wake the baby_, but Mummy and Da can have all the parties they want," Bradley griped.

"I was going to play violin in my room yesterday, but no," Garret said. "I make too much noise."

"Let's ride over and see what Lollan and Bryan are doing. If Connall is around we could play in the stables. Sybil took the groom with her to her girly riding thing," Bradley said.

"There's no groom to saddle the horses," Garret pointed out.

"Since when do we need a groom," Bradley replied.

Neither of them were quite tall enough yet to lift the saddles onto the horses. One led the horse to an old chair and held the animal while the other one got the saddle on. Between both boys they managed to get the girths buckled tight enough the saddles wouldn't slip. No one else was home today except baby Violet and Camilla. Camilla was busy knitting as usual and writing letters. The boys doubted she would miss them for at least the next two hours. They knew where Bryan and Lollan lived as they'd seen them out in the yard when they rode past with their father. They spotted the boys outside spading a garden plot.

"Hi," Bradley said when they rode up.

"Hi," Lollan said glancing over his shoulder to see if his mother was looking outside.

"We came to see if you wanted to come and play some music with us in the stables. We can't play in the house. We have company and they brought their baby," Garret said rolling his eyes.

"We're supposed to dig the garden," Bryan said disgustedly.

"Our older brother won't do it unless we bribe him," Lollan said with a groan.

"We could help you get it done quicker," Bradley said.

"Sure," Bryan answered. "You can tie the horses over by those trees. I'll get more shovels."

The boys dismounted, tied up the horses and started digging. They were both glad of their riding gloves to protect their hands after a few shovel fulls.

"This is hard," Garret commented.

"Supposed to keep us out of trouble," Lollan said.

They had another ten shovel fulls or so to go when Lollan and Bryan's mother came out of the house with a two year old on her hip and stood by the garden.

"Who are your helpers?" she asked making all the boys jump.

"This is Bradley and Garret, Mam," Lollan said with a look of dread. "They wanted us to come and play some music with them.

"How do you do, Mrs. O'Daley," Bradley said with a slight bow as he had been taught.

"How do you do, Mrs. O'Daley," Garret said just as formally as his brother.

"I do quite fine, thank you," she said with a slight flutter at being greeted so formally. "Aren't you the Manager's boys?"

"Yes, our father is the Estate Manager," Garret said. "Can Lollan and Bryan come to our house to play music?"

"Well, I'm not sure," she began uncertainly.

"Please, Mam and Derry didn't help us at all," Bryan said.

"Our older brother," Lollan told the boys.

"Well, now you've all done such a good job, I guess you can go for a little while," Mr. O'Daley said hesitantly. She was thinking how the other women at church tomorrow wouldn't believe it when she told them the Manager's sons had been helping to spade her vegetable garden and invited her sons to their home. They weren't the toffee nosed lot they had all thought them to be.

"Thanks Mam," Lollan said collecting the shovels from the other boys. They went in the house to wash their hands and collect their instruments while Bradley and Garret found an old bench to stand on to help them mount. When the boys came out they each mounted behind the boys. They gave Bradley and Garret directions to Connall's home.

"Do you go fishing on Good Friday?" Bradley asked Lollan who was riding behind him. He was coming on twelve but his main point of interest was still all things fishy.

"No. We go to church," Lollan said.

"We always go fishing on Good Friday. My Da says if we don't catch any for Lent then it's too bad for us and we have to eat vegetables."

"I thought you were Protestants."

"No. Why would you think that?"

"Because you're English."

"We're all Catholic except for Mummy and she might as well be."

"Oh, my Mam won't be as mad we were spending time with you then."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Bradley asked in confusion.

"This is Ireland. It has everything to do with it," Lollan answered.

"What if someone was a completely different religion that wasn't Catholic or Protestant?" Bradley asked. "There are Hindus, Sikhs and Buddists in India. My Grandfather used to live there. I read a book about it."

"Is your granddad Indian?"

"No, he's Scottish like Mummy. He wears a kilt."

It wasn't too long and they collected Connall.

"You can ride behind Bryan," Bradley informed him.

"Three on a horse?" Connall asked.

"Allegro won't care. She's the calmest horse ever," Garrett said. Connall stood on a stone fence then crawled up behind Bryan with Bryan tugging on him. It didn't take long with the horses to be back at the stables. The boys got the horses unsaddled then went to sit in the tack room. Camilla came out to see where Bradley and Garret were. She sang a few songs with them. It turned out Lollan knew the words to a wide rang of folk songs. As Camilla caught on to the songs she sang the harmony with the other boys joining in singing here and there. They didn't close off their music session until they heard Sean coming into the stables when he returned from Sybil's riding group.

"Bye, come get us again soon," Bryan said before they left.

-0-

"Brace yourself," Tom told Michael before the March meeting of the Farmers' Association. Tom had decided to ask Michael to come along as a guest speaker. He doubted the farmers would take a word Michael had to say to heart but it was worth a try and a little new information couldn't hurt.

They arrived and took a seat to wait for the meeting to begin. The farmers were gradually warming up to the idea of an association where they could discuss problems they were having. After they had alerted Tom to a road that needed repair and a series of fences that were in imminent need of mending between Eagle Cairn and the neighboring estate and he had sent crews to do the repairs within a week, they had decided the association wasn't such a bad thing.

The evening's meeting started off with a discussion of wool prices for the up coming shearing season and news of poacher activity in the north part of the estate. Tom remained silent as the men agreed to set up a schedule of patrols to watch their own flocks and their neighbors. It was exactly what he would have suggested and the men were catching on to the association slowly on their own.

When it was Tom's turn to speak he introduced Michael and brought everyone up to speed on the arrival of the new doctor.

"I thought you were dreaming when you told us you were getting one out here," one of the men said.

"Dr. Reigler will be arriving with his wife and two children before the end of April. I hope you'll all welcome him into our community," Tom said.

"Reigler? What sort of name is that?" the head of the Association asked immediately.

"Austrian," Tom said. "From what I understand he recently relocated to England and is hoping to make a permanent home here in Ireland. He's very well qualified with excellent credentials. We're lucky to get him."

There were some murmurs within the group.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen? I thought this would be welcome news," Tom said. "I know it is certainly a weight off my mind. If anything were to happen with one of our children that they required immediate assistance, I'm happy to know there will be someone available much closer than having to travel all the way into the city."

"We were just wondering if he speaks English," one of the men asked. "Won't do any good to have a doctor you can't understand."

"I'm sure he does. Dr. Reigler has been working at a hospital in England for the last year. Mr. Maguire interviewed three candidates all from Europe."

"Well then some kind of doctor is better than no doctor even if he is a foreigner," one man said. "You've done a good thing for this community."

There were collective head nods around the room.

"We aren't there yet," Tom said. "We still need to fund raise for equipment and supplies. The estate will supply a cottage for a clinic with an adjacent cottage for living quarters. My wife and the other ladies who have volunteered for fundraising and are forming an auxiliary will be having a meeting on Tuesday morning at ten at my home should any of your wives wish to attend. As well on Mr. Maguire's next visit he will complete the appointment of a board for the trust governing the funds."

"If the clinic is going to be in our community, shouldn't we have a say in how it is run," one of the men asked.

"Yes, you should," Tom said. "The board should be made up of members of our community who have sound money sense. That is also why I'm asking you to encourage your wives and daughters to get involved in the auxiliary. The clinic is in everyone's best interest. We need to work together to make it happen."

There were a great deal of head nods around the room.

"Next I'd like you all to meet Mr. Michael Gregson," Tom said. "He is the Estate Manager from Downton where I worked as Agent before I arrived here. He has been doing some research on recent advances in machinery and visiting some of the manufacturers. I thought the information he has gained could benefit us all."

There was a grumble through the crowd about new fangled ideas and changing what works. Michael got up to speak.

"Thank you for having me today, Gentlemen," he said. There were a few eye rolls at the sound of his polished accent. "Let me first say I have found in my time as Estate Manager there is never a time when an exchange of information has proven without merrit. I have visited a number of estates and everytime I have taken back something we have implemented at Downton. My time here in Ireland is no exception. There are some methods in place here that are excellent and will help my estate immensely."

He received some grudging head nods.

Michael quickly reviewed some of the areas where they had implemented newer machinery and the places where they were still using more traditional methods. He also talked about some of the ways they were working around the shortage of fuel in England as high fuel prices in Ireland were a similar problem. For the second half of his presentation he went over the machinery he had looked at and the strengths and weaknesses of each design. By the end of his talk the farmers were asking questions about different models of farming implements and if he had seen or was using specific items they were interested in.

"As I see things, we are all interested in the same thing, working the land effectively and providing for our families," Michael said as a wrap up. "Manufacturers can promise us quicker harvest times, and all sorts of new methods, but it is only through the exchange of information that we can all sort out which of the newer methods will work and which are a waste of our time and hard earned money."

There were more questions and handshakes as the meeting broke up. Tom and Michael stayed at the pub where the meetings were held for a pint before they returned to the house.

"They're a cautious group," Michael commented.

"You can't blame them," Tom said. "It hasn't been that long since they threw off English rule. Some things have changed but not that much. It's going to take a long time to build something everyone is happy with. I'm hoping this medical clinic will bring the community together at least a little."

"It can't harm anything to try new ideas," Michael said.

"Only my pride when I fall flat on my face," Tom replied.

Chapter 10 – Not Seeing Eye to Eye

"Bradley, Garret," Rose said tapping her foot when the two of them got home from school on Tuesday. "I'd like an explanation as to what happened to your riding boots."

"We were helping our friends dig," Garret said.

"I guess we forgot to clean our boots," Bradley said.

"Were you digging for worms in your riding boots?" Rose asked them. "You both know better."

"No, not exactly," Bradley said shuffling his feet.

"Then you can explain to me why your boots are so filthy and then you will both take them outside and clean and polish them before dinner," Rose stated.

"We went over to see Lollan and Bryan to see if they could come over and play some music with us, and we helped them dig their mother's vegetable garden," Bradley finished the last part in one breath.

"You two helped them dig a vegetable garden in your riding clothes?" Rose questioned. She received two guilty nods.

"I'm going to speak to your father about this. First you should not be doing something so dirty in your good clothes. You're going to ruin them and second it is inappropriate for you as the Manager's sons to be doing menial labor in a tenant's garden."

"I don't know why it hurt to do a bit of digging," Garret said. "Our friends couldn't come to play unless they got their chores done. We were just helping them."

"The two of you get your boots cleaned and make sure your riding clothes aren't covered in mud. You can brush your jackets and give them to Mrs. O'Rinn for pressing," Rose informed them. "The rest you can wash yourselves as punishment."

"Oh, just wait until their father gets home from seeing Michael off," Rose said to Edith. "We don't want them to be raised as snobs but sometimes things go just too far."

"You let Sybil spend time with that boy, Russell. He was Papa's chauffeur," Edith pointed out. She was holding the baby and rocking her a bit.

"That's entirely different," Rose said. "He's gone to college. He'll be an educated man."

"He was the furthest thing possible from an educated man when he was a boy," Edith reminded her.

"Sybil was not digging in the garden, nor was she washing his shirts," Rose said in a huff.

Tom got home half an hour later. Rose had checked the boys' boots and sent them back to the porch to polish them again. She hadn't cooled down one bit.

"Good, it shows some initiative," Tom said after Rose had told him what the boys had done.

"You're not going to say anything to them?" she questioned.

"I'll get after them for getting their riding clothes dirty. They aren't cheap and they need to take better care of their things, but I think helping the other boys shows they aren't afraid to work for what they want."

"Tom. It isn't appropriate for them to be digging in a tenant's garden," Rose said. "It's unpaid menial labor."

"And when the older boys have summer jobs on the farms?" he questioned.

"Many noble sons work on the family estates as teenagers to learn the business," Rose replied. "Besides it is paid employment and part of their heritage."

"You're being a snob," Tom said.

"I think I'll take little Violet upstairs," Edith said to tactfully avoid the fight that was brewing. She made a quick exit.

"I am not a snob," Rose said.

"Part of why we wanted to move out of the Abbey was so the boys wouldn't become snobs. When they do something that shows they aren't, that actually might win them some points with the locals around here you get in a huff. You're being a snob."

"You move me to a foreign land, away from my friends and way of life where I can't us my title, you ask me to invite the farmer's wives to the new ladies auxiliary for the clinic and you're calling me a snob?" Rose stated indignantly.

"A very pretty one," Tom said cringing a bit. "I'm sorry for calling you a snob. You're not a snob, but I do think you're over reacting with the boys. They shouldn't have gone digging around in their good clothes, I'll grant you that. What they did was harmless enough and they do have other friends from school and among our friends children."

"I'll let you off, if you have a talk with them about what is appropriate when they aren't dressed for working outdoors," Rose said.

"I will as soon as homework is finished," Tom said. "How did the ladies auxiliary go?"

"We had ten women show up from the town and the farms," Rose said. "They want to throw a spring dance to raise funds as their contribution and they've volunteered to go to the cottage and help set up the living quarters before the Reiglers arrive."

"That's something then, isn't it? They're willing to help out."

"Tom, I'm sending the housekeeper to check over the house and help with the set up," Rose said. "Edith and I might pick out the paint colors or do a bit of furniture shopping. Otherwise we had planned with our group to have a music concert at the main house. Muriel Donnelly is going to ask an Opera singer she has connections to from Dublin to perform and we'll see if Sybil's quartet she is in at school will play the interlude music."

"Two different events to the same end," Tom said. "Let the women help out a bit on your ideas and help out a bit in return. People here need to feel they are contributing."

"I don't know how much help a group of farm women will be with a formal recital and you know what our reception was like at the last dance," Rose said.

"Let them in Rose. They might surprise you," Tom said. "Now I had best go and have that talk with the boys."

-0-

Russell went over the list of assigned duties for Good Friday. He had volunteered to take shifts over Easter for extra credit. Every hour of holiday shifts he took on meant he received and additional half hour of course credit. At this rate with his time over Christmas break added in he would finish his practical a week early and have more time to study for his exams at the end of term. He and Emma were on the same ward today. Their first task was to sponge bathe and change the sheets for patients in beds one through ten. He counted out the sheets and pillowcases and placed them on the cart making sure they had at least two bags for soiled laundry as well. Emma came to join him after she had counted out the towels and washcloths and added them to the cart. They were far enough through their training they had a certain amount of independence with straightforward tasks on the ward but they were still assigned to work in pairs and the matron would be coming to check on them ever fifteen or twenty minutes.

Today they were on one of the women's wards. They moved the partitions into place at the first bed and set to work. The woman balked a bit a man helping with her sponge bath.

"We'll keep the sheets in place to protect your modesty, Mrs. Smith," Emma reassured her. "You're well enough to wash your delicate areas yourself. We'll give you a bit of privacy for that once we have the rest of the task done."

"I still don't like the idea of a man seeing me without clothes," Mrs. Smith said.

"One area at a time, Mrs. Smith," Russell said. "My training is exactly the same as Student Nurse Simpson's."

"Well, I don't know," Mrs. Smith faltered.

Matron tapped on the partition and entered.

"What is the delay?" she asked.

"Mrs. Smith was just saying she wasn't comfortable with a man giving her a sponge bath, Matron," Russell said.

"Mrs. Smith, this is a training hospital and Student Nurse Beldon is assigned to give you a sponge bath and change the sheets on your bed," the Ward Matron stated with a stern look. "I suggest you allow him to get on with his tasks. You're holding up everyone else's sponge bath and linen change. My students don't have time to lolly gag."

"Very well then Matron," Mrs. Smith said giving in under the woman's glare.

Matron left the cubicle. They could hear her announce to the rest of the ward a male student was on the floor today and they would cooperate or answer to her.

Russell and Emma got the woman cleaned up, into a fresh gown and the sheets changed on her bed without any more fussing. They emptied her basin and moved on to the next patient filling the basin at that bed with a large jug of fresh warm water. They finished the first eight beds then started on the two private rooms. The woman in the first private room had been in a car accident. She had two broken arms and couldn't see to herself at all. They got her on a bedpan, then got her cleaned up and hair combed. It took longer than the other patients and set them at their lunch break with one more patient to see to. The Matron stepped in while they were caring for the badly injured woman to make sure nothing went amiss. By the time Russell had the woman's teeth brushed and the toothpaste wiped from her face when she had attempted to spit into the dish Emma held for her. He was ready for the break.

"I expect you both back and seeing to the next patient at one," Matron informed them. She was an austere woman who ran her ward by the clock. She prided herself on having the cleanest ward with patients that received the best care and she didn't take no for an answer.

"Yes, Matron," Russell and Emma both answered before they left for lunch.

They were both back at five minutes before the hour. There was no way they were going to be late. The ward matron was so strict she would report them for tardiness and they would be docked hours on their practical. They had moved the cart outside the last room. They checked the chart before they went in. The name on the chart made Russell pause.

"_Of all the hospitals in London," _he thought. _"Why here and why today."_

They entered the room to see a woman lying in the bed with the head of the bed raised. Her dark hair was streaked with grey and her face was gaunt. The chart had said brain tumor.

"Good afternoon, Lady Margaret. We're here for your sponge bath," Emma said cheerfully.

"I'm waiting for tea. My ladies maid will see to my bath later," Lady Margaret replied. She'd had a hefty dose of morphine ten minutes before plus another medication. Reality wasn't her strong point at the moment.

"We'll be your ladies maids today," Emma said remaining cheerful. They got to work sponging her down.

"Matthew, what are you doing in my room? My father will be angry if he catches you here," she said looking at Russell. "Saddle my horse and go for a ride with me." She sighed as her lashes fluttered closed.

"She thinks your someone else," Emma said.

"It would seem so," Russell replied seriously. He looked his mother's sleeping face. He looked a lot like her. She was taller than average with the same shaped nose and eyes as his. Even the line of their jaws was the same, only his mouth and his hair line resembled his fathers'. She woke again as they were getting a fresh gown on her and folding the bedding into place.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked Russell.

"I'm your nurse, this is my uniform," he said as he smoothed the sheet and tucked it in.

"I'm going to go for a ride. You can come with me as my groom. No one will know," she said.

"I'll have the horses saddled and waiting, milady," he said to calm her. She nodded and drifted back to sleep.

"She really thinks your someone else," Emma said. "Maybe a secret lover from her past." She giggled. "Isn't it romantic."

"We don't have time for romantic nonsense," Russell snapped as he moved the cart back out of the room.

"Sorry," Emma said.

"No, I'm sorry. She just reminded me of someone I'd rather not think about at the moment," Russell replied. They worked through the rest of the shift with only a short break. Russell had just enough time to get a drink of water and splash cold water on his face in the men's room before he was back changing dressings and checking the patients had eaten their evening meals. He finished his shift by feeding the badly injured woman her dinner. He went back to his dorm, got cleaned up and changed and thought over his first meeting with his mother while he ate his dinner and stirred his cup of tea. There were still two hours left before visiting hours closed. He got up from his seat with his meal half finished and made his way back to the ward. He tapped on the door and stopped inside the door when he saw a man and a girl of about eight sitting beside the bed. There was no question in his mind the girl was his half sister.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware Lady Margaret had visitors," he said. "I'll come back another time."

"Who are you?" the man asked him. He had the accent of the well educated wealthy.

"Nobody," Russell replied. "I'm sorry to disturb you." He turned to leave. He was almost to the front door when the man caught up with him.

"Who are you really?" he asked again.

"I told you, no one," Russell said. He started walking.

"If you don't tell me who you are, I'll report you to the desk. They won't let you in again," he called after Russell.

Russell stopped with his shoulders suddenly drooping. He turned back to the man.

"Who do you think I am?" he asked.

"You're Margaret's son," her husband said. "Your looks are unmistakable."

"I'm not her son anymore. Not for a very long time," Russell replied.

"She told me about you. After we were married. We tried to find you but we couldn't."

"Did she tell you why she left me?" Russell asked.

"You can ask her yourself."

"She isn't making sense anymore. Her chart has an N on it. We both know what that means."

"There are times when she's there," her husband said. "Come back with me."

"I don't know if I can," Russell replied.

"At least come and meet your sister."

"I have a family," Russell said. "Parents who adopted me. I have a life."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm Sir John Carlton by the way."

"I know who you are," Russell replied.

"How do you know?"

"The police told me. They thought my father had murdered my mother. Once they found out who her name was Evans they had no trouble tracing her. I've known who and where she was since before Christmas."

"You didn't think to contact us then?"

"Would you contact a woman that walked out on you without a backwards glance? It's been over thirteen years. I didn't see the rush."

"There's more you don't know. Let her tell you herself. Try to forgive her."

"That's a lot to ask."

"Come," Sir John said.

Russell slowly went back inside the hospital. He climbed the stairs one at a time with a sense of dread. Sir John motioned his daughter to come out of the room with him while Russell slowly went to the side of the bed.

"Who's that boy, Papa?" the girl asked.

"Someone you can meet later," her father replied.

Lady Margaret's eyes opened. They were the same striking shade of dark blue as his.

"Matthew?" she questioned.

"My name is Russell," Russel replied.

"Russell, it can't be," she said. "You're just a little boy."

"I grew up."

"I went back for you. I went back after two days but you were both gone. I looked and looked but I couldn't find you," she said breaking into tears. "Matthew was gone and he took you with him. I lost my little boy."

"Why did you leave me?" Russell said. "Didn't you know what he was like?"

"Matthew was wonderful. I loved him so much. I was young and wildly in love. I thought it would be enough. I was fifteen when I ran off with him. The right age to think love would conquer everything. We were children playing at being adults," she said.

"He stopped being wonderful pretty damn quick if you ask me," Russell said. "Didn't you know he was a gambler?"

"He like to bet on the ponies once in a while," Lady Margaret said. "We both did. We thought we could win enough to live on. I gambled at life and I lost everything."

"And tossed me aside while you were at it," Russell said getting angry.

"I didn't. I made a mistake. I went back to my parents. I couldn't stand not having enough for clothes or food. At times there was barely enough to eat. You have no idea what it's like to go from having everything to nothing."

"I know a hell of a lot more than you think about having nothing," Russell said.

"I went back, the second day. I had the tickets. I was going to take you to America and make up a story about you being my cousins' son. It was too late. Matthew was gone and he'd taken you with him. I tried and tried to find you but I couldn't."

"Matthew Beldon worked as a groom in Yorkshire. He wasn't that hard to find," Russell said.

"No, but Matthew Bell was and my little boy was lost to me forever," she replied. "He had gambling debts. He must have changed his name to avoid them."

"I still can't forgive you. You bloody knew my father had a gambling problem," Russell said. "I don't feel anything for you, not pity, not love, nothing."

"Oh," she said grabbing her head. "It hurts," she gasped.

"I'll have your husband call the Matron. They'll give you something for it," Russell said. He got up to leave.

"You'll come back?" she asked still holding her head.

"I have shifts on this ward for the next three days. You'll see me," Russell replied. "You're just another patient as far as I'm concerned."

Russell went out in the hall.

"You're wife needs her pain medication. I suggest you call the Matron on duty," he said to Sir John.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked him. "You look like my Mama." Her father had gone to the desk.

"My name is Russell," he said.

"I'm Lady Astrid Carlton," she said. "I had a brother named Russell but he died. At least I think he did. Mama has a picture of him on her bureau."

"It's a common name," Russell replied. "Your father will be back in a moment. I might see you again one day."

"Goodbye," she said.

Russell went back to his dorm, took another shower and flopped on his bed. Walter was on an all night shift. He had the room to himself. _"His parents. What a pair,"_ he thought. _"Nothing more than a pair of foolish children playing at life with him caught in the middle as a pawn." _He thought about his father. It suddenly dawned on him his father was thirty-four years old. "For Christ sake my Dad was a father at sixteen," he said out loud into the room. It made him think of the mess Davin had gotten himself into with Camilla the previous summer. His own parents had played with fire and he was the one who had gotten burned. They hadn't been married because they couldn't get married. They weren't old enough before he was born and afterwards who knew why they hadn't bothered to make things legal. Perhaps it had just been easier to say they were married and never let on to the contrary.

He couldn't make heads or tails out of what he'd been told. He reached over and checked his alarm to make sure it would ring in the morning and forced himself to go to sleep. He willed himself not to think about his mother. He'd forced her out of his mind for most of the semester. He would again. His real parents where a couple who lived at a small hotel in Eastbourne and had given him their love and encouragement to get this far. They wrote him regular letters and were waiting for him to join them at the end of term. He had to do well at school and make them proud. He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, as he drifted off, "Mama," escaped his lips but he was asleep before it registered.

Chapter 11 – An Unwelcome Surprise

Russell spent the rest of the weekend working the same shift on the women's ward. His mother wasn't lucid when he was there and he was finished his day before visiting hours began. He'd written a short note to his father in prison wishing him a Happy Easter saying he was doing well at his studies and that he was planning a short trip to Ireland that summer. He didn't mention his mother or any of their conversation. He didn't see the point and he couldn't think what to say about her. He'd received a letter from Sybil on the previous Thursday and written half his response, but he couldn't bring himself to respond at the moment. His emotions were ricocheting around inside him to the point where he felt as though he were on a ride at a fair that was spinning out of control. He had two months left on his course, then exams. Six weeks off and back for the start of second year at the beginning of August.

By Tuesday he'd calmed down enough to finish his letter to Sybil and concentrate on his studies. He had a quiz the next day and he was determined to do well enough to keep himself off academic warning. Academic warning was given if you scored below a sixty percent on any test or practical task. It was as bad as the room inspections he had been on with the instructor nit picking on every detail until you either improved or quit. He finished the quiz on Wednesday feeling good. He'd known most of the answers on the quiz and those he hadn't known right off the bat he'd been able to logic out. He decided to go for a walk after class to wind down and maybe have a bite to eat out. He'd been careful with his money all term and hardly ever went out. He had his money for the next year's tuition safely tucked away in the account his adoptive father had opened for him. The way he was going he should be able to just squeak by the next year without running out of funds. Russell walked to a funny little out of the way shop that sold Chinese buns and flavors of tea not normally sold in other shops that he'd found on one his walks. He ate his bun and tea sitting on a stool by the window and then walked back to the dorm. When he got inside the man at the desk recognized him and waved him over.

"A registered letter came for you today," the attendant said. "Sign here in the register." He turned to retrieve the letter from a safe behind the desk.

"That's odd," Russell said. "Who would send me a registered letter?"

"A high street law firm by the looks of the envelope," the attendant said with a shrug.

Russell took the letter up to his room and opened it. He set the letter to the side in shock and covered his face with his hands. It had to be some kind of joke. His mother had found out he was here and now her husband was playing some kind of cruel trick because he didn't want anything to do with her. The more he thought about it the madder he got. He grabbed the letter shoved it in his jacket pocket and headed back towards the hospital. His so called mother and her fancy pants husband had some explaining to do.

-0-

"You can't be serious," Anthony said. "We've committed to planting those acres into potatoes and now you want to switch suddenly to peas and you want to plant additional hops?"

"The brewery will take another fifty percent more hops if we can supply them. If we don't someone else will. Tom refused to cultivate more land. I'm saying now use land that is already cultivated and rotate the pea and potato crop. Take half the land we were planning to plant with potatoes and plant it with peas then switch next year. It's an old trick that dates back hundreds of years I learned about in Ireland. The rotation of the two crops increases the yield within two years. Next year with good weather conditions we'll increase yield per acre with almost no additional cost if we change our seed order now."

"The plans are already set and we can easily sell all of the potatoes produced," Anthony argued.

"And if there is another potato blight, what then?" Michael said in exasperation. "I learned about another old method that has gone out of favor called silage. I've read up on it. We can use the pea vines for silage and cut our feed costs for the beef herd by at least three months of feed. It makes sense."

"You want the estate to step back to methods that are hundreds of years out of date? I thought you were all for progress and experimentation."

"Granted the tenants at Eagle Cairn were still using horse and plow. We'll use tractors for the same tasks, which will improve efficiency but the underlying principle is sound. You've complained I don't adhere to proven methods and I've scaled back on the experimental crops but I must insist this time. The principle is proven over and over again over hundreds of years."

"You want us to copy principles from Ireland? This is just preposterous," Anthony exclaimed.

"Farming is farming. I would follow principles from China or Argentina if I thought they were sound," Michael replied.

"I give up," Anthony said finally. "My argument was on the selling side and hops do sell for more than potatoes per acre. I'll allow you to try your rotation scheme for this year and next. You can try it. It if it works out we'll stick with it. If it doesn't we'll go back to a single high volume crop."

"It will work," Michael said confidently.

-0-

"The doctor's cottage is ready if you and the other ladies would like to go over and take a look, Mrs. Branson," Mrs. O'Rinn said. She had just returned from the doctor's cottage and new clinic.

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Rinn. Are the ladies from the auxiliary still there?"

"Yes, Mrs. Branson. They're just making up the beds in the clinic," Mrs. O'Rinn said.

"I'll call Mrs. Donnelly and we'll be over presently to take a look if Mrs. Donnelly is available," Rose said. "Is that everything?"

"Yes, Mrs. Branson," Mrs. O'Rinn said before she headed back to the kitchen.

"I wonder what they've done," Edith said. "I hope it is suitable."

"The new doctor and his wife didn't send any household goods. We'll have to hope for the best," Rose replied. She went and made a telephone call. Millicent agreed to meet them at the cottage. They took the car to the village and parked on the lane. The yard had been cleaned up since Rose last saw the house and the flowerbeds were freshly turned waiting for spring planting. They went to the clinic first since Mrs. O'Rinn had said the other ladies may still be there. The walls had been painted and two rows of freshly painted chairs had been neatly placed in the waiting room. Mrs. Sheahan who was the wife of the tenant farmer with the largest holding in the area had assumed responsibility for the small budget they had for furnishing the clinic and house. The other farmwomen had nodded their agreement when she volunteered. Rose and the other ladies had handed over the funds with trepidation and were hoping for the best.

"So far so good," Edith murmured.

They went through to what would be the office to see a desk and filing cabinet with three plain chairs. The examination room was still empty as no one really knew what the new doctor would want in that room, but all the cabinets and floor had been freshly scrubbed and everything was clean and tidy waiting for the doctor's arrival. They headed up the stairs to where they could hear voices. There were three bedrooms each with two single beds with crisp white sheets and the ladies were just putting out hand made quilts over the foot of each bed. Cotton print curtains hung at each window.

"Mrs. Branson, we were wondering if you and Lady Edith would stop by," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"The clinic is looking quite lovely, Mrs. Sheahan," Rose replied. "I'm sure Dr. Reigler will be please with your efforts."

"We thought a few homey touches couldn't hurt," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"You've gone to a great deal of work making quilts," Edith commented.

"T'was nothing that couldn't be done in a few nights once we got all the ladies from these parts together," Mrs. Sheahan replied. "Come over to the residence and see what you think."

The ladies all walked over to the cottage. Millicent Donnelly arrived and came to join them. They stepped in the front door to see a sitting room neatly set out with lace doilies adorning the tops of chests and tables. There were a set of brass candlesticks on one chest and traditional wooden chairs had been set by the fireplace. There was also a well stuffed sofa. The area in front of the hearth had a hand made rug. The wood was polished and gleaming and the room just needed the new lady of the house's touch.

"It's very homey," Mrs. Donnelly said.

"We worked with what we had," Mrs. Sheahan replied. She walked them through the house. The furniture was all used but of good quality and almost every room had small touches of hand made items. There wasn't any china, cutlery or cooking utensils in the kitchen as no one was sure if the family would arrive with their own things or not.

"I stretched the funds we had to the last farthing. I'm afraid there just wasn't anymore. I had quite a time haggling the furniture dealer down low enough to get this lot," Mrs. Sheahan commented.

"You've done very, very well, considering we haven't many funds. I'm sure Mrs. Reigler will be please with all you've done and feel welcomed," Rose said.

"Why thank you, Mrs. Branson. I'll just round up the other ladies. I thought we could all have a quick chat about our next meeting in the waiting room at the clinic," Mrs. Sheahan said. "That is if you agree since you're the chairperson of the committee."

"Oh I quite agree," Rose said. "We need to set up a time and place to discuss the upcoming recital and the dance."

The farmwomen were busy chattering among themselves and making plans for the summer dance when Rose, Edith and Millicent walked into the waiting room and took a seat.

"Dr. and Mrs. Reigler will be arriving on Monday," Rose said. "I thought we should have a meeting either Wednesday or Thursday morning and include Mrs. Reigler. It would be best to give her a few days to settle in. We have a modest budget remaining at the moment for supplies and we can go over the upcoming events. Mrs. Donnelly has heard back from Dublin and the singer has agreed to perform for the benefit." All of the ladies oh and awed and nodded their agreement.

"We've all got plenty of ideas for the summer dance," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"We can all discuss them on say Thursday at nine a.m. at Mrs. Donnelly's. We can see where the benefit will be held in the main hall and make decisions about ticket prices and work out the details then for both events."

"We'll be there," Mrs. Sheahan replied.

-0-

Russell stopped at the door to what had been his mother's room. There was another woman now occupying the same bed. He went to the desk to inquire after the whereabouts of Lady Margaret Evans-Carlson.

"Student Nurse Beldon, what business do you have inquiring about the whereabouts of a patient and why are you still in uniform? You are not scheduled for a shift this evening on my ward," the Matron informed him.

"I need to know where Lady Margaret is. It's very important," Russell said. "Did she pass on?"

"No she did not pass on and as you know we are not at liberty to discuss a patient's case with anyone outside of their immediate family. You haven't answered my other question. Why are you still in uniform?"

"I got distracted, Matron. I haven't had time to change yet. Please tell me where she is. It's very important I find her."

"Give me one good reason I don't report you for this?" the Matron said.

"She's my mother," Russell stated.

"I beg your pardon," the Matron said with amazement.

"Lady Margret Evans-Carlson is my mother, now please tell me where she is."

"She went into temporary remission. She's gone home with a home care nurse. It happens in severe cases. Sometimes there is a temporary remission right before they pass on. It can be a few days but not usually longer than two weeks. She's gone home to die."

"All the way to Horsham. I could wring their bloody necks," Russell grumbled under his breath.

"Mr. Beldon!" Matron scolded.

"Thank you for telling me where she is, Matron," Russell said. "I'll leave you to your duties."

Russell made his way back to the dormitory in a daze. He got inside and stood in the lobby. He finally turned to the lounge. He wanted to scream and cry and throw a tantrum in the middle of the room. Instead he went to one of the vacant telephone booths and picked up the phone. He set the receiver back down again and tried to think rationally for a moment. He picked up the receiver again and called Redmond.

"Hello, Russell. How are you?" Redmond said once he was called to the phone.

"Redmond. I…I need help," Russell said.

"What's wrong? Is it school, my sister?"

"No nothing like that. I don't know how to say it. I need your Uncle's help. He's the only one I can think of."

"Russell you sound like hell. What's happened?"

"I can't explain it," Russell said. He was fighting the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. "Is you Uncle home? Can I come over?"

"Where are you?"

"At my dorm. Please tell me if he's home."

"We'll come and get you. Stay put," Redmond said. "Just stay right where you are."

"I will. I'll see you in a bit." Russell hung up the telephone and went to sit in one of the chairs. His legs were shaking and he thought he was going to throw up. Thoughts were jumping every which way in his head. He was staring blankly into space when Redmond, Lord Newtonmore and Lord Flintshire walked into the lounge.

"Russell what's going on?" Redmond asked again.

Russell slowly got to his feet. He was having trouble focusing.

"Lord Newtonmore, Lord Flintshire, thank you for coming but you didn't have to trouble yourselves," he said in a daze.

"My grandson insisted I come since I was at the house. Now what is it that is so urgent?" Lord Flintshire asked.

Russell reached in his pocket and pulled out the letter. Lord Newtonmore took it, read it over quickly and then handed it to his father.

"You're sure of the relationship?" Lord Newtonmore asked Russell.

"Lady Margaret is my mother. I'm sure. We look exactly alike. There is no question," Russell said. "Is it real? Is it a trick?"

"From the looks of things I would say it is no hoax. I highly doubt a prestigious firm such as Bradwick, Tims and Marshall would participate in a trick. I will make enquiries in the morning. Meanwhile, you've had quite a shock. Redmond take this young man's room key and retrieve an overnight bag for him."

"I forgot to change," Russell said in a daze.

"Are you feeling well enough to get to your room?" Shrimpy asked.

Russell nodded.

"Redmond. Go with him. We'll meet you at the car," Shrimpy said.

"Russell, what is it? What's going on?" Redmond asked as they climbed the stairs.

"I met my real mother," Russell said at last. "They're playing a joke on me."

"Who's playing a joke?"

"My mother and her husband. They're saying … I can't say it," Russell couldn't stop the tears from coming out his eyes when they got to his room. "Why are my real parents so damn mean?"

"I don't know," Redmond said. "Where's your kit?"

Russell slowly got changed, they pushed some things into a bag and headed back down to the car. The chauffeur was standing by the door of the car with Lord Flintshire's standard flying on the roof. Redmond noticed more than one curious face in the windows and at the building across the way. They rode back to the house in silence.

"You've had a shock. Go to bed, try to get some sleep and I'll get this straightened out in the morning," Lord Newtonmore said to Russell.

"Jennings show this young man a room."

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh and from now on address him as Sir."

"Very well, Sir, anything else?"

"No, that will be all for tonight."

Chapter 12 – Two Sides

"I have a recording of our guest performer. I thought we'd listen to it to get us in the mood for planning the recital," Millicent Donnelly said excitedly once the ladies auxiliary was assembled for their meeting and everyone had their tea. She went to the record player in the grand hall of Cairn Manor and put the record on. The half dozen ladies who were the first members of the committee listened to the aria appreciatively. The farmwomen all looked at each other questioningly.

"You expect people to pay twenty pounds a head to listen to that caterwauling?" Mrs. Sheahan asked when the aria was finished.

"That plus make a donation," Millicent said.

"If I had ten pounds I'd pay her to stop that racket," another woman commented.

"Well, I never," Millicent said indignantly.

"Ladies, ladies, it's all a matter of taste," Edith said.

"Quite right Lady Edith," Rose said before one group could make a dig at the other group. "We will hold events that will appeal to a wide range of tastes in the community so everyone can participate."

Millicent sniffed, but the farmwomen nodded their heads.

"Now who should we use for printing the programs?" Edith inquired.

"There's a printer in Loughrea who still owes us for ten dozen eggs and fifty pounds of potatoes from last year," Mrs. Sheahan said. "I'll get the invitations out of him. I'll threaten him with the bill collector if he doesn't do it for naught."

"Mrs. Sheahan we can't ask you to sacrifice your farm income," Rose said.

"I won't see hardly a cent if the bill collector takes over. I'll get my money's worth watching him squirm when I put the thumb screws to him," Mrs. Sheahan said with a nod. Rose had to hide a slight smirk behind her cup of tea. This last while she had come to realize Mrs. Sheahan was quite the tight wad and could stretch a penny until it almost snapped.

"We'll need extra help for setting up the chairs, taking coats and serving," Millicent said.

"No, you won't," one of the farmwomen said. "Between us we've got enough sons we can send over to lend a hand. Give us a list of how many you need. As long as you have those fancy uniforms for them to wear we've got it covered. My Bobby can hang up coats and look smart as long as he keeps his mouth shut."

"The estate farm will donate the produce and meat for the canapés," Rose said. "Entertainment is arranged, programs, staff and supplies. We've done well ladies."

"Well, there we go," Mrs. Sheahan said. "More for the clinic and less out of the kitty. We'll leave you ladies to the ticket sales for the recital. Now how about the dance?"

"What did you ladies have in mind?" Rose asked.

One of the women pulled a notebook out of her handbag and read over the decisions already made. There wasn't much left to talk about.

"What about a prize draw?" Edith suggested. "Perhaps some items from local merchants?"

"A ham is always popular," one of the women said. Rose's group all looked slightly taken aback at the idea of raffling a ham but no one said anything.

"Was ist preez draw?" Mrs. Reigler inquired. She spoke very little English and had come along to be polite.

Edith translated for her.

"Oh ya," Mrs. Reigler said.

"Lady Edith we were wondering what church Dr and Mrs. Reigler attend?" Mrs. Sheahan inquired.

Rose groaned slightly on the inside but kept a smile on her face.

Edith translated the question.

"Mrs. Reigler says they are Lutherans but as there is no Lutheran church in the area they will attend whichever church is closest."

"Then they'll be coming to the Catholic Church. I hope we'll see them there regular as clockwork," one of the farmwomen said.

Edith only translated the Catholic Church was the closest to the village.

"Mrs. Reigler wants to thank you all for the work you did on their cottage and to say her Grandmother's cuckoo clock fits in well with the décor," Edith said.

"Whatever is a cuckoo clock?" one woman asked.

"A German clock with a little bird inside that says cuckoo when it chimes the hour," Rose supplied.

"Ya, eine Kuckucksuhr," Mrs. Reigler said. "It say cuckoo."

"Now I've got to see that one," one lady said.

"If that's all ladies, I've got to get home and make sure our hired girl cooked dinner for the hands," Mrs. Sheahan said getting up to leave. "That girl is next to useless if I don't keep an eye on her."

-0-

"How can any of this be?" Russell asked Lord Newtonmore late Thursday evening. Russell had chosen to attend classes on Thursday although Lord Newtonmore had advised him to stay home and absorb the shock. He had an associate from his office make inquiries, as he was busy through the day. Russell had spent most of the day avoiding questions about who the men were who had come for him the previous evening and what they wanted with him.

"There are rare cases where there is no existing male line to establish the heir. In those cases, the estate passes to a closest female relative. In your Grandfather's case he never had a son and his only surviving daughter, your mother had a son. He left his entire estate in trust for thirty years in the slight chance you might be discovered alive. They've advertised looking for you but there has never been an answer.

"My father can't read or write," Russell said sadly. "It still doesn't make sense. Who am I? Nobody really. I'm not a wealthy estate owner nor did I ever want to be."

"We are what life deals us whether we want to be or not," Lord Newtonmore informed him. "Your grandfather was a shrewd investor. He had his money in land and in banks in Switzerland. His estate has survived intact and he appointed an excellent trustee. I suggest you contact the firm and set up an account. You are allowed to draw up to two thousand pounds a year from the estate until your twenty-fifth birthday at which time you will inherit everything."

"What am I supposed to do with that kind of money," Russell said. "I barely know how to managed the funds I have."

"Pay your tuition, stay in more comfortable lodgings, give some to your adopted parents. You'll think of something. There is no rush," Lord Newtonmore said.

"The title. I didn't inherit it did I?" Russell asked.

"No, you didn't but you are in position to gain one if you should so choose."

"No thank you," Russell said sourly. "Sir," he added.

"I'll overlook it this time. I contacted the Dean of your school and let him know you have had a family crisis and are under a severe shock. You are excused class until Monday. Take the time to visit your solicitor and your mother over the weekend and perhaps your adoptive parents as well. It will take time to decide what you're going to do."

"I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful. I am really for everything you've done Lord Newtonmore," Russell said. "I'm shocked. I don't know how I feel about things. I thought I was starting to know who I was. Now I don't know at all."

"Sleep on it tonight. Tomorrow, you'll have a fresh perspective on things."

"I'll go back to the dorm. I don't want to impose," Russell said.

"I have staff to take care of things. Redmond will want to be filled in. There is one thing about him, he can keep his mouth shut." James patted Russell on the shoulder. "There are men who would kill to be in the position you are now in. No one realizes how hard it is until you're the one baring it all."

"Yes, Sir," Russell said with a nod. He got up and headed for the stairs. He found Redmond sitting at a desk in his room going over some notes.

"Holy Christ," Redmond said when Russell told him the news. "No wonder you were in bad shape. Are you going to tell anyone?"

"Eventually," Russell said. "I think for now I'm going to stick to my original plan. I want to finish my training and go to see Sybil. They are the two things I really want. We won't have to travel to Ireland on the cheap now. I can afford it."

"Like I'm going to take your money," Redmond replied.

"Either that or you'll be standing in my dust," Russell said suddenly smiling. His face went serious just as quickly. "I'm talking like I have the money and I haven't seen a penny."

"Collect it, leave it, I don't care. I'm still going to Ireland in six weeks," Redmond said.

"Rain or shine, I'll be going with you," Russell replied.

-0-

"You seem excited," Tom said to Camilla. She had returned from a friend's home with a large smile on her face.

"I am Mr. Branson. I met the grandmother of one of the girls at school. She does the traditional Aran knitting. She's loaned me a pattern. I'm going to knit a sweater for Davin. He's always complaining of the cold in Scotland."

"It's Spring, summer is almost here," Tom commented.

"I know. I just feel happy. School is almost finished. I have enough knitting to do I should have my tuition fee covered and I've been accepted to the accounting program. There is nothing to feel sad about."

"I've told you before you don't have to worry about the tuition. We'll help you pay for the course."

"I really want to try to do it myself," Camilla said. "My mother always told me what I couldn't do. I think my parents casting me off has made me think about what I can do."

"If you're making a sweater for Davin I'll give you the money for the wool and you can make one for me too," Tom said. "Then I'll look more like a Galway farmer."

"You're not really a farmer," Camilla reminded him.

"What am I then?"

"A gentleman who pretends to farm," Camilla answered him. She skipped off into the house. Tom chuckled and shook his head.

-0-

"Russell what are you doing here?" Thomas Barrow said looking up from his newspaper on Friday afternoon. Afternoon was when they took a break between the morning rush of guests leaving and the bustle of check in time and formal dining room service.

"I needed to see you," Russell said. He dropped his bags on the floor.

"Is your schooling all right? You haven't been kicked out or anything?"

"No Dad, school is fine. I'll go back on Monday," Russell said. "I had a bit of a shock. Where's Mom?"

"Fussing at the housekeeping staff, where else," Thomas said. "I'll call her."

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked the second she walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing and everything," Russell replied. "Sit down, I have something to tell you. I met my real mother. I learned some things I didn't know."

"Like what, son?" Thomas asked.

"My parents were too young when they had me. She was fifteen and my Dad was sixteen. Kids really. He couldn't support us and she went back home. I didn't tell you this before but she was a peer. A Lord's daughter."

"So now after all this time they think they can come in and take you from us," Thomas said bitterly. "Typical aristocracts. Throw you away when it's convenient and pick you up when they want something."

"Thomas, quiet," Abigail silenced him.

"It's not like that," Russell said. "She didn't know where I was. She searched and couldn't find me. My Dad packed us up and moved away the day after she left. She isn't trying to take me back and I wouldn't go with her and her husband even if they did want me. She's dying. She's only got a few weeks at most, probably less."

"How did she find you?"

"I found her. She was in hospital."

"I thought you didn't know who your mother was," Abigail said.

"My Dad told me last year when I saw him. I've known who she was and where she was living since last autumn. I didn't contact her because I thought it could wait," Russell said.

"You didn't think to tell us you knew who your mother was or that you had been to see your father?" Thomas said irritably.

"I wasn't planning to see her, so I didn't think it was important. He's difficult but he's still my father. Since I talked to her, I keep thinking what would I do now if I had a baby to take care of right now. Would I be any better than my father?"

"Being young and inexperienced is no excuse for hitting you," Thomas said.

"No but it makes a lot of it make more sense," Russell said.

"Are they planning to do anything for you, your natural mother and her husband?" Thomas asked.

"They sort of did," Russell said. He wasn't comfortable with the fact that he was now wealthy or with sharing the news. "They've paid my tuition for as long as I want to go to school."

"Well isn't that grand of them," Thomas griped. Every fear he always had of the ones he cared for leaving him was coming back in full force. He'd let himself feel something for Russell and now here was a fancy family with money coming along to lure him away.

"I'm not sure how I feel about it. Why are you being so bitter, Dad?"

"I don't want them taking you away from us," Thomas said sourly. "We did our best for you. We don't have money and a fancy home and we never will."

"I don't care about the money," Russell said reaching across the table and taking his father's hand. "You're still my parents."

"Thomas stop being petty," Abigail scolded. "Can't you see Russell is upset? He's come home because he needs to think."

"Thanks, Mum," Russell said. "I am tired and I want some time to think things through."

"You aren't jeopardizing your schooling by being here are you?" Abigail said.

"No. I'm far enough ahead in practical I'll finish on time at the end of May," Russell said. "Redmond Branson and I have plans to go to Ireland for a week or so, then I'll come back and spend the rest of the time off here with you until next term."

"Still after the Branson girl?" Thomas asked.

"Always," Russell replied. "I'm going for a walk down to the beach. I need some air. Anyone want to come?"

"I'll walk with you a bit," Thomas said.

The two of them walked down to the seaside and stood on the sidewalk watching the waves from the spring storms crash against the pier. The sea rolled and foamed it's fury but couldn't touch them where they were standing.

"Don't let the rich use you up," Thomas said finally. "They do that. Use people up then discard them like yesterday's trash."

"I just need time to think Dad."

"That Branson girl. If you decide to keep with her, the family isn't going to accept you. You know that."

"They might. She doesn't even live in England now."

"They won't accept you, no more than they did Tom Branson. They'll be nice to your face but underneath it you'll never be one of them. Your father went to prison. They'll never let you forget it."

"Sybil can visit her grandparents whenever she likes. It doesn't mean I have to and it will be another year before we think about getting married. I haven't even asked her yet."

"You're in college now. The world is your oyster. Just don't put all your eggs in one basket is all I'm saying."

"I do love her Dad," Russell said. It was the first time he'd said it aloud.

"Love doesn't conquer all," Thomas said. "It helps but there are still struggles."

"You're still having a hard time aren't you?"

"At times son. I'm not going to lie about it," Thomas said. "I've made a commitment and I'm sticking to it. I couldn't live without your mother. I don't want to die a lonely old man."

"That's a long way off," Russell said.

"None of us know what's coming next or when we'll met our maker," Thomas replied thoughtfully. "Come on son, I'll buy you one of those cream flavored soda pops you like."

"Dad, the last time I drank one I tossed it back up five minutes later. I'd rather have a pint."

"I forget you're not a boy."

"I still need my Mum and Dad," Russell replied.


	24. Coming Home Part IV

Coming Home – Part IV – Chapter 13 through 16

Chapter 13 – Two Sides

By the end of May Rose wondered how she had ever let Tom talk her into a Ladies Auxiliary for the medical clinic that included the farmwomen. She did agree the community had to build a sense of pride in the clinic but the differences between the small group of wealthy women on the auxiliary and the farmwomen was enough to make her tear her hair out.

Mrs. Sheahan had come through with the printing for the recital and had insisted the printer use his finest paper and gold leaf borders. The women had sent their sons, each one freshly scrubbed and with a fresh haircut to work at the event, but not a one of the farmwomen had been willing to attend the recital. Mrs. Sheahan was outspoken to a fault as were some of the other women. They were all wives of tenant farmers and therefore a step above many of the others living on the estate. They were used to their opinions being acknowledged and usually followed.

The other group of women which Rose considered herself a part of were in favor of a more traditional approach to fundraising that included garden parties, recitals and formal balls where they could pry significant donations out of wealthy benefactors. The outspoken nature of some of the farmwomen set their nerves on edge and Rose with Edith's help was spending a great deal of time smoothing ruffled feathers.

Rose couldn't fault the farmwomen. Their hearts were made of gold and they took great pride in their little clinic. It had been the talk of the village and they had all walked around with their heads a little higher when Dr. Reigler had been asked to open office hours in the next village over one day a week. The recital had provided the funds to set up the examination room and the dispensary. Dr. Reigler had requested some additional equipment the summer dance would contribute to. Once the clinic was outfitted the auxiliary would continue to contribute to the trust and work on special projects to do with the clinic.

So far the doctor had proven to be a godsend. He spoke English well and had attended to broken arms, a broken leg, severe cuts, a number of births and all the numerous medical complaints of the estate. Their little clinic was bustling with activity and there was usually at least one patient occupying the beds upstairs. Edith was busy giving Mrs. Reigler English lessons. Mrs. Reigler had told them once she learned enough English they had left Austria a year earlier because her grandmother was a Jew. The Germans had removed the civil liberties for Jews and their descendants going back five generations. They had feared the same type of laws would be passed in Austria. They had decided to take their chances in England and look for a permanent place to call home where they could raise their children without fear. Edith and Rose had both advised her not to tell the local women about her Jewish heritage as there were problems in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants. They weren't sure how the news of Jewish heritage would go over in the local community.

Edith was planning to head back to Downton right after the summer dance. Rose hated to see her go, but at the same time it would be good to have the house to themselves and Davin was coming for the summer. He had been offered two different positions for the summer but he'd had enough of being on his own and asked to work at Eagle Cairn during the summer break. He would make less than he would in England or Scotland but he would also save the cost of room and board. It would equal out. Rose suspected Camilla was a big part of why Davin wanted to come to Ireland for the summer. They were writing back and forth regularly and she blushed and fluttered over every letter she received from Rose's son. That and she suspected he was homesick.

A week ago Camilla had received a letter from her mother with a check in it for two hundred pounds. She had congratulated Camilla on her completing grade school and wished her luck on her college course. Camilla's mother had also said she would be staying with Camilla's grandparents for the summer and hoped her daughter would stop in if she were in England. From what wasn't said, Rose thought Camilla's parents were having troubles but Camilla hadn't caught on and Rose and Tom hadn't mentioned it.

"Tom, I'd like to plan a trip to England this summer," Rose mentioned one evening shortly before Davin was set to arrive. They were expecting Redmond and Russell two days later.

"You go. I don't really have the inclination," Tom replied.

"You promised Sybil she could visit her grandparents and I would like to see my parents and brother as well," Rose said.

Tom lowered the book he had been reading and looked at his wife. He didn't think she would understand his reluctance to step back into the aristocratic world. Here he was his own boss. Garth Maguire pretty well left him to it. He wasn't working for the benefit of an heir and preserving a dynasty he thought was ridiculous. Since he'd left England he had no desire to go back. He knew Rose was homesick and he'd been hoping all winter she would settle into their new life. She was missing Davin and Redmond a great deal and the constant maneuvering to find her place in the society around her was wearing on her.

"Why don't you go over for a few weeks on your own? I don't feel right about leaving for an extended period of time in the first year. Take the children with you or just take Sybil and Camilla and leave the others here. Dylan and Bradley will have summer jobs this year. Garret is a bit young but I can keep him amused easily enough," Tom said.

"I would rather you came with me and you know I hate sleeping alone," Rose replied feeling slightly irritated. "You're like an old bear that's gone into a cave and I can't pry you back out."

"I am not. We go out all the time and I'll go anywhere you like as long as we're not gone for more than two nights," Tom said.

"Can't you come along just for a week if we go to England?"

"Where would you like to go while we're there?" Tom inquired.

"Downton for a few days, London for at least a week and to visit some of our friends."

"I really don't want to go," Tom groaned. "I'll miss you when you're gone, but I'd feel better staying here and keeping an eye on the boys."

"They are at an age when they are prone to get into things," Rose said thoughtfully. "Fine, I'll go on my own."

"Maybe I'll join you for a few days," Tom replied breathing a sigh of relief.

-0-

"Are you going to tell Sybil about everything?" Redmond asked Russell. They were on the train north to take the ferry to the Free State.

"I don't know," Russell said. "I haven't told my parents about the money yet. My Dad was upset enough when I told him my real mother was a peer and when I went to see her before she died."

"It wasn't the best way to end a term," Redmond said.

"I passed it and that's what counts," Russell replied looking out the window.

"I'm taking the entire break with no books. I'm tired. I'll admit it," Redmond said.

"It's been a long winter," Russell agreed. He put his head back on the backrest and closed his eyes. The last seven weeks had been exhausting. The only thing that had gotten him through the end of term and his exams was the determination to finish. He hadn't had a stellar end of term but he'd managed to pass everything. The weekend he'd found out about the money and gone to his parents, he had decided not to tell them about his inheritance. His Dad hadn't taken the news he was in contact with his natural mother well and he hadn't known how his Dad would take the news he could now afford to do pretty well anything he chose.

The Saturday he had gone to see his natural mother. Both his Mum and Dad had been worried and apprehensive about the visit. It had only been a half hour train ride to the town where his mother and husband lived. He hadn't had any trouble finding the house. They were living in the manor house Russell now owned. He had been to the solicitor's office the previous day and they had gone over the holdings. He now had a substantial sum in his bank account thanks to that visit.

Sir John Carlton had talked to Russell before letting him see his mother. The tumor was causing her to loose more and more recent memories and she was living the world of her youth with only periodic flashes of the present. She was asking for Russell's father and no longer knew who anyone was.

"There's no pain at the moment," Sir John Carlton told him. "She's medicated for that. The doctors have told me your mother will go to sleep one day and simply never wake up."

"I'd still like to see her," Russell replied.

"Of course. It was always her wish to find you, actually both you and your father. She didn't accept me until she had given up hope."

Russell looked at him oddly.

"Ours is a marriage of convenience. I always knew she was still in love with the man."

"I don't understand you people," Russell had said. He knew they were living in the house without contributing a penny. He suspected Sir John was living on the money the solicitor had told him was his mother's allowance. She had only lost her allowance for the few years when she had run away.

"What do you intend to do about the house?" Sir John inquired.

"Nothing. Your daughter is my half sister. I don't know her, but she still needs a place to live. I have a life. I don't want to live here."

"I'll have the maid take you up, in that case," Sir John said.

"Have you come to play?" his mother asked him when he entered the room. "I do love to play tennis. Have you time for a game?"

"It's raining. We can't play tennis in the rain," Russell told her.

"Oh. I'll go down to the stable then. I'm really going to see Matthew, don't tell Mama."

"I won't tell her," Russell said. "Who's the boy in the picture?" He pointed to a picture of a young boy on her dresser. He assumed it was himself as he had never seen a picture of when he was a child. It was the wrong thing to ask her as she burst into tears and began asking for his father.

"I'll go and find him," he told her.

"If you do, tell him to come quickly," she said grasping Russell's hand.

"I'll tell him," Russell had said.

It had been a rough visit and left him feeling unsettled. He'd returned to his parent's quiet and subdued. He hadn't been able to sleep and got up in the middle of the night to go out to the shed behind the Inn to tinker with his motorbike. He'd laughed at himself as he fiddled with it. He could afford to buy a new one five times over and here he was still playing with another man's cast off. The thought suddenly hit him that he still liked the old bike. It didn't matter that it was old and broke down at the most inconvenient times. It reminded him of days spent riding it around with the other boys when all they really cared about was seeing how fast they could go and what was going to be on the table for dinner. It had been the best time of his life. That and the time he spent with Sybil.

The next morning he'd gotten up early and told his parents he was heading back to London so he could catch up on the lessons he had missed on Friday. It was the first major lie he could ever remember telling in his life. He'd taken the train to York and gone straight to the prison to see his father.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in London," his father had said as soon as he saw him.

"I know you were sixteen when you became a father," Russell said. He hadn't bother to reply to his father's question.

"What's brought this on?" his father asked.

"I couldn't imagine being a father right now. I don't know what I would have done if I'd been a father at sixteen."

His father shrugged.

"You do what you do. What are you here for?"

"I've met her."

"Who?"

"Lady Margaret, my mother or the woman who was my mother, she's dying."

His father's face went white.

"I wasn't good enough for her. She left. Nothing I did was good enough."

"She says she came back, but we were already gone," Russell said.

"That's impossible. She went to her parents. They found out about us and tried to keep us apart. They would have never let her come back."

"She said she wanted to take us to America. She'd gotten the money and the tickets from her father and she came back. I don't know how much I believe. She's mixed up Dad. She's got a tumor on her brain. I've been told they were looking for me though. That part I believe."

"So she came back or so she says. Now her father has his hooks into you and wants you to cow down to him too."

"He's dead. He has been for ten years."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella. What's all this got to do with me now? It's been years."

"I think you should see her before she dies. She's asking for you."

"How do you think that's going to happen? I can't exactly catch the next train."

"Dad, if I get you out of here are you going to go back to gambling?"

"Not much point in it now is there? What do you mean you get me out of here?"

"It isn't important. If I get you out, will you go see her if she's still alive?"

"Might. Can't think of a good reason to though."

"Would you do it for me?"

"You don't know what you're asking." His father's hand had started to shake.

"I think you need to clear the air. I need to know my parents aren't a pair of foolish kids who thought they could gamble their way to a better life. Christ I don't know what I need from you. Yes I do. I need some semblance of normal."

"I wasn't a very good father."

"You could be a better one if you tried."

"A little hard from behind bars."

"I'll take care of it," Russell said.

He'd gone back to school on Monday and had trouble concentrating on the lecture. He'd telephoned his new solicitor on his break and gone about his tasks without really registering what he was doing. At the end of the week he received a registered letter from the solicitor and was meeting his father at the train Saturday morning. His father stepped off the train wearing a shabby suit and looking lost.

"Russell, what the hell is going on?" he asked before Russell had the chance to say a thing. "Some fancy lawyer shows up and the next thing I know, I'm out on good behavior. He hands me a train ticket and tells me to go to London to meet my son."

"I don't know Dad. You tell me."

"It's her, isn't it?"

"Lady Margaret doesn't remember anything that's happened in the last fifteen years or more. She thinks she's a young girl again. She wouldn't have hired a lawyer. Come on. You need something decent to wear."

"This is fine."

"You look like hell," Russell said impatiently. He hustled his father off to a shop selling ready to wear and paid for a suit. Then took him to a barbershop.

"Where did you get that kind of money?"

"Things have changed, Dad. I had a good job last summer," Russell said. He got his Dad onto the train and to his mother's door.

"They won't let me in," Matthew Beldon said. He was trying to back away from the front door.

"They will. Get up here Dad."

"They won't. We shouldn't be at the front door."

"I own the place. I can walk in that door any time I please," Russell said irritably.

"The hell you say!"

"My grandfather left me everything Dad. I own the house, the land everything. I wasn't going to tell you."

Just then the butler opened the door and Sir John Carlton came down to meet them.

"What do you mean by bringing this man to my house," he demanded when he found out who Matthew Beldon was.

"Need I remind you this is my house, and they are my parents," Russell said angrily.

Sir John Carlton straightened his back and was about to retort when Lady Margaret came flying down the stairs and straight into Matthew Beldon's arms.

"Matthew!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Maggie, my Maggie," his father said holding her close.

"Now see here. Unhand my wife," Sir John demanded.

"Give them an hour. That's all I ask," Russell said. "You can stay here until Lady Astrid is grown up. I don't care. Just let them have some time. Let me have my parents if only for a few hours. For Christ sake after everything all of you have put me through is that too much to ask?"

"An hour young man," Sir John said. He turned around and took off into the house slamming a door behind him.

Russell had gone outside and walked around the grounds a bit to leave his parents alone together. Lady Astrid was away at school and there was no point interfering with his parents. If his mother had a lucid moment they would talk things out. The way they were clinging to each other, it was obvious to Russell they had been too young and in some ways maybe they still were to work out what had happened. He'd gone back in the house to find his father waiting for him near the entrance.

"She's asleep," he said. "How long has she got?"

"Not long Dad, maybe a few days. Did Lady Margaret manage to tell you anything?"

His father had nodded sadly. "We were both so stupid and made a fair mess of things."

"It happens. I have to get back to London and we need to find you a place to stay. I've got a shift at the hospital early tomorrow."

"Russell why are you doing this for me after the way I treated you? I've had a fair amount of time to think things over these last years."

"I'm doing this for myself," Russell replied.

He gotten his Dad to a rooming house and paid the bill for a week. He gave his father an envelope containing ten envelopes all addressed to Russell at the dorm with postage on them.

"Here Dad. Wherever you get to you just send one of these to me. I'll know from the postmark where you are."

"I'll go somewhere where there are horses. I like horses. I've missed them," Matthew Beldon said.

"Here's some money to get started. Don't gamble it away," Russell said. He went to hand his father three hundred pounds.

"I'm not taking your money," Matthew said. "They gave me a few pounds when I left the goal."

"Think of it as my grandfather finally came to his senses. You'll have enough to last you until you find a place," Russell said. He set the money down. "I really have to get back Dad."

"Take care of yourself. I'll see you again?"

"Let me know where you are and I'll get to see you this summer," Russell said. "School keeps me pretty well occupied."

He'd made his way back to the dorm and managed to get four hours sleep before he was on shift the next morning. Monday the police had shown up at his college and asked him about his mother's whereabouts and where they could find his father.

"I don't know where he is," Russell lied. "The last I saw of him was at the train station after we left the house."

"This is very serious. You're mother has disappeared. She is a very ill woman."

"She's dying. What does it matter where her last few days are spent?" Russell replied. "There is nothing for anyone to gain. Did she take money with her."

"Nothing. Only a few clothes and her medications," the policeman replied.

"Just let her alone," Russell said before he went back to class. A few days later he had received word his mother's body was found in Hastings. She had been left in a church, wrapped in a blanket. Two days before the end of term he received one of the envelopes from his father. The postmark read Newmarket. Inside the envelope was a note he must have gotten someone to write saying he'd found a job at a stables and that his mother's end was peaceful. Russell had sobbed until he couldn't cry anymore when he'd read the note. His final exams had gone by in a blur and he'd thanked his lucky stars he'd managed to pass. Now he was on a train headed to the Free State with his best friend. He didn't know how to tell anyone about what had happened. The only person who really knew it all was his natural father. Russell felt even more lost than he had when he'd first gone to live with the Barrows. He had no idea how his visit to the Free State was going to go or what he was going say.

Chapter 14 – Time to Relax

"That was a long trip," Davin said as he pulled the horse and buggy to a stop near the train station.

"Davin you're supposed to be relaxing for a few days," Camilla scolded. "We don't need to rush anywhere and your father gave us strict instructions we were not to use the automobile this summer unless it was an emergency. The cost of petrol is just too high."

"I don't know why you're wearing that heavy sweater Camilla made you," Sybil commented. "It's a warm day. "I'm only wearing a light sweater and I'm too warm. I'm going to leave it in the buggy."

"It was cold enough in Scotland that I'm still not warmed up," Davin said with a crooked grin. "I like the school and my friends I've made there, but I don't like the cold one bit."

"We'll have to settle in the south of England when you're finished school, or live in a house with a fireplace in every room," Camilla said.

"Maybe we'll settle in the south of Ireland and I'll get my brogue back," Davin teased her.

"As long as you don't get your table manners back," Sybil ribbed him.

"I remember when you got a candy apple stuck in your hair at a birthday party, Miss High and Mighty. Where were your table manners then?" her brother shot back.

"I was just following your example," Sybil said then laughed.

They went to wait for the train on the platform.

"Wager as to when it arrives?" Sybil asked.

"Early," Camilla claimed. "Losers have to take the winners turn to do dinner dishes twice. One each."

"Within five minutes before or after the hour," Sybil said. "That leaves you with late, Davin."

The train chugged into the station at ten minutes to the hour giving Camilla the win.

"No dishes for me tonight," she said cheerfully.

Sybil was excited and nervous at the same time. She was scanning the windows for any sign of her brother and Russell. She finally spotted Redmond getting off the train with Russell right behind him. She was so excited she dashed over to Russell and put her arms around his neck the second his feet touched the platform.

"I'm so happy you're here," she said holding him close.

"It seems like forever," he said. He kissed her soundly on the lips. She took his arm with her cheeks flushed as they made their way towards the others. Sybil looked up at him again and her smile suddenly faded.

"Russell, what's wrong? You're so thin," she said.

"Hard term," he replied. "Nothing to worry about. I just need a little time to rest."

"You all look worn out," Camilla said. Once they were in a group.

"We had all sorts of things planned for while you were both here," Sybil said. "Now I think you'll all sleep till noon and we'll hardly see you."

"Not if I'm in with Davin," Redmond said. "He hogs the bed."

"I'll be working starting tomorrow," Davin said. "You'll have it all to yourself from five a.m. onward."

"Step one of relaxing while you're here. We're taking the slow way home," Sybil said as they got into the cart.

"What's with the sweater?" Redmond asked. "It's a lot warmer here than I'm used to and it's June."

"I'm a little cold," Davin said.

"Dizzy and short of breath when you row or play cricket?" Redmond asked him.

"Yes, how did you know? I feel like an ancient old man and I'm younger than the others on both teams."

"Unusually fatigued as well?"

"Right on both counts," Davin replied.

"Better stop at the pharmacy. I'll get you something off the shelf. If it doesn't clear up in a week or so go to the doctor, you'll need a blood test," Redmond said.

"Still a mother hen," Davin said shaking his head.

"A mother hen who does rounds and rattles off symptoms six days a week," Redmond said. "A simple case of anemia is easy enough to spot."

"What have you got planned for us?" Russell asked Sybil while Redmond and Davin were nattering at each other.

"There's a summer dance being put on by the Ladies Auxiliary. Thank goodness you're here. The locals won't dance with us. We have to go because Mummy is the Auxilary Chairwoman. Then I have a horse show the next day and we wanted to take you riding around the estate. There is a bus into Galway City and there are some nice beaches in the area. I thought we'd walk on the shore and look for shells. All of my brothers have summer jobs, we'll be on our own quite a bit."

"Are we going to be chaperoned every minute?"

"No, I don't think so," Sybil said slipping her hand into his. "Everyone is working except Camilla and she's busy with her knitting. Mummy and Aunt Edith are occupied with baby Violet and the Auxiliary and Daddy is forever out of the house since it's lambing season. Redmond will probably sleep all the time." Sybil raised her voice to annoy her brother.

"We're going to play and sing at the intermissions at the dance," Camilla said. "The local farm ladies weren't too happy about the idea but Mrs. Branson said it couldn't hurt to provide some extra entertainment. They gave in when they found out Lollan would do most of the singing. I sing harmony."

"You're turning into the perfect Irish girl," Davin said looking into her eyes and not paying attention to the road.

"I'll drive," Redmond said taking the reigns.

"I'll never be Irish," Camilla said blushing. "My accent is a dead give away. I only fit in a bit because I know how to knit."

"And your red hair," Sybil commented from the back of the buggy. "Over half my class at school has red hair."

"Only about five of us did in my class," Camilla said. "Still I was the only one back in England. A lot of things here are different, but girls like Cloda Burns are the same everywhere."

"Less than favorable in polite society as Great Aunt Violet used to say?" Redmond asked.

"I don't want to talk about her," Sybil said with finality. "I want to make plans for when Camilla and I visit England at the end of summer with Mummy and have fun before Daddy puts me to work when you leave organizing the files from the last five years. He's got three cabinets full for me to work on."

-0-

The first night of the visit was a tense affair for Russell. Sitting at a table with Lady Edith and Lady Rose was beyond uncomfortable, when only the year before he had been driving Lady Edith about. All he could think about was not spilling his dinner on his lap. The conversation was mostly centered around Redmond with him relating the family news from London. Sybil had slipped her hand into Russell's a few times through the dinner to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"Did you enjoy school this year, Russell?" Tom asked him. He knew how intimidating eating with his wife's family could be.

"I did, Mr. Branson. It was very busy," Russell replied.

"Were you able to get to your parents very often?" Edith inquired to make conversation.

"Twice," Russell replied. "I took extra credit hours on most of the holidays."

"They're keeping well I hope?" Rose said.

"Yes, Lady Rose quite well. Their Inn is fairly busy," Russell said.

"The nursing training has certainly changed," Edith commented. "I remember during the Great War my sister, Sybil's mother went for training. It was only a few months. Papa had a fit. I was planning to take over as the family chauffeur if Tom had left."

"Why would you have left Da?" Redmond asked. "You've always said you didn't believe in that war."

"Conscription," Tom replied. "My heart kept me out of it in the end. Russell's father wasn't so lucky. He volunteered."

"My father is too young to have been in the war," Russell said before he caught himself. "My adopted Dad of course was," he added quickly to cover his slip.

"Will any of you volunteer if there is a war?" Edith inquired.

"I bloody well hope not!" Tom shot out.

"Tom settle down," Rose said.

"Cousin Edith I have two more years of school and another two of specialty after that," Redmond said. "I'll be a doctor at a hospital whether I am in uniform or not if there is a war. I can't see the point in volunteering."

"I've got three more years. All I've been able to think about is staying at the top of the class and keeping warm," Davin said. "I haven't had time to think about anything beyond that."

"I would hope you wouldn't volunteer," Camilla said to Davin. "Besides your Irish not English."

"Would you volunteer?" Sybil asked Russell.

"I haven't thought about it," Russell replied. "I've barely had time to read a paper. People are talking but it's all women on my course. They talk so much about boys I tend to tune them out and they ask annoying questions."

"Like what?" Bradley asked.

"Like who your brother is when he stops by to say hello," Russell replied.

"I bet the car and driver really set them off," Redmond said.

"What's this?" Tom inquired.

Russell and Redmond exchanged a look.

"Redmond stopped by to pick me when I had some bad news," Russell said.

"You never mentioned anything in your letters," Sybil said in concern.

"I was waiting to tell you in person," Russell said quietly. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. "I met my natural mother earlier this year. She died a few weeks ago."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Rose said. "Let me offer our condolences."

"You should tell them," Redmond said.

"Tell us what?" Tom inquired.

"My real mother. The one that gave birth to me was a noble woman," Russell said. "The meeting was difficult to say the least."

"That makes you one of us," Edith said in shock.

"No Lady Edith. I'm not nor will I ever be," Russell said getting irritated. "They can throw all the money at me they like and try to force me to be something I'm not, but I will never treat anyone the way my father was treated nor would I ever enter into a loveless marriage. From where I sit your world has little appeal."

There were open mouths around the table except Redmond who was looking solemn.

"I'm sorry. I meant no offense," Russell said. "If you'll excuse me." He got up and went outside for some air.

"He's had a rough time of it," Redmond said. "There's a lot he's not saying."

Sybil got up from the table and dashed out behind Russell.

"Russell, what's going on?" Sybil asked. "You were so rude to Aunt Edith. She didn't mean anything by it."

"I know that. I'll apologize again when I've settled down a bit. I shouldn't have come," he replied.

"Why didn't you tell me things were going on? I would have listened."

"How do you tell someone you've known all your life, your of the nobility. Oh by the way, I met my mother. Did I mention she's a Lord's daughter and oh another thing Granddad decided to leave me his estate? I'm filthy stinking rich," Russell said. He leaned back against the side of the house with his head tilted back and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"What did you say?" Sybil asked in shock.

"It's too much I know. My grandfather left me his estate. It's been held in trust while they searched for me. I inherited a massive fortune along with an estate, a manor house and everything you could think of to go along with it. Who am I Sybil? Who the bloody hell am I?" he bit his bottom lip.

"Does Redmond know?"

"He's known from the start. There's more. I haven't told anyone. It's been six weeks of hell. I pushed through the end of school and managed to finish. All I could think about was seeing you and now, I don't think I should have come."

"Of course you should have come. You're the boy who's always been my best friend, that I love," Sybil said. She took his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere where we've always gone," she said.

Chapter 15 – The Truth Comes Out

"I'll go talk to him," Tom said getting up from the table.

"I'll come with you," Redmond said.

"Whatever is going on it is best to let your father handle it," Rose said before there could be any discussion. Edith nodded her agreement.

Tom and Redmond looked around the outside of the house. Tom spotted Sean getting ready to let the horses in from the paddock for the night.

"Have you seen Miss Sybil and a tall dark haired young man anywhere about?" Tom asked him.

"Tack room, Mr. Branson," Sean replied.

"The thing is I don't what to feel about any of it anymore. I just feel sorry for him," they overheard Russell say when they reached the door to the tack room. Tom stepped around the door to see his daughter and Russell sitting on chairs with both her hands in his. There were tears on his daughter's cheeks. Whatever was going on the fatigue on the young man's face wasn't just there from a long term at school.

"Daddy, Russell and I were just talking," Sybil said. She had jumped slightly when she realized her father was there. Russell had let go of her hands and stood up.

"I think it's time you filled everyone in on what's been going on," Tom said. He didn't like seeing his daughter this upset when only this morning she had been all smiles in anticipation of Russell's visit.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Branson. I shouldn't have come until things settled down a bit," Russell said.

"You can tell Da all of it," Redmond said. "He won't treat you any different."

"That's just it. Even you don't know all of it. Only my father, my real father knows all of it and now Sybil," Russell replied.

"Then you had best fess up. Whatever it is," Tom said seriously.

Russell told Tom the entire story. When he got to the part about getting his father out of prison, Sybil took his one hand in hers.

"I found out where my father has settled a few days ago," Russell said when he'd finished telling the rest.

"Have you told your parents any of this yet?" Tom asked him.

"I couldn't. Dad was so upset when he found out I had met my real mother and that she was titled, I couldn't tell them the rest," Russell said. "I couldn't really tell anyone."

"You'll have to tell them soon," Tom said. "You've been through a lot. I can't tell you it's going to be an easy road. I've lived half in the world of the working class and half in the world of the elite for most of my adult life and it hasn't always been easy. You'll have to decide what you want and stick to it. Give yourself some time to adjust."

"What I want hasn't really changed," Russell said. He squeezed Sybil's hand. His shoulders were sagging from the strain of everything he had been keeping in. "I know I don't want anything to do with a world where people marry for money. I went to that house and my mother's husband asked me if I intended to kick him out while his wife was upstairs on her deathbed. It made me sick."

"I can't speak for him or know what he was thinking," Tom replied placing a hand on Russell's shoulder. "But the man does have a daughter to look out for. He would have been concerned for her welfare. If I were in his shoes I would have been."

Russell nodded.

"If you don't beat all for secrets," Redmond said as they were walking towards the house.

"I've kept yours," Russell replied.

"And I've kept yours as well," Redmond said. "The social climbers will be after you now more than me. I look like I have money, but I don't."

"It won't do them any good," Russell said with a slight twitch to the sides of his mouth.

When they got back inside the house Russell went to speak to Rose and Edith who were sitting in the drawing room.

"Lady Rose, Lady Edith, I wanted to apologize for my earlier outburst," he said.

"It's quite understandable especially if you hadn't know about your mother previously," Edith said.

"I'm having a hard time adjusting to my change in circumstances. I .." he looked to Tom, Sybil and Redmond. Sybil gave him a nod of encouragement. "I not only met my estranged mother before she died, I inherited my late grandfather's estate in it's entirety, everything but the title."

"Oh my," Rose said.

"Lord Newtonmore helped me to sort out the legal details," Russell said.

"That is a significant change in circumstances," Edith said. "Difficulties adjusting are entirely understandable."

"Thank you Lady Edith," Russell said.

"My brother is a shrewd one. You can count on him to give you an honest opinion when you need one," Rose commented.

"I realized that very quickly, Lady Rose," Russell said.

"Mrs. Branson when we're in the Free State," Rose reminded him. "Now you young people have had enough stress for one day. Try and relax and enjoy yourself while you're here."

"I agree," Tom said. "This is your and Redmond's vacation. Make the most of it."

-0-

"What is really going on with Russell?" Rose asked Tom once they were alone later.

"Greif, shock, feeling lost, he's mixed up. He's a lot like I was when I lost Sybil's mother, only he doesn't have a child to see to and he's the one holding the cards only he doesn't fully realize that yet," Tom answered.

"I'm worried that Sybil is in over her head," Rose said. She was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. "It's a lot to absorb at her age."

"They've been sensible so far. In time things will settle down and there is no question now that he can support her," Tom said.

"That's true, I just hope they don't get carried away."

"They're young. It's part of life to be foolish and push the boundaries. We'll keep an eye on things and it will all work out."

"You're right and I'm always worrying more about Sybil than the others. It's Davin we should be keeping an eye on not Sybil."

"How about we keep an eye on both," Tom said as he shuffled down in bed and pulled up the covers.

The next morning Sybil went downstairs early to find Russell sitting at the table in the dining room with a cup of tea and staring off into space.

"Good Morning, Where is everyone?" she asked him.

"Redmond is still sleeping, Davin, Dylan and Bradley have gone to work. Camilla went with them to track down some hand spun wool or some such. Garret said something about talking to someone named Ewan or Olan before the dance tonight. Your Mom and Aunt have gone to the village to check on the hall and your Dad is in his office I think. I saw some other people in the kitchen but I didn't know who they were."

"The boy Garret went to see is Lollan. In English it would be spelled Ulan. Mrs. O'Rinn is the housekeeper, Sean is our groom-handyman-gardener and everything else Mrs. O'Rinn finds for him to do. She's a bit of a nag. Aednat is here as nanny for Aunt Edith's baby," Sybil said. "Do you want anymore breakfast? I'm going to have some toast."

"I'm fine," Russell replied.

"You need to eat, you're way too thin."

"Cluck, cluck, cluck. I missed you clucking at me," he said with a crooked smile. "I'll have a piece of toast as well since you offered."

They went into the kitchen to make the toast. Sybil introduced Russell to the staff.

"I thought we'd go for a picnic today. We have the dance tonight."

"Whatever you like," Russell replied tiredly.

"Sean can you saddle two horses for us in about an hour?"

"Certainly, Miss Sybil, any preference?" Sean replied. His attention was diverted from watching Aednat while she was sitting at the table feeding the baby her bottle.

"Mistral and Golden Heart," Sybil said. "I want Northern Star fresh for tomorrow."

"I'll put her on pasture for the day," Sean said.

"I love the names of the horses here," Sybil told Russell. "They all sound so romantic and heroic."

"No Mr. Whiskers?" Russell asked breaking into a grin.

"No and no other silly names either," Sybil replied smiling back at him.

"I have something for you," Sybil said once she had finished breakfast and they had cleared off the dining room table. "It seems a bit silly now." She produced a package wrapped in paper. "It's for your birthday but I thought I'd give it to you while you're here."

Russell opened the package to find two shirts Sybil had made him and an Aran sweater.

"It's a grand gift, Sybil. What made you think it's a silly gift?"

"Because you can buy fancy tailor made shirts if you want now," she said. "Camilla made the sweater. It's a traditional Irish pattern."

"I'd rather have the shirts you made than any that come from a store," he said taking her hand and pulling her close. "Thank you." He kissed her slowly. Sybil's hands slid up his chest to tangle in his hair. Kissing him was even better than Sybil had remembered. There was a slightly aggressive, confident quality about Russell's kiss that hadn't been there in the past. It made her pulse race. They both jumped slightly when the heard footsteps on the stairs. Sybil let go of him reluctantly and tried to calm her breathing.

"Good morning, sleepy," she said to her brother. "We're going on a picnic, do you want to come along?"

"I suppose, where are we going?" Redmond asked.

"The old castle then up to a high hill so you can see all around," Sybil said.

Redmond had been about to say he would stay home and spend some time with their father when he caught the look of desire on Russell's face when he looked at Sybil and Sybil's slightly flushed cheeks.

"I'll get changed and have breakfast," Redmond said heading back up the stairs.

-0-

"You look like you're preparing for a war rather than a dance," Tom said to his wife that evening. Rose held up a necklace for Tom to clasp around her neck. He placed a kiss on the back of her neck before he hooked the clasp.

"You don't know the half of it," Rose replied. "This morning one of the women brought flowers from her garden, another brought flowers from her greenhouse. I thought they were going to get in a fistfight until Edith took over and arranged the flowers. She used flowers from both. The ladies and the farmwomen are arguing over the most ridiculous things. In England we attended dances as community leaders. The farmers respected you and village events were a chance for me to speak to my students' parents. Here, I don't know, we're not really welcome and I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall."

"You're beating your head against eight hundred years or more of oppression. Just getting the women to work together for a common goal is a step in the right direction. The class divides will crumble someday. It took generations to get where it is. Look at the boys. They've made friends and formed themselves into a music group that would have never been possible when I was a lad. Even the songs were enough to put you in prison until fifteen years ago."

"I've convinced the ladies they need to attend tonight to show support for the others and for the clinic. I just don't know how they're going to manage and the farmwomen are well, they're raffling off a ham," Rose groaned.

"You forgot they're raffling a turkey and two live pheasants as well," Tom replied with a slight chuckle. "I'm going to buy a ticket on the pheasants. I wouldn't mind a pair in a pen out back and I like ham."

"Why not a peacock for the garden?"

"Why not?" Tom said. "Right now I'd settle for a pair of pheasants."

When they arrived at the hall the music was playing. The place was packed and people were still arriving. Mrs. O'Rinn had offered to stay home with the baby.

"Your handbills certainly did the trick," Tom said.

"It was Millicent's idea to put out handbills to all the small towns around," Edith said. "The women have some good ideas if one group would just listen to the other."

Rose spotted Mrs. Sheahan and some of the other ladies busy working at the canteen set up to one side. The raffle ticket table was busy as well. On the far side of the hall the four other ladies and their husbands were dancing in a group. "At least they're all in the same building," Rose murmured under her breath.

"A fine turn out for the fundraiser," Dr. Reigler commented as he came over to Tom and Rose with his wife.

"Hello, Dr., Mrs. Reigler. It's a fine showing. The Ladies Auxiliary has done well," Tom said. He introduced his eldest two sons and Russell before the young people drifted off into the crowd. As soon as Tom was free he made a beeline for the raffle table and bought a pile of tickets.

"Put in a good word for me and see I get those pheasants," he said to the woman at the table with a wink.

"You and half the men in the room are after those birds," the lady said.

"I'll take the ham in a pinch," Tom replied with a smile.

Tom and Rose danced and chatted with people they knew until it was almost time for the first break. Their reception was slightly warmer than the last dance they had gone to. Rose rounded up Mrs. Sheahan and the other ladies from the Auxilary to say a few words before the bandmaster called a break. Garret, Bradley, Dylan, Sybil and Camilla were ready to go onto the stage with their group of friends. Rose took a deep steadying breath. With a smile from her husband she climbed the stairs to the stage just as the band finished up the last number. People were chatting and not a one was paying attention as Rose attempted to get the crowd's attention. Mrs. Sheahan appeared at her elbow.

"You lot shut your gobs and listen up. This lady has a few things to say," Mrs. Sheahan bellowed. The crowd suddenly went silent. Rose thanked everyone for coming and introduced the women of the Auxiliary. She congratulated them for all their work toward outfitting the clinic. Her comments received a round of applause.

"Now for your entertainment, we have a group of young people who have put together some numbers to play while the regular band takes a break," she said. "Enjoy your evening."

There were some eye rolls in the crowd when they spotted the group of young people taking the stage. Most of the crowd was well aware over half the group was English.

"We're going to play a reel," Connall said to the crowd. People stood there looking at them and not moving. "Ya wanna dance or not?" Connall said before they started to play.

Sean was over to the side with Aednat smirking slightly. He'd heard the group practicing often enough to know they could out do the adult band any day of the week. Once the music started everyone went back to dancing. The young people played a second piece and a third when someone made a request. Finally the bandleader had enough of being upstaged and the band retook the stage.

An older man approached Tom and Rose.

"Tis a far' tanted boonch o' youngin' ya 'ave der," he said.

"Thank you," Rose said with a smile. "They love to play music."

"I didn't get a word of that," she whispered to Tom when the man had moved away.

"If it's any consolation neither did I," he whispered back.

The dance went along like most country dances with the men nipping outside to get a drink from a keg set up out back and the ladies at the concession stand selling buns and punch left and right. The jars set out for extra donations were filling up when the second break was announced. This time when the younger group took the stage people were paying attention to see what they were going to play.

Camilla stood beside Lollan in the center of the group for the folk songs they had planned for the break. It wasn't long and people were singing along to the familiar words. The second song they sang was popular as well with everyone singing along. Rose's eyebrows raised at some of the off color lyrics but it didn't seem to deter the crowd one bit. She glanced over to see even the ladies at the concession singing along as well.

"If you know this one, sing it. If you don't you will," Lollan said before they started into their third song. The third song was decidedly more of a drinking song than anything else. Rose looked over to see even the ladies and their husbands from the Auxiliary singing and clapping along. When the last of the song died away and the young people were getting ready to leave the stage, the bandmaster came up front.

"What you say we have this lot stay up here and play with us?" he asked the crowd. There was a loud round of applause. "What do you young ones think?"

"Camilla probably won't know the songs and Lollan will need a drink of water," Garret replied seriously. "But then we'll play with you. Just try and keep up with us." Everyone in the crowd laughed then applauded. Drinks were brought up and handed onto the stage with punch or water for the younger ones and beer for the adults. Camilla went to join Davin as she didn't know any of the songs the band hand coming up.

"Let's get a drink," Redmond said once Camilla and Davin had joined him and Russell. They had to drag Russell away from staring at Sybil while she was playing flute. Redmond got them three pints from the keg and they stood around outside drinking them with Camilla taking a sip from Davin's.

Davin suddenly spilled his drink when someone jostled him from behind.

"Steady," he said.

"What are you limey lot doing here?" a young man who had obviously had a few and was looking for a fight asked him.

"Having a drink and enjoying the dance," Russell said. "If it's any of your business."

"I'm making it my business," the drunken man retorted.

"The last time I checked I wasn't English," Redmond said making fun of the man. He continued drinking his pint as if the man hadn't spoken to them.

"I'm not either now that you mention it," Davin said.

A small crowd had started to gather in hopes of a fight. There had been another fight earlier, but hadn't lasted long when the two combatants were too drunk to land a punch.

"You damn bunch of toffs thinking you can come in and take our women," the belligerent young man said trying to get their ire up.

"Camilla, are either you or our sister interested in anyone in the local area?" Redmond asked.

"Since I'm engaged to Davin, I should hope not and Sybil is spoken for," Camilla replied.

"It seems we have women of our own," Davin said.

Russell only chuckled slightly. He changed his pint to his left hand to leave his right free before he took another drink.

"Ya smart mouthed toff I'll show you," the drunk said grabbing Davin's shoulder to turn him. He landed a glancing blow on Davin's jaw.

"How dare you touch my fiancée, you oaf?" Camilla exclaimed.

Before Redmond or Russell could toss their drinks to the side and come to Davin's aid Camilla had balled up her fist and given the bully a black eye.

"Ow, my hand hurts," she said. The bully had staggered back, dumbfounded at being punched by a girl.

"You hurt my girlfriend. You're going to pay for that," Davin said getting mad. He landed two punches on the drunk knocking him out cold.

"Humpf," Camilla said with a sniff. She took Russell's drink from his hand and poured it on the drunk's face since Davin had spilled his.

"You wasted my pint," Russell complained.

"I thought that ruffian might like another drink," Camilla said stepping over the man lying on the ground. "Let's go dance, Davin."

"That red hair is no lie," one of the men outside said shoving another drink into Russell's hand. "You sure she's not from around here?"

"My brother and his fiancée have tempers to match," Redmond replied with a crooked grin.

"Where you from mate?" one of the men asked.

"Dublin originally," Redmond replied.

"Yorkshire," Russell said.

"Welcome to County Galway," the man who had given Russell the pint said. "Which one of you is buying the next round?"

"He is," Russell and Redmond said at the same time.

The men laughed and slapped them on their backs before they went back to their drinks.

Chapter 16 – Too Stubborn for His Own Good

"Sarah, come and meet my brothers and my young man," Sybil said the next day at the horse show. "This is Russell and my older brothers Davin and Redmond."

"How do you do?" Sarah said formally. She was a pretty girl with high cheekbones, green eyes and fair hair. She was dressed formally for riding, but the clothes did little to hide her figure.

"Sarah was my first friend here in the Free State," Sybil said. "She invited me to a party before I knew anyone else."

"It's always nice to meet one of Sybil's friends," Davin said. Camilla was hanging onto his arm.

"Which one of you is studying to be a doctor?" Sarah inquired.

"I am," Davin and Redmond both replied. Russell couldn't help but smile.

"Veterinary Doctor, Medical Doctor and registered nurse," Russell said pointing to each of them in turn.

"Are you enjoying your visit to the Free State?" Sarah inquired of them.

"Russell and I only have been here just over a day," Redmond replied. "So far it's been a good time."

"Davin will be here for the summer," Camilla said smiling at him.

Cloda Burns came over to the group.

"Aren't you going to introduce your friends to your handsome guests, Sybil?" Cloda asked smiling at the men and ignoring Camilla.

"Cloda Burns these are my brothers Davin and Redmond Branson and my young man Russell Beldon," Sybil said her smile had faded.

"Davin is my fiancée Cloda," Camilla said to warn her off.

"My goodness, we can't have you keeping such a handsome group of young men all to yourself," Cloda said fluttering her lashes. "Your brothers are so much alike Sybil, I don't know how you tell them apart."

"They're not that much alike if you know them," Sybil said before Redmond had a chance to respond. Cloda maneuvered herself between Redmond and Russell.

"You simply can't be amusing yourself way out in the country," Cloda said looking up at Russell then Redmond. "I'm having some friends over tomorrow, why don't you both come along."

"I'm afraid I'm spending all of my time here with, Sybil," Russell said.

"Well, of course you are all invited," Cloda responded sweetly.

"Unfortunately, we've already accepted an invitation from Sarah," Redmond said. "Another time perhaps."

"Yes, Sybil, Russell and Redmond are coming over for a bridge party. You know any more than four at bridge is a crowd, Cloda," Sarah said.

"Do you play bridge?" Cloda asked Russell fluttering her lashes at him.

"Whenever I'm with Sybil's family I do," Russell lied.

"He's a regular whiz at bridge and chess," Davin said with a straight face. "Can't beat him at monopoly either."

"Too bad," Cloda said with a pout. "I'll call you later in the week to see if you're free Sybil." She headed off towards where the horses where tethered.

"The lot of you will be struck dead by lightening before you make it to confession," Sybil said.

"I prefer polite company to employ the meaning of the word," Redmond said.

"Do you play bridge Russell?" Sarah asked.

"Never played in my life," Russell said. "Anyone who knows Davin knows he never loses at chess and I don't think Sybil has ever lost at monopoly."

"We're planning to go to the beach tomorrow, would you like to come with us Sarah?" Redmond asked suddenly. He had his usual serious expression on his face when he was thinking about something.

Sybil was standing slightly behind Sarah she pointed to her mouth and smiled. Redmond caught her gesture and smiled. Sarah caught her breath slightly.

"Yes, I would love to come," she said. "I don't live all that far from the shore, we can go by my home afterwards and you can all stay for dinner if you like. Perhaps we could teach Russell how to play bridge?"

"That sounds lovely," Redmond said. He steered Sarah away from the group. "Have you ever been to London?" he asked.

"Twice. I'm hoping to go again when I graduate. My mother promised me a trip when I finish school," Sarah was saying as they walked away.

"Since when are you studying to be a doctor?" Camilla scolded Davin.

"I am. A doctor of veterinary medicine is still a doctor. It's the same thing only the patients are different," Davin said.

"What is your prescription for a sore hand then?" Camilla asked him as they wandered off.

"A kiss to make it better since it's not a paw or a hoof," Davin replied.

"They're as soopy as ever," Sybil said motioning at her brother and his fiancée.

"We could get a little soopy ourselves," Russell said.

"Yes, we could," Sybil replied putting her arm through his.

-0-

"You've finally spotted one you like?" Davin asked his brother a few days later.

"She seems nice, but she's still a school girl," Redmond said.

"You're meeting so many girls your own age you fancy in London?" Davin ribbed him.

Davin only got a half grin in return. Redmond liked Sarah a great deal and was thinking about asking her to write to him. She was only two years younger than he was and on the surface appeared to be a kind soft-spoken girl who wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Oh, that Cloda, just telephoned," Camilla said coming to sit with them on a bench in the garden where they were watching Tom's new pheasants hop around in their pen. "I can't stand her. She's so mean."

"I hope you told her no, whatever she wanted," Davin said.

"Oh I did. Nothing would ever make me go to a get together at her home," Camilla said. "She was simply horrid to Sybil and I when we first came here."

"You don't have to associate with anyone you don't want to," Redmond reminded her.

"The social group here is a lot smaller than it was back in England," Camilla said. "You can't help running into people. I have a few friends who wouldn't cow down to Cloda. She had most of the girls in the eldest two grades calling me "Slurpy" last year until the nuns caught them."

"Lovely," Davin said. "She's lucky I wasn't around."

"Never mind. I made friends with those who wouldn't do her bidding," Camilla said. "Davin are you feeling well? You look pale."

"He won't go to the clinic he's too stubborn," Redmond said.

"I don't have time to be sick," Davin responded irritably.

"You're going to the doctor first thing tomorrow," Camilla instructed him.

"No, I'm not and you can't make me," Davin said standing up quickly. He fell over unconscious.

"Davin!" Camilla cried. She kneeled down beside him and started tapping his face.

"He's fainted," Redmond said checking his brother over quickly. "Get Da. He's going to the doctor now. No more putting things off."

-0-

Tom sat in the waiting room at the clinic. They had telephoned Dr. Reigler then gotten Davin into the car once he came around. Camilla and Rose were sitting with Tom. Edith had left for England on Monday and Tom had thought the house was finally settling down and his sons would get some much needed rest as they both looked exhausted from their studies. He and Rose had been worried all winter about Davin being away from family. He would be eighteen that fall. Davin had been trying to put on a brave front and stand on his own two feet since the blow up with Camilla's family. He was still young and Tom worried that he was trying to be more grown up than he was ready for. Redmond had gone to university early as well, but he lived with a relative and had basically lived as a boy only changing one type of schooling for another.

Dr. Reigler stepped out into the waiting room with Davin who was still looking pale.

"Mr. and Mrs. Branson," he said. "I'll go over things with you at the same time as your son." He looked pointedly at Camilla. "If you'll excuse us young lady."

"It's alright, she can stay," Davin said. "This is my fiancée."

"I'm recommending you take your son directly to the hospital in Galway City for some tests. Normally I would draw a blood sample and send it in to the laboratory, as we are not that set up here. I don't feel Davin should wait. It may be he is simply very run down or it could be something significant. I cannot make a firm diagnosis without looking into things further. Some vitamin supplements and a week or two of bed rest with good meals would be in order and at the present time couldn't hurt. He's been taking some supplements and should continue to do so. I do urge you to go directly to the hospital from here for the testing. There is little point to staying in the clinic or hospital over night as there would be nothing to do but wait for the results. The lab will have the results ready by morning."

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with Davin?" Rose asked.

"It could be a number of things. We will know more tomorrow and then I will be able to make my recommendations. For now, straight to the hospital," the doctor gave Davin a paper with a list of the tests he wanted done. "Then home and straight to bed. Nothing strenuous for the next few days until we have this under control."

"I have work," Davin said.

"No you don't," Camilla said before Tom could say a word. "You're going to stay in bed if I have to stand guard at the door."

"You heard her," Tom said. "Out to the car and we'll get you to the hospital."

The tests seemed to take forever. When Davin was finally done he looked more exhausted than he had before.

"I feel like I could sleep for a year," he said. "Does anyone else find it cold in here?"

They all looked at each other. The hospital was warm enough Tom had taken off his jacket.

"We'll get you home and into bed. Then we'll get you warmed up," Rose said.

Camilla was trying her best to keep calm. Tom had noticed her lips trembling from time to time as they waited. It wasn't going to be an easy night for anyone. When they got home, Redmond moved down the hall to the room Edith had been occupying. Rose had Mrs. O'Rinn put fresh sheets on Davin's bed. Everyone was surprised when Russell came into Davin's room and popped a thermometer into his mouth.

"Don't mean to interfere but it doesn't hurt to check," Russell said. He checked Davin's pulse as well.

"I should have made you go to the doctor sooner," Redmond said. He was sitting on the foot of the bed. I thought you were just run down. I might have made things worse."

"I haven't felt good for months," Davin said. "The doctor said to keep taking the supplements you picked out. They couldn't hurt anything."

"Well?" Redmond asked.

"Elevated respirations, resting pulse is eighty. Which is higher than it should be especially since Davin has been working out and a low-grade fever. All indications of," Russell said.

"An infection of some type," Redmond completed the sentence. "Not diagnosable without tests." He was looking serious and thoughtful.

"You two sound like text books," Sybil said from the doorway.

"You do this day in day out and see how you sound," Redmond said. "We'll let you get some sleep," he said to Davin.

They headed down the hall.

"What can we do?" Camilla asked Russell and Redmond. She was getting ready for bed and had her housecoat on.

"The doctor said to let him rest," Tom said coming along the hall and overhearing the conversation.

"Davin is running a temperature, Mr. Branson," Russell said. "Someone should check him part way through the night, just to make sure it doesn't rise suddenly."

"I could do that," Camilla said.

"We should let Russell do it, he knows what he's looking for," Redmond said.

"Checking through the night couldn't hurt anything," Tom said. "You're a guest here, you don't need to be caring for anyone on your time off."

"It only takes a few minutes, Mr. Branson. If Davin needs anything more, I'll let you know," Russell said.

"I appreciate your help," Tom replied.

"What are you thinking?" Russell asked Redmond once Tom had gone into his room and Camilla had finally been convinced to try and get some sleep.

"Ten different things, none of them good," Redmond said. "I'm doing exactly what I've heard the supervising physicians tell family members a hundred times or more. Don't jump to conclusions until the test results are back."

Sybil hugged her brother. Redmond was often so formal people forgot to hug him.

"I'm worried too," she said. Redmond hugged her back.

"I'm going to follow my own advice and get some sleep," he said.

"Let's go sit downstairs for a bit," Russell said to Sybil. "I'll go check on Davin again in a few hours."

Sybil nodded. They went to one of the sofas downstairs. Sybil curled up against him with a blanket.

"Not an enjoyable part of your vacation," she said.

"I'm having a good time," Russell replied. "I'm feeling a lot better than when I got here. Another three days and back to England."

"I wish you could stay longer. This winter is going to be like torture."

"Mum and Dad need help. It's the busy season."

"Davin is going to be all right isn't he?" Sybil asked quietly.

"Redmond told you, don't jump to conclusions. He could be run down and gotten a cold on top of things or it could be something else. The doctor will tell you tomorrow," Russell whispered.

"Thank you for being here," Sybil said. She kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back taking his time. Sybil could feel his pulse under her fingers where they were resting at the side of his neck. She slowly pushed the collar of his shirt open and kissed the base of his throat when his lips left hers.

"Lovely," he murmured before he returned the gesture. His fingers found the button at the top of her blouse and slipped it open with his lips following their path. Sybil slid the buttons of his shirt open and returned the gesture. His mouth claimed hers again while she ran her hands over his chest and around his back drawing him closer. She felt Russell cup her breast through her bra. She gasped slightly when his thumb rubbed her swollen nipple. She couldn't help herself as she pressed closer to him. She didn't protest when she felt him push her blouse off and undo the clasp of her bra. Desire stronger than she had ever felt before ripped through her as he explored her bare breasts with his hands and her flesh touched his. When his mouth found her nipple she thought she would die of pure pleasure. She was lost in the sensation. Nothing registered as they touched and explored each other until the clock began to strike twelve.

Russell raised his head slightly.

"Sybil, I love you so much," he said. "I want to be with you to the point where it hurts."

"I want that too but we can't, we're not married," she whispered back.

"I know that. I've thought about it a lot. I don't want to even risk having a child now. Not after everything I've been through with parents that were too young. We're older but not that much."

"What do we do," she said. Her hands were still stroking his chest.

"We can touch, but we won't go all the way. There are ways we can touch each other. I read about it in school last year. Not the most romantic way to learn about things I know," he chuckled slightly then kissed her. "We can get married next summer when you're done school."

"I'd like that," Sybil said. "We'll be together always."

"I've got to go check on your brother," he said kissing her again.

"We'll find some time alone together tomorrow," Sybil replied with a slight smile.

"Tomorrow," he said. "With no chaperones and not somewhere your parents could come down the stairs at any moment and catch us."

She nodded against him then held him tight for a moment before they got up to go upstairs.

Russell went in to check on Davin. He didn't bother to do up his shirt. He turned on a small lamp on the dresser then touched his shoulder to wake him. Davin didn't move. Russell shook him again but only got a faint response. Davin's breathing was slightly labored. Russell quickly checked his pulse then shook him again to wake him. Davin came to enough Russell managed to get the thermometer into his mouth and held onto it while he waited. He checked the reading and then went down the hall to wake Redmond.

"Get your Dad to call the Dr. I think he needs oxygen," Russell said. "I'm going to work on getting him cooled down. He gave Redmond a list of vitals to relay to the doctor by telephone. It wasn't long and Redmond and Tom came into the room. Russell had the sheets folded down to Davin's waist and was wiping him down with a cool cloth.

"Rubbing alcohol would be beneficial if you have any," Russell said.

Tom nodded and went down the hall to retrieve the bottle from the medicine cabinet.

"Let's get him on his side and see if it helps his breathing," Redmond said. Russell nodded and positioned Davin so they could move him.

"Thank god you're here. My training is all theory and working with cadavers," Redmond said.

"I only do what I'm told and make people comfortable. I can't diagnose anything," Russell replied. Tom returned with the alcohol. Russell applied it to Davin's neck and back in hopes of bringing the fever down slightly.

"Here, my boy. Help is on the way," Tom said stroking Davin's hair back. It seemed like forever until the doctor arrived. The doctor checked Davin over quickly and got him on oxygen and set up an intravenous with fluids.

"Who might you be and how did you know what to do?" Dr. Reigler asked Russell.

"Russell Beldon. I'm a student nurse. I've just finished my first year," he replied.

"Whatever this is, it is progressing rapidly," Dr. Reigler commented thoughtfully. "I will telephone the laboratory to check if the results are ready yet. We may have to wait another few hours."

"Should we get Davin to hospital, doctor?" Tom inquired.

"There is nothing the hospital could provide that isn't already being done," the doctor replied thoughtfully. "His airway is not obstructed nor is it swelling. I will make the call and be right back, if you will show me the telephone."

The doctor returned to the room and looked in his bag for two different vials and a syringe.

"Now Mr. Branson, these are the laboratory findings," he told Redmond the results. "What is your assessment?"

"Initially I suspected Tuberculosis but that has been ruled out," Redmond replied. "Presenting symptoms would indicate a systemic infection of either Endocarditis or Meningitis. Examination with stethoscope would be the deciding factor if irregular heart beat is present."

"If I told you it is?"

"Endocarditis, treated with," Redmond rattled off a list of medications and dosages.

"I concur completely. This is only the third case I have ever seen. It is not common and the anemia masks some of the less obvious symptoms. I will double check the dosages when I return to my office but for now a standard dosage would be prudent," the doctor said.

Tom was standing to the side of the room feeling completely lost and helpless.

"It's going to be all right Da," Redmond said putting a hand on his father's shoulder. The doctor knows what he's doing. The drugs are newer. It's a bacterial infection in his heart. It used to be fatal but these new antibiotics should stop it in its tracks. We should see some improvement within the next eight to twelve hours. He'll be laid up for the summer but he will get better."

"I will not downplay the seriousness of the disease," Dr. Reigler added. "Your son may be left with a permanent heart murmur that is more severe than his existing one. He is going to have to follow a strict diet as he recovers and for the rest of his life. Hopefully the disease has been caught in time to minimize damage to the heart. I would suspect your own heart murmur may be a family trait that made the younger Mr. Branson susceptible to the bacteria. I suggest checking your other children as well although some rare heart conditions can be difficult to detect until puberty."

"Davin and Redmond are my cousins by blood," Tom said. His hands were shaking as he watched Russell tending to his son. "We didn't know he had a heart murmur."

"Close enough relations they bare a striking resemblance. I would say not that genetically distant?" Dr. Reigler inquired. "Most likely common relatives on both mother and father's sides?"

"My mother was a distant cousin of their mother's. Their father and I were first cousins. Our fathers were brothers," Tom replied. Dr. Reigler nodded.

"Medication to be administered in six hours by injection," Dr. Reigler said. "I will return then. He checked his watch. That will put us at seven a.m. If there is any worsening in condition, call me. Mr. Beldon can monitor the intravenous and administer the antibiotic if I am unavailable. There are two imminent births in the area. I could be called away at any moment. I have left the necessary equipment and medications."

"Thank you doctor. We'll call if there are any more issues," Tom said.

"I'm going to go to bed," Redmond said. "I'll take over from Russell in the morning so he can get some sleep."

His father nodded then went down the hall. He returned with an old beat up stuffed toy that had seen better days and put it in Davin's hand. Russell finished wiping Davin's legs then pulled the sheet back up to his waist.

"I'll take care of him, Mr. Branson. You can go to bed if you like," he said. "There isn't much to do at the moment. I have to watch the intravenous continues to drip and the oxygen doesn't get a twist or the mask come off. I'll try to cool him down again in another hour or so."

"How can I thank you for catching this in time and all that you're doing," Tom said. He was stroking Davin's hair.

"I do this day in and day out, Mr. Branson," Russell said. "You don't need to thank me. I'm a long way from qualified yet. The doctor is right. There really is no difference in treatment between home and hospital at the moment. Davin is probably better off here unless you hired a private nurse and I can take care of the drugs. Redmond doesn't physically handle patients yet."

"You seem so grown up, while Davin is like a small child at the moment," Tom said.

"Everyone is a baby when they're sick," Russell said. "I'll be right back. I have to changed the water."

Tom nodded. Davin moved slightly in his sleep but didn't wake up while he was sitting there. There was nothing on heaven or earth at the moment that would have made Tom leave that bedside.


	25. Coming Home Part V

Coming Home – Part V – Chapter 17 through 20

Chapter 17 – Still Children

It had been a week since Davin had been taken ill. Redmond and Russell had extended their stay in order to help out. There hadn't been a second for Sybil and Russell to think of anything romantic with Davin seriously ill. He was so weak it took two adults to get him up and to the washroom. He had protested bitterly when Russell had insisted he sit on the commode to urinate. Davin had finally given in when Russell told him he had no problems with standing over him to make sure he complied with instructions then waited outside until Davin called for help to get back to bed. Afterwards Russell had thought about some of the Matron's on the wards he had been assigned to over the winter. They didn't take no for an answer either and it worked like a charm.

The infection was slowly responding to the drugs and Davin had been put on tablets rather than injections. Camilla was beside herself and clucked and fussed and gotten in the way until Redmond had suggested she be in charge of Davin's meals. She had thrown herself into the task whole-heartedly and was checking his meals against the prescribed diet. She'd caught Davin getting a peppermint from a bedside drawer as he was starting to respond and made him spit it out. Through it all Tom and Rose were both worried sick. Tom would get up through the night and sit by Davin's bed to watch him sleep in order to reassure himself that Davin was going to survive. It wouldn't be too long and Rose would be there as well handing Tom a cup of tea while they kept their vigil together.

"Redmond is going to have to go back for school soon and we can't keep imposing on Russell," Tom said to Rose at the end of the first week.

"I know," she sighed. "I've put everything on hold. I think I'm going to cancel the trip to England completely."

"We could send Sybil over with Redmond to her grandparents and then you make a quick trip to retrieve her," Tom suggested. "The doctor says Davin will get well. It's just a waiting game now with a long recovery."

"I don't want him going back to Scotland this fall," Rose said. "He's going to have to avoid chills all winter and follow a special diet. How is he going to do that living in a dormitory? You know how determined he is. He's likely to do something he shouldn't and have a setback."

"It's going to be hard but I think we talk to him about taking a year off his studies," Tom said. "Let him stay home and really get this thing beat. Dr. Reigler said it will be at least three months before he is up and around. That is well after the start of term."

"Davin will balk," Rose said. "And he may well loose his spot."

"He came in first place, miles ahead of anyone else. The university should allow him to defer for a year if they know the circumstances. We'll talk to him about it."

"It's going to put him and Camilla under one roof, with time on his hands," Rose pointed out.

"She's got a lot more sense now. She keeps him in line," Tom said. "When he's well enough, I'll find him something to do."

-0-

"I'm going to have to get back to England," Russell told Sybil after he had been there almost two weeks. "I really need to get to my parents'. I still haven't told them about the money."

"I'm sorry we haven't had hardly anytime alone," Sybil said putting her head on his shoulder.

"We've still got two days. The way Camilla has taken over she'll barely let anyone else in the room with your brother," Russell said with a chuckle.

"It's like she has a life size doll to play with and mother," Sybil agreed. "I'm allowed to travel back with you as far as Yorkshire."

"You could come down to Eastbourne in the next while. We could tell my parents we're engaged together."

"We'll have to tell mine before we leave for England," Sybil replied. "We'll do something special tomorrow, just us."

"That would be nice," Russell said. He kissed her softly. "I'm going to miss you, but this last while has made me realize how important my training is. I'm going to finish and I'm going to do the six month specialty."

"You're so kind," Sybil said. "I didn't want to take nursing. Now I'm not so sure."

"You've got all winter to decide," he said rocking her slightly. "We should go out tonight and look at the stars. It's so quiet here. Not like London. That is one thing I miss about Yorkshire. You could always see the stars."

"You know Redmond will want to come and most likely my younger brothers," Sybil said.

"Invite Sarah. Let Redmond spend sometime chasing after a girl of his own," Russell said with a chuckle.

"You know I think I'll do that," Sybil replied.

-0-

"I was so terribly sorry to hear about your brother," Sarah said that evening. They were out in one of the pastures sitting around a campfire. Dylan, Bradley and Garret had decided to come along as well to get out of the house.

"He's going to live," Redmond said. "It's going to take a long time for him to recover though. The doctor sent a letter to the university to say he's sick and won't be able to attend in September. Davin had a fit but it can't be helped."

"He is too ill to protest for too long," Russell said. "What are the lads from London up to during your break?"

"Visiting family and their girlfriends family same as us," Redmond replied.

"Sybil is going to England with Redmond, but I have to stay here," Garrett complained.

"What would you do with yourself in England?" Sybil asked him.

"I could be the morning piper at the Abbey," Garret said perking up.

Everyone laughed.

"I'm sure Grandpapa would love that," Sybil said. "Especially if Grandpapa Shrimpy comes to visit."

"So what are you going to do in England?" Dylan asked her.

"The same things I did when we lived there I suppose," Sybil said thoughtfully.

"All you did when we lived there was hang out with Russell," Bradley informed her.

Russell was thankful it was dark enough to hide the color in his cheeks.

"I do have other friends," Sybil said. "I'm going to ask if I can go to London and stay with Uncle James and Aunt Victoria for a while. Besides there are always garden parties and riding parties and I could throw a swimming party at the Abbey."

"I don't know who you're planning to invite," Dylan said. "Everyone from our old swimming parties is either in the Free State or going to school."

"Cousin George will be around," Sybil pointed out.

"Cousin Elizabeth too," Bradley said in disgust.

"They're the same age," Redmond told Sarah.

"I don't care for her company," Bradley said.

"She's better than she used to be," Redmond said. They heard a rustling in the grass before Garret and Bradley's three friends appeared in the light thrown from the fire.

"Bradley said there was going to be marshmallows," Bryan announced.

"There is," Sybil said handing the bag to her younger brothers.

"Maybe we should say a song for a marshmallow," Russell teased them.

"Not I said the fly," Lollan said. The others all laughed then handed over the sticks for toasting the marshmallows.

"Let's go look at some stars," Sybil whispered to Russell. They got up and walked away from the fire into the dark of the night. Dylan, Bradley and Garret made kissing sounds. They could hear the other younger boys laughing.

"Wait until you're older," Sybil called back over her shoulder. "I'll remember this."

They found a spot to sit and looked up at the stars. It was only a few minutes when Redmond and Sarah joined them.

"You're not giving us a minute alone are you?" Sybil said to her brother.

"No," he replied then laughed. Sybil threw a handful of grass at him.

"It is beautiful here," Russell said.

"It is," Redmond agreed. He wasn't looking at the stars.

"You're lucky to have so many siblings to spend time with," Sarah said after a few minutes. She was looking up at the sky. "I only have a sister and she is much older than me."

"They can be charming or annoying, it depends on the mood," Redmond said. He was staring at Sarah's mouth.

"A shooting star, make a wish," she said. She turned to look at Redmond with a smile. He lifted his hand and touched her face to bring her closer for a kiss.

"You're sister is right over there," she whispered as they parted.

"No she's not. They've gone back with the others," Redmond whispered.

Sarah glanced over to see that Sybil and Russell were indeed gone.

"Write to me?" he asked stroking her cheek. He kissed her again after she nodded.

Sybil and Russell slowly made their back to the boys who were singing songs and poking sticks into the fire.

"This is exactly what we used to do back home," Sybil said.

"We are home," Dylan reminded her.

"It hasn't felt like it all winter," Sybil said thoughtfully.

"Hasn't felt like what?" Redmond asked as he and Sarah rejoined the others.

"Home," Sybil said. "It hasn't felt like home without you here."

-0-

"Before everyone runs off," Sybil said the next morning once breakfast was done. "I have an announcement. We have an announcement."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and waited to hear what she had to say. Russell went to stand beside her.

"_Here it is,"_ Tom thought. _"My baby is growing up."_

"I've asked Sybil to marry me and she's accepted," Russell said. "I hope we have your blessing Mr. and Mrs. Branson."

"We aren't planning to get married for at least a year or until Russell is done with school," Sybil said quickly.

"That is good news," Rose said coming forward to kiss Sybil on the cheek. "I can't say this was unexpected. You're doing the right thing by waiting to get married." She kissed Russell on the cheek as well.

"You've done well for yourself," Tom said taking Russell's hand in a firm shake. "Make my daughter proud." He kissed Sybil on the cheek as well.

"Russell is already like one of the family anyway," Dylan said with a shrug.

"Does this mean you're going to have a baby?" Bradley said. "All Baby Violet did was cry and poop."

Everyone laughed.

"Not for quite a while yet," Sybil said. "I still have a year of school and Russell has another year and a half. Then I might go to school as well after we're married."

"Might?" her father asked.

"Will," Sybil corrected. "We still have a lot of plans to make."

"We haven't gotten a ring yet," Russell said with a smile. "Which we'll do later today."

"We should go up and tell Davin," Sybil said.

-0-

"Did you see the look on their faces yesterday when they took the buggy into Galway City," Tom said to Rose after they had seen Redmond, Russell and Sybil off on the train.

"I know. Sybil thought she was being so sneaky getting Russell alone by going into town," Rose said. "By the time they left Redmond, Camilla and Garret decided to go along. They didn't have a chance."

"They could make a chance if they really wanted to," Tom reminded her.

"For all they're growing up they're still children," Rose said. "At least Camilla took a break from Davin's bedside to go along."

"Are you going to apply for any teaching positions this fall," Tom said they headed the buggy for home.

"I don't know. With Davin so ill, I think I should be there," Rose said.

"At least think about getting involved in dance," Tom said. "The auxiliary gets on your nerves, you need a way to blow off some steam. I'm almost sorry I got you involved in it, but I'm not sorry we have a doctor within calling distance. Davin is going to be up and around this winter. He won't be too lively, but he will be up. He can manage to get to the washroom and back on his own at the moment. He's getting a bit better each day."

"It's not a great accomplishment for a boy who is almost eighteen," Rose reminded him.

"Strange isn't it how we didn't know he had a heart murmur," Tom said. "Now we find out Redmond has a slight murmur and Dylan's is significant. None of the others have one."

"How old were you before you noticed anything amiss?"

"Twenty-five and I never noticed a thing. The only time it's given me any problems was when I had that cough. The only concession I make is to dress warmly enough and take a rain slicker with me when I'm out on the property so I don't get too wet and get a chill."

"Davin is going to have to do the same thing. Dr. Reigler says it is still too early to tell if his murmur will get worse because of this thing."

"An odd disease isn't it that only really attacks people with a heart murmur?"

"Redmond said the only reason he knew about the infection was the teacher had stumped him last year on it," Rose said. "Things have changed so much haven't they? There are drugs now to treat this sort of thing and we have radios and telephones. It's not like it used to be at all."

"Some things haven't changed a bit," Tom replied. "I used to think when Ireland threw off the English rule, people would get along and the classes wouldn't be as separate. That was a mistake."

"You keep telling me it will take time," Rose said. "It doesn't hurt to dream."

Rose went upstairs as soon as she got home to check on Davin. She wasn't prepared for the scene she walked in on. Camilla had her hands on her hips and was looking determined. Davin was lying in bed looking equally determined if pale.

"How are you today, darling?" Rose asked going over to feel Davin's forehead.

"Tell Camilla I can take a bath on my own," Davin said.

"You might fall getting in the tub," Camilla said.

"I'm not a baby," Davin shot back and then coughed.

"You're acting like one. The doctor said it would be good for you to be up and the steam will stop you from getting pneumonia. You need a bath and I'm going to help you," Camilla said stamping her foot.

"Camilla it might be best of Davin's father or the groom helped him in and out of the tub," Rose said.

"Sean has his free day and Mr. Branson said he had to go to a meeting as soon as he got back," Camilla said determinedly. "Davin needs a bath and the housekeeper needs to change the bed and get the sheets washed and on the line while it's still nice out."

"I don't think it's appropriate for you to bathe Davin," Rose said.

"I can bathe myself," Davin said stubbornly.

"Now you're being silly," Rose told her son.

"I'm off to my meeting," Tom said sticking his head around the door.

"Tom can you help get Davin into the tub before you go?" Rose asked him.

"I have to be quick about it," Tom said glancing at his watch.

"I'll fill the tub," Camilla said.

Davin got up and slowly headed for the bathroom," Camilla had a fresh towel near the tub for him and the tub was filled when he got there.

"I'll make sure your bed gets changed," she said with a slight sniff.

"She used to be so sweet and agreeable," Davin grumbled while Tom helped him get into the tub.

"She's still sweet. She's grown up a lot," his father reminded him. "Need I remind you all she really wants is for you to get well. The same as the rest of us."

Davin nodded.

"Are you going to be all right on your own? I've got to get going or I'm going to be late," Tom said.

"I'll be fine, Da," Davin said sliding down in the water and closing his eyes.

It wasn't long when Camilla heard Davin calling for her.

"I'm stuck," he said sheepishly when she opened the door slightly.

"Did you wash your hair?" she asked him coming into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

"Will you do it for me?" he asked her shame-facedly.

"You know this is not what I imagined we would be doing when I saw you without your clothes on again," she said as she helped him from the tub a few minutes later and got a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Me either," Davin said. He had to sit on the toilet seat to get dried off. He didn't have the energy to rub the towel through his hair and Camilla had to do it for him. "I've made a good mess of everything haven't I?" he said.

"You couldn't help getting sick," she said.

"I don't mean that. I mean us," Davin said as he slowly made his way back to his room with Camilla's arm around his waist. "I thought I could earn enough and get enough scholarships to support us. I can't and now I'll have lost both scholarships."

"Davin, it will work out," she said. She helped him to sit on the side of the clean bed. He dropped the wet towel on the floor and put his arms around her. Camilla held him close for a few minutes. "I'm going to go to college here and when I'm done, I can get a job to help out. You'll support us when you finish school. You can always reapply for everything."

"It's going to be even longer now," he said.

"You'll get well and it will happen," Camilla reassured him. "You need to get into bed. Do you want to put on your pajamas?"

"I'll put them on later," he said. He got laid down while Camilla pulled up the covers. "Do you ever miss us being together?"

"What kind of question is that?" Camilla asked turning bright red.

"I wonder sometimes," he said with a sigh.

"Of course I do," she whispered. "I think about it all the time when we're together."

"When I get well enough?"

"When you get well enough, we'll get married and we can be together," she said smoothing his hair back. "You'll be eighteen this fall and I'll be eighteen at Christmas. We'll be old enough."

"Last summer seems so stupid now doesn't it?"

"We were silly," Camilla agreed. "We're smarter now. Go to sleep." She lay on the bed beside him and put her arm around him. Rose came by a bit later and quietly opened the door. She was taken aback at first to see Camilla sleeping on top of the covers beside Davin. She was going to wake Camilla until she spotted Davin's old stuffed toy in his hand. "They're still children," she said once she had picked up the towels and gone to hang them up.

Chapter 18 – Two Homes

"I'm looking for Matthew Beldon," Russell said. The man he spoke to gestured down a line of stalls. Russell had thought it would be near the end of feeding time and his father would be off work soon. Russell had said goodbye to Sybil in Liverpool when she had taken the train for Downton. He and Redmond had taken the express to London. As soon as he said goodbye to Redmond, he caught a train for Newmarket.

"Hello, Dad," he said. His father was on a stool wrapping a horse's leg. His father looked over his shoulder then stood up.

"I'm surprised to see you here so soon," Matthew said.

"I'm on my way home from the Free State, I thought I'd stop in. Are you finished for the day soon?"

"Just have to clean up this lot."

"How are you keeping Dad?" Russell asked him when they left the stables.

"Fair enough." Russell could see the tiredness around his father's eyes.

"You don't look so fair."

"I've lost your mother twice. How am I supposed to look?"

"I don't know," Russell said. "Where can we get some dinner?"

"Place I'm staying. There's a woman there who cooks."

"I'll take you to a pub, Dad."

His father nodded.

Russell told him the news of his engagement over dinner.

"You're asking for trouble," his father said.

"I don't see it as trouble," Russell replied. "She's a nice girl from a good family. Her parents haven't protested."

"She's visiting her grandparents?"

"Yes, she is," Russell said.

"Good bloody luck seeing her or getting a call through while she's with that lot."

"I don't intend to try," Russell said. "Letters yes, but I'm not going near the place. How are you doing for money Dad?"

"Still got the money you gave me if that's what you're asking?"

"Did you open an account?"

"Can't."

"Anyone can open an account."

"Not everyone can fill out the papers."

"You need to learn to read and write. Times have changed. You can't get along without anymore. How are you cashing your pay check?"

"Get paid in cash."

"Don't tell me you're keeping the money in an old can under the floorboards."

The look on his father's face said Russell had guessed it.

"I'll get you an account," Russell said. "You just take the passbook to the teller and they'll take care of whatever you want. You won't get robbed that way."

"Bankers 'll rob me blind."

"Eeh. Do you want my help or not?" Russell was trying to stop from grinding his teeth.

His father was busy eating his meat pie and chips and didn't answer for a moment.

"Would be foolish of me not to wouldn't it?"

"Dad, you can be so…so…so frustrating," Russell finally said. "You need a bank account and you need to learn how to read and write."

"You never could take a joke."

"How much school did you go to?"

"First year, maybe part of the second."

"There has to be a lending library nearby," Russell said thoughtfully.

"Why would I go there?" his father said with a puzzled look on his face.

"People who read go to libraries. They may know if there is a place or someone about who teaches adults to read."

"What kind of a daft job is that?"

"The daft teach the daft," Russell replied.

His father laughed.

"Look I'll get a room here for the night and make inquiries in the morning and open a bank account for you," Russell said. "I would stay longer and make sure you get set up but I really have to get to Eastbourne. I was in the Free State longer than expected."

"What's the rush?"

"I need to help my adopted parents with their business. I promised I'd work there this summer."

"So you still work?"

"Of course I do. I work and go to college. I'm still going to finish my training and get a job. It's what I want to do. The inheritance hasn't changed me that much. I took a little vacation that lasted a bit longer than expected."

"Off having a good time then in the Free State?"

"My fiancée's brother got sick and almost died while I was there. I was helping take care of him."

"You've changed. You always used to have your head in the clouds."

"I never thought you noticed."

"I wanted you to be honest and hardworking. I didn't go about it very well."

"Not particularly," Russell agreed. "I do consider myself honest and hardworking. Game of darts before we call it a night?"

"You going to tell me how to do that too?"

"I think you can probably show me a thing or two about darts," Russell said. He knew his father used to be hard to beat.

"I might at that," he said.

-0-

Sybil looked around the room she was occupying at the Abbey. She had thought of England and the Abbey as home for the entire last year but now that she was here she had changed her mind. The chauffeur meeting her at the train had been the first thing to put her slightly on edge. It was in such stark contrast to her parents taking her to the train with a horse and buggy. Daddy was forever saying not to take things for granted and be a snob. She had felt a bit silly with a chauffeur especially as she could drive herself and had walked from the train to the Abbey often enough when she lived there it wouldn't have been an issue.

Her first sight of the Abbey with the family and servants turned out to meet her had been an eye opener as well. She'd never though of the Abbey as imposing or the pomp and ceremony that went with life there as anything but normal. It had struck her that it was not who she was anymore. In the Free State she was the Manager's daughter, just another average upper middle class girl who rode horses, went to the beach and did her chores. Here the new butler was so stiff it looked like his starched collar ran right up his nose. She didn't know the people who worked here. The days of running down the stairs to the kitchen to sit on a stool and peel potatoes while she chatted to Russell or Mrs. Barrow were gone. Nipping into the new butler's office to get a lolly from the bag Mr. Barrow and before him Mr. Carson had kept there for years for the children of the house was out. She was too old now to go for a lolly, but it had still been nice to know she could go down to visit Mr. Barrow from time to time when the mood hit her. The new butler, Mr. Fields didn't look like he would welcome any intrusions into his space and the housekeeper was just as bad.

It made her think of home and all the times she would be helping with meals or doing chores with Sean sitting at the table in the kitchen mending tack while Mrs. O'Rinn nattering at him about some task or other she wanted done. She would say he was getting the clean table all dirty with horse sweat. Sean would laugh and say, "Away with you, Mrs. O'Rinn. You're a good woman who runs a clean house but the leather needs to be warm to be worked." She would natter some more and Sean would laugh then go and do the job she wanted done. When Aednat had worked at the house it had been no secret the two of them were interested in each other. More than once Aednat had a piece of hay stuck in her hair from nipping out the stables to visit Sean. She hadn't wanted to leave her home or Sean in the end and hadn't come to England to carry on as Violet's nanny. The undercurrents in the house were part of the ebb and flow of everyday life at Eagle Cairn and had always been part of Sybil's life at the Abbey, but now the two sides of the upstairs and the down couldn't have been more distant. Sybil had never lived in a house where she had felt unwelcome in one part before and it was making her feel unsettled.

"You seem awfully quiet," Cora said to Sybil after she had been there for the first ten days. "Aren't you having a nice time?"

"Do I? I'm having a nice time and I am happy to see you as well," Sybil replied. "My old friends have invited me for all kinds of parties and get togethers."

"You don't look it dear," Cora said.

"I was thinking of home," Sybil replied. "I'm worried about Davin. The doctor said he's on the mend but he's not out of the woods yet. Mummy's letter said he had only been downstairs for a short time on the sofa. He must hate this. He's always been so active."

"He's a dear boy. He needs his rest. Try not to worry too much. Your mother and father are there. They will see he gets all the attention he needs."

"Daddy thought the less people in the house, the less he would be tempted to try and get up."

"Your father is right, Sybil. If the house is quiet Davin will rest more."

-0-

"Sybil you're not being reasonable," Mary scolded her. They were sitting in Sybil's room looking over some dresses Sybil had purchased during her stay. Sybil was planning to head down to visit Russell on the weekend then spend a few days in London where she would meet her mother. "You want to go off to Eastbourne on your own for a family celebration of your engagement, but you won't invite your young man here for a celebration with your own family."

"Russell isn't comfortable with coming here to visit," Sybil replied. "He worked as your chauffeur until last hear. It was hard enough on him having meals with Aunty Edith while he was visiting. Inheriting and having titled relatives is too new for him. He's not Daddy. Daddy fits in."

"Your father didn't fit in at all at first," Mary replied. "It was a struggle for both sides until he did. I don't think you realize what you're opening yourself up to."

"Aunty Mary, it's not like we plan to live in aristocratic circles," Sybil said. "We aren't getting married until next year at the earliest. I'll talk to Russell about coming here for a few days on my next visit when I go down to see him."

"Your looking at things through rose colored glasses. You can't change who you are or who your relatives are. You are of the elite whether you choose to acknowledge that or not."

"Russell is as well, but he wasn't raised with all this as I was. Please let him accept you when he is ready to," Sybil pleaded.

"I think you're making a mistake tying yourself to someone at your age," Mary said.

"We've waited and we are still waiting to get married. I don't see how we could be anymore responsible. We aren't hiding or going into things without thinking them through."

"There are always surprises and things you don't care for in every marriage," Mary said. "Your Grandmama and your mother will tell you the same thing."

"That's why were taking our time," Sybil said sticking out her chin stubbornly. "How can you say I don't know him? I've known him since I was little. You can't say he won't be able to support me. He can support me without any problems."

"In the more immediate future, how do you plan to get to Eastbourne?"

"On the train. I'm seventeen. I can travel by myself."

"It's not respectable for you to visit a young man on your own," Mary said emphatically.

"Redmond is busy with school. He can't go with me," Sybil said. "It's only for a weekend and I will stay over with his parents. That is respectable enough and I've known Mr. and Mrs. Barrow for simply ages. You can't say she isn't respectable."

"Your like your father, rebellious and stubborn to the core," Mary said.

"Thank you for noticing that. I would hope I'm like Daddy," Sybil retorted.

-0-

"Trains that run on time do feel like home," Sybil thought to herself on the trip south. Everyone had clucked and fussed at the idea of her taking the train on her own to the point where Grandpapa and Grandmama had decided to open the London house early so they could go that far with her. They felt better about putting her on a train at one end and someone meeting her at the other than if she had to make a transfer. Their over protectiveness had made Sybil roll her eyes and clench her teeth behind their backs but she had accepted it all good-naturedly on the surface. They were treating her like a child in her opinion. Working class girls quit school and went out to work by the time they were sixteen and many had husbands. It was only those whose parents wanted them to complete grammar school or were planning on going on to college or university who completed the last two years of grade school. Sybil could remember well the arguing that had gone on to get Aunty Mary and Uncle Anthony to allow Elizabeth to go to school.

It didn't seem right to not send your children to school, Sybil thought. Russell had written that he had found an adult group for his father where volunteers taught the adults to read and write. He didn't know if his father had gone but he was hoping he would. He'd asked her not to mention to his adoptive parents when she arrived that he was in contact with his real father since his mother's death. Mr. and Mrs. Barrow had been upset when he'd told them everything that had happened that spring and were hurt he hadn't told them sooner.

Sybil was hoping against hope this visit went well. She'd known Russell's parents most of her life. Her parents had accepted Russell as her fiancée and she was hoping they would in return. Russell had told them before her visit they were engaged and written they seemed happy to hear the news. Sybil was secretly hoping they could get some time alone during the weekend. Every time they had tried to get some time alone time during Russell's visit someone had decided to come along or was in close enough range they had only managed to get in a few kisses before they were disturbed. Once Davin was taken ill everything romantic had been put on the back burner. Sybil had to press her lips together to keep from giggling when she thought of the many sermons and lectures she had sat through from the nuns on the value of abstinence. She'd had more than one impure thought about Russell over the years. Once they had done a little exploring with her top off thoughts had popped into her head one after the other since she'd come to England and had more time on her hands. Thoughts of him kept her awake while she was lying in bed. He'd said he'd read about touching and Sybil couldn't help but wonder what he'd meant. Maybe now they'd have a chance.

-0-

"He's going to get hurt," Thomas said to Abigail once Russell had left the Inn on his old motorcycle to go to the station.

"On the motorcycle or by her?" Abigail said. Thomas had been fretting so much since Russell had told them his news she couldn't help chiding him a bit.

"Don't be smart. You know what I mean."

"They've cared for each other for years. This hasn't been a surprise."

"The way he holds things in, you can't tell me he is thinking clearly," Thomas said.

"He was protecting us in his own way. He told us part and when he was ready he told us the rest. Russell isn't going to go off and leave us." She said the last part to reassure herself as much as for him.

"I'd put money on it he's still holding something back," Thomas said.

"What if he is after all he's suffered? You know these last few months haven't been easy on him. Then he gets to visit his girl friend and her brothers who have been his friends for years and one of them takes sick and almost dies. It's a lot to bear."

"He is a good lad in spite of it all. He's put all he could spare from his allowance on the mortgage for this place. By the end of the season we'll have this place paid off. I can't fault him for being stingy," Thomas said.

"There now, he's back. Give me a kiss, put a smile on your face and welcome his girl into our home."

Chapter 19 – Alone

"Mr. Barrow, may I ask you something," Sybil said seriously once she had been welcomed and they had gone to the Barrow's sitting room to chat. Thomas and Abigail had staff seeing to the guests at the moment and didn't need to see to anything for a few hours.

"What would that be, Sybil?" He almost choked over not adding the Miss.

"Where have you got the lollies hidden? I've been dying for one ever since I got to Downton," Sybil said. Everyone laughed.

"I'm afraid you'll have to walk down to the shops along the seaside for a lolly. I haven't got a one," Thomas replied. "Didn't the new butler have any?"

"I didn't go downstairs, not even once," Sybil replied. "I went the long way to the stables too. It just wasn't the same at the Abbey without you there and Mr. Fields well. If I asked him for a lolly from his desk his starch shirt might have cracked and crumbled into a million pieces."

"At least someone from the Abbey misses me," Thomas said. "Even if it is only for the sweeties in my desk."

"I'm not really from the Abbey anymore," Sybil said then took a sip of her tea.

"What did you miss most about England?" Abigail asked her to change the topic.

"I missed trains that run on time, mail service that doesn't take anywhere from two days to a week to arrive and the village dances," Sybil said with a smile. "What I really missed most though was being together with my older brothers and Russell and our group of friends. It didn't feel like home without them all around me."

"It was good to be back with the group if only part of it for a little while," Russell said. "All of the lads have taken up with girls from my course. You'll find things a little different with the bigger group now a days."

"Are they nice?" Sybil asked.

"Nice enough in their own way," Russell replied. "Not Redmond's cup of tea though."

"Sarah will suit him. She is very reserved and polite," Sybil said. "My brother is so picky I thought he'd never find a girl to suit him."

"He's a bright boy who knows he doesn't have to settle for second best," Abigail said.

"I think we have just enough time to go for that lolly before we have to get set up for dinner," Thomas said.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on things," Abigail offered.

"The truth is you can't stand to see anyone else in charge for even five minutes, Mum," Russell teased her.

"It's my prerogative as proprietress," Abigail informed him with a smile.

-0-

"Russell Beldon, fancy meeting you here," Beth Wilson said. Russell turned in surprise, as did Sybil and Thomas. Sybil was carrying the oversized lollipop that Thomas had bought her at a sweet shop near the beach.

"Beth, Alice, what are you doing here?" Russell said.

"Taking in the sun and sand before we're back to the drudge," Beth replied.

"This is my father Mr. Thomas Barrow and my fiancée, Miss Sybil Branson, Miss Beth Wilson and Miss Alice Collier from my training course," Russell introduced. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas excused himself. He had to be back to the Inn for dinnertime.

"Beth and Alice are Peter and Derek's girlfriends," Russell told Sybil once they had all gone close to the shore and found somewhere to sit.

"Oh, how lovely," Sybil said. "They are both good friends of my brother's and ours."

"How did you all meet?" Alice asked.

"Peter, Derek and Nigel worked at my grandfather Lord Grantham's estate for the first two years of medical school. They know my brother Redmond from their training. Russell worked there too. We had a large friend group with my younger brothers along most days and my younger cousins."

"We had a grand time in the summers," Russell said. "Peter taught Sybil and I how to drive."

"I don't get much chance to drive now," Sybil said. "Are you both enjoying your training?"

"If you can call Matron breathing down your neck every second enjoyable," Beth said. "They keep us locked up in the dorms tighter than a drum. You have to sneak out if you want to see your young man. I ruined my stockings last term hiding in the bushes."

"Don't listen to her, she loves every second of it," Alice said. "Although I don't think anyone loves the bedpans."

"My father wants me to take nursing. I just can't decide," Sybil said.

"You can choose anything you like," Russell said smiling at her.

"Are you two free this evening?" Beth asked. "We wanted to go out and do something lively."

"We're in with my parents. They want to spend some time with Sybil and celebrate our engagement," Russell replied.

"Why don't you come around?" Sybil invited. "Mrs. Barrow would like to meet some of Russell's friends I'm sure. She knows Peter and Derek as well."

"That would be quite lovely, wouldn't it Alice?" Beth said. "We get to meet the man of mystery's parents."

-0-

"I'm surprised your grandparents haven't thrown a big do for your engagement," Thomas said to Sybil the next morning.

"They wanted to, Mr. Barrow, but I begged off until next summer," Sybil replied. "Russell and I can visit them together then. The family can be a bit much especially when they start inviting the extended family and their friends. I wouldn't be surprised if we had an engagement party at the Abbey with a hundred guests or more."

"I really don't want to visit the Abbey at the moment," Russell said.

"Perhaps you could come up to London once Mummy arrives? It wouldn't be so bad one on one. You know everyone and we could just do a short visit with both families. Grandmama and Grandpapa are in London for the season," Sybil coaxed.

"I should help Mum and Dad out. I missed quite a bit of time," Russell hedged.

"They are Sybil's family," Abigail pointed out. "A short visit of a few hours with each one isn't a party with a hundred. You could go up spend the day and take the late train back."

"Please, do come," Sybil coaxed.

"If it makes you happy, I'll come to London for the day," Russell said at last.

"What plans do you have for today?" Thomas asked them.

"Nothing really. I thought we'd walk around the town and the beach, maybe go for a ride on the motorbike this afternoon. With everything that's happened this last while we really haven't had a chance to talk or make any plans," Russell said.

"The next ten months or so is already laid out," Sybil commented. "It's school."

-0-

"Do realize this is the first time we've had alone together in quite a while," Russell said as they walked away from the Inn towards the shore.

"I've noticed," Sybil said. "Last night by the time everyone left, it was late and I could hear people walking up and down the hall outside my room."

"It was old Mr. Hickson. He has insomnia. He checked out this morning," Russell said. "What were you thinking about if you're worried about people walking up and down the hall?" he teased.

Sybil's cheeks turned pink.

"How do you know who was up last night?" she asked.

"I was thinking about the same thing," he whispered in her ear. Sybil's cheeks got even redder.

The wandered around the town for the morning. Sybil bought some rock candy to take home for her brothers and a lolly to match the one Mr. Barrow had bought her for Camilla. Sybil's nerves were on edge. She wanted to touch and kiss Russell so much she could barely think about anything else but with the crowds of tourists there wasn't a second to even steal a kiss. They headed back to the Inn at lunch.

"There isn't a tree on these barren hills," Sybil said. "It's pretty here but I miss having the trees and bushes and little places you can go to be on your own out in the country."

"I'm sure there are places if we go a bit more inland," Russell said. "Picnic supper and we take the old bike and go exploring?"

"Sounds lovely," Sybil said. "I think I'm a country girl at heart. I can only take town for so long."

The drove inland past small villages and farms until they finally settled on a heavily treed spot with a meadow that opened out with an old mill slightly down the hill.

"The bike rattles more than I remembered," Sybil said as she got off.

"It's a bit of a clunker," Russell replied. He put an arm around her waist and drew her near for a kiss before he got off the motorcycle. "Alone at last," he murmured as he released her slightly.

"It's about time," Sybil whispered against his lips as she kissed him again. She felt an overwhelming desire to feel the heat of his body against her. She undid his jacket and slipped her arms around him before he had a chance to get off the motorcycle.

"There's no rush," he said quietly once they broke apart a bit.

"I miss you so much when we're not together," Sybil said curling against him.

"Let me get off the bike and untie the blanket. We can hold each other all afternoon."

Sybil nodded and took the blanket as soon as he had it untied. She unrolled it in a spot that was partially in shade and kicked off her shoes before she sat down. Russell joined her and set down the bag with the food. He kicked off his shoes as well and dropped his jacket to the side before he sat down.

"For all the times you've said no, I can't believe you're actually saying yes," he said stroking her cheek.

"Yes to some things, no to others," Sybil replied. He slid his hand behind her neck and drew her forward for his kiss. His touch had a surety about it that made her think he knew exactly what he wanted. He trailed his lips across her cheek and down the side of her neck before he returned to his assault on her mouth. Sybil's fingers had gone to the buttons of his shirt of their own accord. She slid her hands across his chest and around his back reveling in the feel of his warm skin as though he were a ray of sunshine bringing her desire to life. His free hand made its way around to cup her breast. He broke off his kiss and looked down slightly in surprise.

"You're not wearing a bra," he said against her with a deep breath.

"I'm being wicked and wanton just for you," Sybil replied kissing him again. He tugged at the buttons until she undid her blouse and slid it off her shoulders.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured.

"And chilly," Sybil said moving closer to him. He nipples were like rocks in the slight cool of the shade. She lay back on the blanket as he dipped his head and tasted her breast. She gasped at the sensations he was creating in her. Desire was pushing her on making her want more while the sensations were building in her private areas and making her heart feel as if it were in her throat. He finally pulled her close and went back to kissing her mouth. She pressed herself against him. She felt frustrated at the fabric that was still separating them and at the same time fear of what might happen if the barrier wasn't there.

He lifted his head and smiled at her before he took her hand and guided it to the closure of his trousers in silent invitation. Sybil stroked the skin above his waistband with her fingers until he took a nipple into his mouth again while his hand kneaded the flesh of her other breast making her back arch in response. She undid his belt buckle then popped open the button at his waistband. She could feel his hardened flesh through the fabric.

"Go ahead," he said a hair's breath from her mouth. "We'll touch. That's all, I promise." He kissed her mouth again as her hand stole into the front of his pants and caressed him through his drawers. She pulled her hand away at his sharp intake of breath.

"Why did you stop?" he asked in a passion drugged state. He kissed her again.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" she asked.

"It feels lovely," he sighed. "Here." He opened his drawers with one hand and guided her hand inside. He felt like velvet and warm steel mixed together as she tentatively explored him with her fingers. She moved her hand to touch the soft warm flesh of his hip and then trailed her fingers back across his erection.

"Your skin is so soft," she whispered.

She jumped slightly when she felt him tug at the closure to her trousers.

"Sybil, I won't hurt you and we won't make a baby," he whispered to reassure her. "I love you. I want to see you. All of you."

"I love you too, I want you to see me and I want to see you," she said shyly pressing her face into his shoulder. He kissed her lips and caressed the inside of her mouth with his tongue as he undid her trousers and pushed them down with her under drawers. He didn't take his lips from hers until they were both fully undressed. They put their arms around each other and held each other close. The sensation of being against him skin to skin for the first time made Sybil gasp.

"I know this should be wrong but if feels so right," she whispered.

"It's not wrong. We're going to get married," he replied. His lips found hers again as she explored his naked body with her hands. She tensed when she felt his hand touch her pubic area softly. He stroked her thighs and teased the hair while he waited for her to relax.

"Will you let me look?" he asked when she wasn't relaxing after a few minutes. Sybil nodded shyly. He pushed himself up on one elbow and used his hand to nudge her legs apart. She had her eyes squeezed shut. "It's all right, I'll just look," he said quietly. "Sybil try and relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll try my best to make everything feel nice."

She let out the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. She slowly opened her legs wider. He touched her gently pulling her lips apart so he could see her intimately.

"Now I've seen you," he said as he lay back down beside her.

"And I've seen you," she said. She looked at his erection for the first time as her fingers continued to play over the skin. He guided her hand to a firmer stroke as he began a slow sensual assault of her body with his mouth. She was arching against him when he finally slid his fingers lower and touched her folds. He found her sensitive spot and slowly rubbed it with the tip of his finger.

Sybil had thought she would die of pure pleasure when his fingers had first touched her intimately. Each touch was making her feel like more until she couldn't sense anything but the feel of his lips on her body, the sensation of his skin against hers and above all the blinding pleasure he was creating in her private area. She was gasping and pressing herself against him when suddenly sensation after sensation ripped through her making her throw back her head and cry out. She could hear him breathing hard, then he quickly moved away and allowed his orgasm to pour out onto the ground beside the blanket they were on. Just as quickly he was back to pull her close against him in a reassuring hug. Sybil placed a kiss on his chest before she lifted her face to his for a kiss.

"I've always known you were the only girl for me," he said finally.

"You read what we did in a book?" Sybil asked. She was lying curled against him in his arms.

"The more technical aspects, yes, with large names that sound anything but romantic," he said with a slight laugh. "I wish we could be married now, but we've got to finish school."

Sybil nodded and hugged him close for a moment before she moved to pull on her clothes. He pulled on his clothes as well, not bothering to do up his shirt. When she moved to button her blouse he put out a hand to stop her.

"Just a few more minutes," he said. He ran his fingers over her bare breasts. Sybil leaned forward and kissed him.

"I've dreamed of this so many times," he said. Sybil lay down against him again and rested her head on his shoulder.

"That feels nice," she said. "What else did you read in that book?"

"A few things. One or two sounded interesting a few others I didn't care for the sound of. Mind you textbooks are all about what to look for and diseases. They have a tendency to make things sound unappealing."

"As long as you don't get any ideas about those girls from your course," Sybil teased him.

"Not a chance," Russell replied. "They're alright but they're not you. Not a one of them can hold a candle to my girl."

"Just keep thinking like that," Sybil said quietly. "Russell," she licked her lips. "Could you make me feel like that again?"

"I'd be happy to," he said before he claimed her lips with his.

Chapter 20 – Where to Call Home

Davin was lying on the sofa wrapped in a blanket listening to his sister recount her trip to England. She was telling him how different the Abbey had felt without the familiar people there. She had wound up missing the odd things here in the Free State that had annoyed her no end last year. He couldn't help but wonder if England was really home anymore for him either. Camilla had refused to go to England to see her mother. She had written a letter explaining that he was seriously ill and she didn't feel she could leave even for a short time while he still needed daily help. Her mother was welcome to come to visit her at anytime.

He was incredibly frustrated as well with his and Camilla's personal situation. They functioned in every way as a couple except they didn't share the same bedroom. Financially they couldn't afford to be independent of his parents. He still had months of recovery in front of him and complete uncertainty as to how he would make out reapplying for scholarships and reentry into the university after a year absence. By next spring he should be up and around enough for lambing which would get him back in the swing of the practical side of things, but he was going to have to study to get back up to speed to where he had been this spring when he finished his first year. With all the uncertainty it was impossible to make plans and at the same time living with Camilla under the same roof was difficult in the extreme.

When they had first been together he had been infatuated with her and everything had felt so right. Last winter had been hard. He'd made friends, worked off his frustrations in the gym and been terribly homesick in Scotland. Camilla had changed. She had a resolve now to see to herself and not be a burden. She was quieter than she had been before, but at the same time she still had her underlying fire that had always been there. It was more evident now than it had been when living under her parents' rule. He had realized in the weeks since he'd become ill that infatuation he had felt and still felt all winter long had turned to love and that she felt it too. They'd gone through more than one bad situation and were still together, each looking to the other for comfort and finding it in the others presence.

"You should have seen the look on Redmond's face when this girl, Ida showed up," Sybil was saying. "We had a small get together with Redmond's friends when Russell came up to London overnight. They all brought their girlfriends and since I'm not old enough to go to a pub we had them over to Crawley House. Ida had broken up with her boyfriend and she was after Redmond like a dog on a bone. He spent almost the entire evening going from chair to chair to avoid her."

"Redmond said those girls weren't his cup of tea. How did they do when Cousin Robert was around?"

"Almost tripped on their noses," Sybil replied with a laugh. "Then Grandpapa asked Russell if he had everything he needed at Lord and Lady Newtonmore's. He was staying there while I stayed at Crawley House. I would have liked to be a mouse in the corner when they got back to their lodgings from the looks they were exchanging. They were fun but not the sort from my usual group of friends."

"The lads will loose interest and vice versa when they get into the term and barely have time for each other," Davin said. "Where's the candy you brought? I want a piece before Camilla gets back from paying her tuition and buying the books for her course."

"You're not having any," Sybil scolded him. "It's not in your diet."

"Oh Sybil, that diet is as tasteless as sand," Davin whined.

"You need to stick to it if you're going to come out of this without serious problems. Mummy told me the doctor left very strict instructions about your diet and how much you should be up."

"I can't get away with anything when you're around. Between you and Camilla you have me trapped."

"Good. You can spend your time going through course catalogues and helping me decide what I should take next year for school."

"Figure out what it is you like to do and do that," Davin said.

"I like to sew and make clothes. It's hardly a profitable line of work," Sybil said. "I brought back two older designer dresses from the Abbey to remake for myself and Camilla. We'll probably need them next year for the engagement parties and all the rest at the Abbey."

"I wonder if it would be possible to support yourself sewing. People were forever asking me where I go the shirts you made me. They're nicer than anything that comes out of the shops. They're every bit as nice as Uncle James and Cousin Robert's tailor made ones. I'll have to think about it."

"I'll leave you to think about it. I have to get my school uniforms out and make sure everything still fits. I've got doubles of everything since Camilla is done with hers."

"I'm going to lay here and think."

"You're supposed to be resting."

"I'm going to die of boredom if I don't have something to think about," Davin replied.

-0-

"Where did they find those dreadful young women," Lord Grantham complained to Cora a week or so after Sybil and Rose had headed back to the Free State.

"To which young women are you referring Robert?" Cora inquired. She was reading through the cards and invitations that had arrived with the morning mail.

"Those girls that came to the get together Sybil had for her brother and his friends," Robert said.

"Redmond's friends are nice young men but they are not of our class," Cora said looking up from her cards. "You know that. Apparently those girls are all nursing students. They are average young women the boys are dating. I overheard Redmond and Russell talking about them. Russell was saying he tries not to listen to the girls' gossip while he's at school. Redmond isn't the least interested in any of them. George was here but he's too young for them. Count your blessings."

"I wish Sybil would have waited to get engaged," Robert said. "Russell Beldon may have the money now, but he doesn't have the grooming to make him part of society, nor does he seem to desire it."

"She's like her father Robert," Cora said distractedly. "Be thankful we had as much influence as we did and it could be worse. He isn't a social climber, he can afford to keep her in any style she desires and he obviously adores her. If a war does come to pass as the papers are predicting he'll be an officer. Even you can't argue with that."

"An officer who's father was our groom and adopted parents were our butler and housekeeper."

"It's not an ideal situation but then is there such a thing?" Cora askedd putting her letters to the side. "All three of our daughters entered into marriages that weren't fairy tale perfect. Sybil got more than she bargained for living on next to nothing. Edith well, that speaks for itself. She hasn't done one thing the conventional way, and Mary's current marriage? Can you honestly tell me you are completely happy with Anthony's management of the estate?"

"Anthony is too old fashioned," Robert stated emphatically.

Cora smiled at him. He chuckled when he realized it was the pot calling the kettle black.

"I meant to say he's too old fashioned in his ideas about crops and farming. There's a vast difference now in what the estate produces to when I was a young man and I dare say George will see changes in his lifetime as well."

"The young people have ideas of their own as to who they want to associate with. At least Anthony and Mary will have Elizabeth come out. We haven't a hope for Sybil on that score. Neither Tom nor Rose want her having a debut and don't forget we practically had to drag Rose to hers."

"As much as I don't like to admit it, Tom and Rose's children are all upper middle class with minds of their own including Sybil," Robert said. "It was to be expected with his influence. Even if our daughter would have lived I can't say I think our granddaughter would have turned out differently."

-0-

Tom came through from his office to the kitchen to fetch a cup of tea. The house was quiet with everyone back in school except Davin. Rose had applied as a substitute teacher at the village school and another school in the area. She had been called in for two days when one of the regular teachers had a bad cold. He was surprised to find Davin sitting at the table fully dressed and freshly shaven.

"What are you doing up, son?" Tom asked him.

"I wanted to get dressed for a change," Davin said. "Not much of an accomplishment as it took me all morning to get this far."

"I was after a cup of tea and a biscuit," Tom said.

"I could do that for you, Mr. Branson," Mrs. O'Rinn volunteered. The younger Mr. Branson had come to the kitchen to fetch his lunch and then had to sit down. He was in the way while she was trying to get the dishes put away and wanted to put up some plums for winter but she didn't know how to tell him so. "It's almost lunch. I could bring your lunch through to the dining room."

"If you would be so kind," Tom replied. He had enough paperwork today with the harvest starting it had kept him busy all morning. He wanted to get out to the fields in the afternoon.

Davin got up and slowly made his way into the dining room where he sat down again without retrieving the cutlery.

"You're going to be so spoiled when you're feeling better we won't get a lick of chores out of you," his father teased.

"Da, I would be happy to do chores at the moment if I could," Davin replied. Tom set their places and then took a seat. Davin picked up a fork and fiddled with it while he was thinking. "I wanted to talk to you about something," he said after a moment.

"What's that, son?" Tom asked.

"I need some advice, Da. I think Camilla and I should get married soon. I'll be eighteen in a few more weeks. The problem is I can't support her. Well, really neither of us can support ourselves at the moment but I don't think it's right for us to live together in the same house practically as man and wife without being married."

"You're not sharing a bed again are you?" Tom asked slowly.

"How would I manage that at the moment," Davin said in disgust. "No, we're not and haven't been, but we share everything except a bed." He said slowly. "It's been hard."

"If you got married and went back to sharing… everything, you could have children," Tom pointed out. "You've admitted you can't support yourselves. Things would be worse if you had little ones."

"We would take precautions," Davin said. "Camilla really feels the loss of her family. She doesn't say much but I know she's having a hard time. I want her to feel like she belongs and that she isn't just a guest."

Mrs. O'Rinn brought their lunch through. Tom waited until she was back out in the kitchen to say anything.

"Cold chicken on a salad with no dressing and a glass of water," Davin said. "The most flavorful meal I've had all week."

"It's no wonder you've lost weight on that diet," Tom said.

"It's deliberately light so as not to tax the organs," Davin said. "If I keep on this diet I won't be able to keep from being healthy." He made a bit of a face.

"Getting back to whether or not to get married," Tom said. "There's no rush and you'll be here all winter. Camilla has her course to finish. It will be hard going back to school with a wife in tow."

"It would be worse going back to university without her," Davin said. "I don't even want to think about being separated from her again. You can't say we won't be able to weather what life throws our way. We've already done that."

"Perhaps that's your answer, Davin. If you can't imagine your life without the other person in it and you love them, then it's time to make a serious commitment. As far as the money goes, most don't have an easy time of it when they're starting out. You wouldn't be any different from hundreds of others."

"Thanks Da, I'll think about it a bit more," Davin said. He set down his knife and fork and wiped his hands on his napkin. "I need to go lay on the sofa," he said. "I asked Camilla to bring me a book or two from library at her college. This forced inactivity is driving me batty."

"I'll bring a hot drink through in a minute," Tom said.

Davin nodded as he made his way to the sitting room.

Tom came in a few minutes later with some tea on a small tray and set it on the table beside where Davin was lying. He was struck by how much Davin resembled his natural father.

"What is it Da?" Davin questioned when he noticed Tom looking at him with a slight frown.

"I was just thinking how much you're like Daleigh," Tom said.

"I look like you."

"Daleigh and I were a great deal alike," Tom replied. "You're very like him. Even your personalities are similar."

"I don't remember him at all," Davin said. "I only have vague memories of before. There all mostly of Redmond taking care of me. What was he like?"

"Daleigh was as bright as they come and always on the go," Tom said. "He was always laughing and telling jokes. He adored your mother. He'd just been made foreman before the accident."

"Didn't like the English I'd wager," Davin said with a half smile.

"Hated them," Tom said with a chuckle. "I do know he'd have been proud of you and your brother. He was always saying he wanted his children to go to school and get a good education."

"It's going to be hard to do now with no scholarships," Davin said quietly. "I probably won't get any next year with a year off."

"I want you to stop worrying about your tuition," Tom said sternly. "Your Mother and I have enough put aside we can pay for your university for a year if it comes to it. You need to concentrate on getting better."

"I wanted to be so grown up and independent," Davin said with a sigh.

"Part of being an adult is realizing when you need help and taking it," Tom told him. "Now drink your tea before it gets cold and have a rest before the women get home and start fussing that you're up."


	26. Coming Home Part VI

Coming Home – Part VI – Chapter 21 through 24

Chapter 21 – Wedding Plans

"If you get married in the Republic of Ireland, there is no way on earth my brother or father can come to the wedding," Rose said. "It would be too dangerous with the separatists still active. They are both government officials in England. They could be shot." The family was sitting in the drawing room discussing the plans for Davin's upcoming wedding.

"We don't want to wait until next summer, Mummy," Davin said. "Sybil will most likely get married then. We'll get married here and invite family. If they want to come they will, if not, we're fine with that. I don't think I could go a large party."

"I don't understand the rush," Rose replied. "Davin you still have to rest through the day and Camilla hasn't finished college."

"Mrs. Branson, it's always been my intention to marry Davin," Camilla said. "I don't see any benefit in waiting longer. I'll send invitations to my family. If they decide to come I'll be happy, if they don't I'll still be happy I'm marrying the person I love."

"I think Davin and Camilla are right to get married at Christmas," Sybil said finally. The conversation had been going back and forth but she hadn't said anything. "Russell and I are thinking about next summer. He will have a four-week break between courses. Redmond most likely won't have any time off. He might be able to come for the ceremony and the reception and then straight back to his studies. We can have a small family party here for Davin and Camilla. It won't cost a fortune and Davin won't be worn out."

"There will be quite a few family missing but there are still plenty of family and friends here to have a nice small wedding," Tom said. "It won't be a lavish society affair no matter where it's held."

"Then we need to start making plans," Rose said.

"Small Mummy," Davin reminded her. "We have a house full of musicians, a church and a priest, what else do we need?"

"You may be smart, but you don't know anything about weddings," Camilla informed him.

"But it's just a small wedding," Davin repeated again with a dumbfounded look on his face. His younger brothers all shrugged.

"It's time to leave the women to it, son," Tom said as he made a hasty retreat to his office.

-0-

Russell made it back to his dorm exhausted after twelve hours between classroom and observing in the operating theatre. By Christmas he would be expected to have all the layouts for the different surgical trays, sterilization, instruments and procedures memorized without a flaw. If possible this term was even more grueling than his last. He stopped and picked up the stack of mail that was waiting for him and hurried to his room to change for the evening meal. He had half an hour before they stopped serving. He didn't bother to look at his mail before he went down. Since he had inherited last spring there was at least three or four letters a week from his solicitors on different matters to do with the money and estate. A lot of it required his signature. He signed the papers and sent them back with only giving the documents a quick read over.

This term his roommate was a first year nursing student who was busy with his studies or chasing girls. Russell wasn't sure which order he put them in, but his side of the room was clean enough and he was friendly. He'd asked Russell to help him study a few times. It made life in the dorms a great deal easier. Tonight Russell was expecting a night like any other. Put the laundry on, go through the mail and then study his notes and the assigned reading until he took a shower and went to bed. Up at five thirty to make it to the ward by seven. It made finding anything of interest to write to his parents difficult, as there was nothing really to tell.

He got back to his room after putting on a load of laundry and picked up the stack of letters. One of the envelopes he had given his father to send him caught his attention. The note inside was printed, poorly spelled and looked like a child had written it. There was no date or salutation.

Lady teacher is pretty. I ask her dance. She say I fresh but go dance. Read is easier. Man at bank is ass. I go different man. Got _some word that Russell assumed_ _was supposed to mean promotion _at work. More money. I like here. Dad

Russell shook his head slightly and smiled. So the teacher was pretty and his Dad had an eye for her. At least he was going to the lessons and using the bank account Russell had set up for him. So the man at the bank was an ass. Russell couldn't help but wonder which of the teller or his Dad had been the more difficult one. His father seemed to be doing well and was the least of his worries at the moment.

The next letter on the pile was from Sybil. She wrote about Davin and Camilla's wedding plans and how much she was looking forward to their own wedding. She had a list of questions about what he would prefer for their wedding. The rest of the letter was news of her younger brothers. Dylan was threatening to quit the drama club this year as they wanted him to play the girls part again as he had been deemed _pretty_ by the other boys which had made him mad. The last part of the letter was all romantic thoughts. Russell couldn't help but smile at the last bit. They had only managed to steal the one afternoon away when Sybil had been in England last year. The nights at the Inn there had been too many people moving around and her room had been right next to his parents. He thought of that afternoon often and her shy responses to his attempts at lovemaking. Everything they had done had left him wanting more. She was like a drug he could never get enough of. He'd agreed to go to London overnight and stayed at her uncle's while she stayed with her grandparents. It hadn't been too painful, as they'd had a family get together with the two sets of grandparents and various aunts and uncles most of whom he already knew. Sybil's mother must have warned them not to mention his own aristocratic connections as not a one of them mentioned it. The entire two days they hadn't been alone for a second.

The party with their own friends had been different. Sybil's training and background was in stark contrast to the other girls. He could understand Redmond's discomfort with the girls' open pursuit of the opposite sex. Sybil by contrast was more reserved. They hadn't done more than kiss each other on the cheek at the engagement celebrations. Truthfully he preferred the more reserved approach that kept their personal life personal. The girls from his course sat on their boyfriends' laps and hadn't seemed to care who knew when they went off to steal a few kisses. Sybil's training had kept a smile on her face and sent her to her brother's aide more than once through the evening as they visited with their friends. The girls hadn't said anything to him about his fiancées connections once they had returned to class. He had let it be known that Redmond was going with a girl in Ireland and it had stopped the requests for introductions at last.

One of the letters from the solicitor was a summary of holdings. Russell got the folder out where he kept all the legal documents they sent him and was about to toss this one in with the rest when something caught his eye. He looked at the paper again more carefully. There were two addresses listed in London both with a description of townhome. One of the addresses wasn't too far Crawley House and the other was in the North end of London. If he and Sybil were to get married next summer they were going to need somewhere to live until he was finished his schooling in London. He resolved to walk by the houses and take a look from the outside. He could always find out from the solicitors if they were let out and how long the leases were.

Saturday morning he woke up early. He didn't have to be at the hospital until six that evening but after the last weeks of waking up at five thirty almost every morning had conditioned him to wake up at the crack of dawn. It didn't help his roommate was up for the early shift and moving around the room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"Early shift last three weeks, now I can't sleep," Russell said rolling over and squashing his pillow into a ball.

"I hope the old codger in ward three bed ten went home. The old blighter bit me yesterday. I was just lucky he didn't have his dentures in," his roommate said.

"I had to put his catheter in, that was a joy let me tell you" Russell replied. "The old fart had some randy line all lined up for the nurse. Burst his bubble when I wasn't some young chit. The matron almost had to paddle his bottom to get him to hold still."

"Grabbing some old man's privates to run a catheter is not a job I'm looking forward to. Why can't they assign us to some pretty young thing."

"When they're sick none of them are pretty," Russell said. "The first time I saw a baby being born I thought I was going to vomit."

"Such a romantic profession," his roommate laughed good naturedly as he headed out of the room with his shaving kit and towel.

Russell switched on his bedside light and grabbed the book he needed to read. Three hours later he'd finished his reading and decided to get up for breakfast. He had plenty of free time that day. After a quick shower, making his bed and running downstairs for some tea and toast, he decided he would take the addresses to the town homes and go take a look.

He took the underground north and then had to ask directions to find the street. As he walked he noticed there were a great many trees in the area, definitely more than right in the center of the city where the nursing school was. He finally came to a house that looked like any other in a row of what he assumed were better houses. Each home was well kept with shutters and lacey grillwork on the windows. It was a nice place if they were raising children, but it was too far from the nursing school to make it a practical solution once they were married. It didn't take long to head back to the city and find the other address. He came to stand in front of a house that looked like it dripped money from the outside right down to it's brass letters and elaborately carved door knocker on the front. There was a good distance on either side to the next door, donating a good-sized house. The sidewalks were wide and trees had been tastefully planted along the sidewalks to provide shade to the people who walked along the street. While he was standing there a chauffeur driven car pulled up a few doors down.

The place wasn't too far from the nursing school, but it looked much too large for two people and he had no desire to live with servants. He glanced at his watch and decided to stop by and see if Redmond was in. They could step out to a pub and get a bite to eat if he was available and Russell had plenty of time before he had to get back. He was just about to walk away when the front door of the house opened.

"Hello, I recognize you from the hospital," Astrid said. "Do you remember me?"

"Hello, Lady Astrid. Yes I remember you," Russell said coming towards her. "I'm surprised you recognized me."

"You look like Mama," she said sadly. "My Mama died while I was at school."

"Yes, I know," Russell said. "She went to sleep and didn't wake up."

"How do you know?"

"Did your father tell you who I am?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I don't see him that often. He came to my school last year and told me my Mama was dead. I came here when break started last summer."

"You mentioned a picture your mother had on her bureau," Russell said. "You were right. That boy," he paused and took a deep breath. "That boy was me."

"You're really my brother?"

Russell nodded.

"Did you come to visit me?"

"No, I came to see the house. It's on a piece of paper the solicitor sent me." He could see the crestfallen look on her face. "I'm here now though and we could make this a visit," he said quickly.

"Would you care for luncheon? I'll order it," Astrid said. "I can have my very own luncheon party."

"All right," Russell said with a slight smile at her enthusiasm.

They went into the library. He waited while Astrid pulled a cord near the wall.

"Why wasn't the butler up here to keep an eye on the door?" Russell said. "You shouldn't be going to the door by yourself."

"They don't care what I do," Astrid said. "They're all off doing whatever they do."

Russell looked around the room a bit until a housekeeper showed up.

"I would like luncheon for two in the dinning room, Mrs. Winters," Astrid informed her.

"Who are you young man?" Mrs. Winters questioned Russell.

"I'm Astrid's brother," Russell said. "Astrid has invited me for luncheon."

"I'd like a pudding," Astrid said.

"Pudding will give you a stomach ache," Russell corrected her. "Sandwiches will be sufficient and perhaps a glass of milk to go along with it."

"I wasn't made aware of an older brother," Mrs. Winters said.

"I assure you I am Astrid's brother. Please see to our luncheon," Russell said. He took a seat opposite Astrid once the woman had left the room.

"Do you live in London?" Astrid asked him.

"I'm going to school here. I'm studying to be a nurse. Are you on weekend break from school?"

"I didn't go back to school this year. I don't know why," Astrid said.

"Is someone teaching you here?" Russell asked her.

"No."

"Who's taking care of you?"

"Mrs. Winters."

"Astrid this is going to sound like a funny question but why didn't you go to the house at Horsham this summer?"

"I don't know. My Papa said I was to stay here."

"Don't you go to Horsham in the summers and ride ponies and play in the garden and go to parties?"

"I did when Mama was alive," she said almost starting to cry.

"There now, I didn't mean to make you cry," Russell said. "Why don't you show me around the house?"

Russell had luncheon with the little girl and then played a board game with her. It was obvious she was lonely and his visit with her didn't sit well with him. He'd left her and her father alone thinking she would be all right but something didn't feel right to him. He wondered what the housekeeper was up to as it was obvious to him from his years in service the house wasn't being kept as it aught.

"I have to go back to school. I have to be at the hospital in a few hours," he said as the time approached three.

"Will you come and see me again?" Astrid asked him.

"I will. I don't know when. My school keeps me terribly busy. I have to work all night tonight. Sometimes I work all day Saturday and Sunday but I will come back as soon as I get a chance," Russell said. "I'm going to go down and talk to the housekeeper before I go."

"I'm not supposed to go down there," Astrid said.

"It's fine. I'm big and you won't be in trouble," Russell said. He went downstairs to find the housekeeper. He found three servants sitting around the table having themselves a cigarette. They didn't bother to stand when he walked in.

"It is customary to stand in your employer's presence," he informed them.

"Who says your our employer," Mrs. Winters said.

"My solicitor who informed me I own this property along with the rest of my late grandfather's holdings," Russell said. They quickly put out their cigarettes and got to their feet.

"I'm going to come back and visit my sister at my first opportunity," Russell said. "I expect this house cleaned top to bottom. The level of housekeeping in this house is disgraceful. Furthermore Mrs. Winters you will contact Lady Astrid's school friend's parents and see if any of the girls are home on weekend in London. Lady Astrid is to start visiting her friends tomorrow if possible. Are my orders understood?"

"Yes, Sir. What if Sir John asks…" Mrs. Winters began.

"I don't give a damn what Sir John Carlton asks about or does or doesn't want," Russell said. "My sister's care is what interests me and you will provide it to the best of your ability. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir," Mrs. Winters said.

Russell turned around and went upstairs.

"I have to go now Astrid," he said. "If you have any friends in London you'd like to visit tell Mrs. Winters and she'll arrange it."

"Oh, that would be lovely," Astrid said getting more animated than she had been during his entire visit.

"I'll come back soon," Russell said. He took a pen and paper off the desk. "Put this somewhere safe. If you need me, this is how to contact me. It might take a little while but they do give me my messages."

"Thank you, Russell," she said. "Good bye."

Russell walked to the underground with his hands in his pockets. The situation he found himself in was one he hadn't wanted but now felt the weight of responsibility. When he'd gotten the inheritance he hadn't thought it would change him. He'd sound like Lord Anthony Gillingham back there issuing orders. He resolved to find out whatever was going on with that little girl and do what he could to make sure she was taken care of properly. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't go pointing fingers after a short visit. For the moment he had a shift to see to and he would give the solicitor's office a call first thing Monday morning.

Chapter 22 – A Visit from the Auxiliary

"I have something for you," Davin told Sybil when she got home from school three weeks before his wedding.

"What's that?" she asked. She set down her books, took off her coat and shoes and dawned her slippers against the cold November floors.

Davin was up and around but not going out much. He was wearing the sweater Camilla had made him. Sybil couldn't help but think how much her brother looked like he belonged in the area. Almost everywhere you went in the County men wore the off white Aran sweaters on a regular basis. With his coloring no one would have ever known he was raised in another country until he spoke.

"I sent for some brochures from a school in London I thought might interest you," he replied. "You asked me to think about career choices and I came up with a few."

"Davin you didn't have to do that but I'm glad you did," Sybil said. "I've been toying with taking teaching and then I think nursing. I'm still not sure."

"I went in a different direction," Davin said. "There is a school in London that teaches textile design. You can get a degree in garment design and manufacturing. It would qualify you to work for a clothing designer. You could start your own clothing line someday if you took the notion."

"You know Daddy would never go for something so artsy," Sybil said with a slight frown.

"I know that. The school has accreditation. You would earn a degree. It would take four years and you could always use your degree to teach home economics in secondary school. You would only need to take the courses for a teaching license if that is what you chose in the end. It gives you more than one option when you're done."

"The school is in London?"

Davin nodded.

"Established in 1906 to produce trained tailors and seamstresses for the garment industry," he said. "Now they teach design, patternmaking, textile design, you name it if it has to do with the garment industry. It's in London, so if you do get married next summer Russell can complete his schooling and you can go to school at the same time. He shouldn't have any trouble finding a spot in a London area hospital when he's done."

"You think of everything," Sybil said hugging her brother.

"It's just a thought. You can still choose to be a teacher or a nurse or whatever you like," he said.

"I'll read it all through," she said. She gave him another hug. "Thank you."

"Thank me by getting your flute. I'm in the mood to play a duet."

"Are you sure you should?"

"Stop clucking. The doctor said all that is left now is to build my strength and make sure I don't get a chill. I'm fine. I'm going to stop thinking about your education now and start thinking about my own. It will soon be time to submit applications."

"I'll get my flute," Sybil said. "You know Mummy is planning to have Garret pipe Camilla in at the wedding. Apparently it is some Scottish tradition."

"Don't remind me about the wedding," Davin groaned. "I just want to show up, say my vows and be done with it. Why can't a small wedding stay small?"

"Because it's a wedding," Sybil said with a smile before she went to fetch her flute.

-0-

The butler at Lord and Lady Newtonmore's opened the door to see Mr. Russell Beldon standing on the stoop with a little girl of eight or nine by the hand.

"Lord Newtonmore is expecting me, Jennings," Russell said.

"Very good, Sir, he is in the drawing room. May I take your coats?"

Russell headed into the drawing room with Astrid by the hand.

"Don't be frightened Astrid. These are friends of mine. We'll find out if their daughters are home. They're about your age," Russell said.

Astrid looked up at him and nodded.

James and Redmond stood up when Russell and Astrid entered Victoria was seated in a chair by the fireplace.

"Lord and Lady Newtonmore, this is my sister Lady Astrid Carlton," Russell said.

"How do you do?" Astrid said curtseying to the adults.

"A pleasure to meet you," Victoria replied.

"And this is Mr. Branson," Russell said.

Victoria curtseyed again.

"You may call me Redmond."

"It is very nice to meet you, Redmond," Astrid said formally.

"I wondered if your daughters were home, Lady Newtonmore?" Russell inquired. "Astrid would like someone to play with."

"Yes, they're both here. Our son is at school at the moment, as you know. I'll just ring for the nanny," Victoria replied. "I'm sure the girls would very much like to meet you."

"Thank you Lady Newtonmore," Astrid replied. She went right back to clinging to Russell's hand.

"Have a seat," James said.

They spoke casually about school until Astrid had gone off with the nanny and James and Victoria's two daughters.

"You said on the telephone you needed some advice?" James inquired.

"We'll leave you," Victoria said.

"No, it's fine," Russell said. "This isn't legal advice, it's more personal."

"We're all ears," James said.

"About two months ago I went to check on the properties here in London that belong to the estate I inherited. I thought perhaps one would be suitable for Sybil and I after we get married," Russell began. "One of them is two streets west and one north of here."

"That could be suitable, you would be right in the neighborhood," James said.

"It's a bit large," Russell commented. "Back to the point, when I was there I found Astrid living in the house on her own with three staff. She hadn't seen her father in months and she's not receiving any kind of schooling."

"Oh my," Victoria commented.

"I got after the staff to clean the house and take Victoria out more. I've been dropping in from time to time to check up on her," Russell said.

"Where is her father when all this has been going on?" James asked. Redmond was looking thoughtful.

"This is part of why I need advice," Russell said. "I visited the house in Horsham when I finally got a chance. You know what my schedule is. It's not much better than Redmond's for free time. It took me weeks to get out there. The butler there told me he had gone to Paris during the summer for a undetermined stay."

"Interesting," James commented. "You've contacted your solicitor?"

"Yes, our allowances are paid out in January. Astrid's is deposited to an account, which her father oversees. It was our mother's allowance so there is no accountability for it. I don't know where it is going," Russell said. "Whatever he's doing with it he's not seeing to her education. I didn't want to kick him out of the house because I thought it was Astrid's home. I don't really know her that well, but she's lost her mother. I didn't think she should loose her home as well."

"And there is no particular rush," James added.

"The solicitor told me I could take control of Astrid's inheritance myself. It would mean I could insist she attend a good girl's school and see to her needs. I don't know what he's done with the money and I'm not her guardian. I don't really know what to do. I've had a hard enough time dealing with my own allowance this year. I don't know what I'm going to do with the money when I get it in January."

"Let it sit or spend it it's up to you. May I inquire what you did with your first payment?" James asked.

"I prepaid my tuition and dormitory fees, set my natural father up, paid off the majority of my adoptive parents mortgage and took a vacation to the Free State to see my fiancée," Russell said.

"All reasonable places to spend your inheritance," James replied. "From what you're saying you don't want to turn your back on your sister and let the chips fall where they may."

"No, people didn't pay attention when they knew something wasn't right with me until it was almost too late," Russell said. "I'm not her legal guardian. I don't know what to do."

"You have more control in this situation than you think," James said. "It's quite true you can take control of Lady Astrid's allowance and I suggest you do that immediately. By the time the paperwork goes through it will be time for the next payout. You can have the funds placed in an account that is solely under your control. In the meantime it is possible for your solicitor to put an immediate hold on Lady Astrid's current account."

"How do I go about finding her a school? I want her to go somewhere she will be happy."

"My wife could make up a list of schools for you to choose from. Was Lady Astrid not happy at her last school?" James asked.

"She said it was cold. I don't know if the building was older or if there was a lack of heat. She's receiving a substantial allowance. There is no reason for her to attend anywhere she isn't happy," Russell said.

"You'll be taking on a significant responsibility if you do this," Victoria said.

Russell nodded. "I don't know what to do about taking control. Should I leave it till January or make the move now? What do I do if her father suddenly shows up and moves her to somewhere where I don't know where she is?"

"One of the advantages of having a father who is the Foreign Secretary even though he should be retired is one can find out almost anything about a British national living in another country. Leave the father's name with me and I'll see what I can find out," James said thoughtfully. "Depending what we find out should answer that and help you decide what to do."

"I didn't want all this responsibility," Russell said tiredly.

"It comes with the money," James said. "You're doing well so far."

"Who's taking care of her?" Redmond asked.

"The housekeeper but I don't think she pays Astrid much mind," Russell replied.

"She should have a nanny to see to her," Redmond said.

"I don't even know how to go about finding one or arranging the wages," Russell replied.

"Finding one from an agency is easy enough," Victoria commented. "I'll give you the name of the agency I use."

"Thank you, Lady Newtonmore," Russell said.

"Let the solicitor work out the wages and take care of the interview. It's what he's getting paid for," James said.

"I should collect Astrid and get moving," Russell said. "I've got to be at the hospital in two hours. Thank you for the advice. I'll get the solicitor onto it."

"I'll walk her home with you," Redmond said. "I've got to get back for evening rounds myself soon enough."

They walked Astrid back to the house where she was living.

"I have to go back to school now Astrid," Russell said. "Did you have a nice time?"

"Yes, the other girls were very nice. Can we go visit again?" Astrid asked.

"One day when I have time," Russell said. "You know it's hard for me to get away."

"I like it when you come to visit," she said.

"She seems like a nice little girl," Redmond said after they left.

"She is. I think she spent a lot of time with our mother," Russell said. "Whatever is going on with her father is a mystery to me."

"You really got it didn't you? A huge estate and a child out of the blue," Redmond said.

"Everyone thinks having money is so easy," Russell said almost sadly.

Redmond snorted. "You should talk to Da about that one. He'll tell you it isn't easy being responsible for other people's livelihoods."

"No, it certainly isn't," Russell replied.

-0-

"Russell says to wish you all the best on your wedding," Sybil said. The family had just finished their lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Sybil was telling the family about her last letter from Russell. "He says he is taking his sister and her nanny to his parents' for Christmas. He's going to drop her off at school on the way back so she will be away and safe before he cuts the money off to her father."

"It's sad, but it's not uncommon," Rose said. "Look at the Vanderbilt girl. It was all over the papers a few years ago. People huffed and puffed and thought it was terrible, but I knew at least five girls when I was younger who's parent was living off their daughter's allowance."

"It isn't right," Tom commented. "I could see it if he were using the money to support the girl. My own situation might have come to that if things had gone differently when Sybil was younger, but the money would have been to clothe, feed and put a roof over her head. I would never have gone off and left her."

"Russell says he doesn't have all the facts," Sybil said. "Grandpapa Shrimpy did find out the father is living quite a gay life in Paris apparently and from the bank records there have been regular withdrawals from the trust account but no evidence of where it is being spent."

"It must be a considerable allowance," Dylan said.

"I don't know how much and I wouldn't presume to ask," Sybil said. Dylan looked chastised under his sister's stern look.

"Dylan manners," Rose scolded. "It's just so unfortunate for Russell, first having to deal with his own issues and now looking out for his sister."

"A lesser man would have walked away from her," Tom pointed out. "He's doing the right thing by her. You can't fault him for that."

There was a knock at the front door. Tom got up to answer it.

"We have guests in the drawing room," he said.

Everyone got up from the dining room table and headed into the drawing room except Bradley and Dylan who stayed behind to clear the table.

"Mrs. Sheahan, ladies, I wasn't expecting you," Rose said when she saw the farmwomen from the auxiliary all seated in the drawing room.

"We've come to talk about the wedding," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"And the reception," another of the ladies added.

"I don't know if you have all met our son Davin and his fiancée, Miss Camilla Royston," Tom introduced.

"Oh, if we haven't met before we all know about Miss Royston," one of the ladies said with a nod. "She gave Liam Durnin a black eye at the summer dance. That big mouthed lout has had it coming for years."

"Our wedding is in three weeks," Camilla said. "It will be a small affair with a few family from England as well as close friends here."

"Well, now that's what we've come about," Mrs. Sheahan said. "Everyone about is talking about the manager's son getting married. After all you've done here, setting up the Farmer's Association and talking the current owner into a medical clinic we want to show you and your family appreciation. The community will host the reception and all you have to do is show up."

"And it's Catholic wedding. We all want to come," one of the women piped up joyfully.

"We couldn't possibly change the plans now," Rose said. "The wedding is in three weeks."

"That's where we come in," Mrs. Sheahan said almost gleefully. "We've got things all figured out. All the bride and groom have to do is show up at the church on time."

"But I'm playing the piano for the reception. Davin promised," Garret said indignantly.

"Garret, quiet," Tom scolded him. "Ladies we couldn't possibly impose on your generosity."

"It's no imposition at all," Mrs. Sheahan said. "Miss Royston is practically one of us the way she's forever knitting up a storm and a regular customer for the homespun yarn from Decla Lacey's farm and that boy of yours, no one would have an inkling he wasn't from these parts if he never spoke."

"Mrs. Sheahan, I was born in Dublin. I'm every bit as Irish as you are," Davin said.

"If you say so dear," she said plowing right ahead. Davin rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"What is it you ladies had in mind?" Rose asked trying not to show her alarm.

"We'll put the word out. They'll be standing room only in the church by the time we're through," one of the women said.

"We'll have a chicken dinner at the hall. We'll cook enough for two hundred and fifty, everyone will bring their own plates and we'll follow it up with a dance. Mind you we'll have to have a few strong men to toss out any that drink too much," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"Dinner for two hundred and fifty people!" Camilla exclaimed with her eyes huge. "We were planning a reception with canapés for thirty here at the house."

"Cana what?" one lady asked her with a wrinkled brow.

"Canned food! You can't have canned food at a wedding," one of the women commented equally as perplexed.

"It's food on little crackers," Mrs. Sheahan informed them.

"Not enough to feed a bird," the first lady said shaking her head.

"But ladies, there are so many details," Rose protested.

"We thought you'd have the cake already arranged," Mrs. Sheahan said. "We'll take care of the meal and the ladies group from the church will take care of the decorations. You can leave it all to us."

"I don't feel right about letting you take on the cost of such a large reception," Tom said. "At least let us cover the expenses."

"Keep your money, we don't want it," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"Would you allow me to make a donation to the clinic or the village school on your behalf?" Tom inquired.

"Now some new books for the school would be right neighborly of you," one of the women who didn't say much during the regular auxiliary meetings piped up.

"It looks like we're having a big wedding after all," Camilla said smiling at Davin.

"Now dear what have you arranged for a dress?" Mrs. Sheahan asked Camilla. She turned to look at Tom and the boys. "You men don't need to be here to overhear all the details now go on with you."

"I think my wedding has just been high jacked," Davin said as they left the drawing room.

"I wanted to play the reception music," Garret complained.

"You'll get to kick the whole thing off piping Camilla in," Tom said. "We'll have a Scottish engagement party when everyone gets here from England. We can dance a few reels here at the house. We have plenty of room and you can play the pipes for that."

"I like that idea," Garret said finally perking up.

"What happened to my small personal wedding?" Davin questioned.

"I'm getting the feeling nothing is small and personal on this estate when it comes to the manager's family," Tom said giving his son's shoulder a squeeze.

Chapter 23 – Doing What's Right

"Thank goodness, I'd already arranged with Millicent Donnelly for most of the family to stay at the main house. With all of the Crawley clan, including the children and my brother and his family over from England the house would have burst at the seams," Rose said. "The farmwomen were ready to arrange the accomodations as well."

"I could just see Camilla's mother staying at a farm and walking through a flock of chickens," Tom said with a chuckle.

"Or if they offered her a bath in a tub in the kitchen," Rose said with a smile.

"We shouldn't laugh," Tom said. "At least she's here with the brother and one of the grandmothers."

"Tonight should go well. Scottish dancing with the family is always popular," Rose commented.

"I'm surprised your brother risked the trip."

"They're travelling as Mr. and Mrs. MacClare, Scottish sounding enough unless someone knows the connection. The people in these parts shouldn't catch on."

Rose turned quickly on her vanity seat and held out her hands to her husband. She had a wide smile on her face.

"You look excited," Tom said as he crossed the room to take her hands.

"I am. This is the thing I miss most about Scotland. After all these years I miss the highland balls and dance parties."

"Then let's get to it," Tom said.

They headed downstairs to find most of the household already waiting for the guests to come over from the main house. Camilla and Davin were talking to her grandmother. Camilla's brother was chatting with Dylan and her mother was sitting on a chair looking uncomfortable.

"Mrs. Royston, are you looking forward to the celebrations?" Rose asked her with a smile. "We certainly are. The village and the countryside are a buzz with the wedding tomorrow."

"I'm feeling rather left out," Mrs. Royston said. "It's my own fault I know for not standing up to my husband sooner, but it seems everything is done and Camilla doesn't need me at all."

"She still needs you very much," Rose said. "Camilla has really blossomed this last while."

"She's so grown up I hardly recognize her," Mrs. Royston said.

"The older children all seem grown up one minute and then like children the next," Rose said. "Won't you come and join the receiving line? The rest of the party from the main house and the guests from town should be here at any minute."

"I don't think I should."

"Certainly you should. You're the mother of the bride and she's radiant," Rose said. "You have a lot to be proud of."

Camilla's mother, brother and grandmother hesitantly joined the receiving line on either side of Camilla and Davin. Davin handled the introductions with ease introducing the guests to the family and locals that had been invited. By the time everyone had arrived they had fifty people sitting on chairs or sipping drinks and chatting. Sean had been busy helping Tom and the boys move furniture out of the drawing room all day. The room was now set up with chairs around the sides with only the piano left in its regular position.

"I can't believe this is going on for two days," Davin murmured quietly to Camilla. "What happened to small?"

"This party was your father's idea," she replied. "I think it's lovely. Don't be such a wet blanket."

"I'm glad to see the bagpipes are getting some use," James commented to Davin. He was wearing a kilt and looking every bit the Scottish gentleman.

"Garret loves them. I don't know which he likes better bagpipes or piano," Davin commented.

"A true highland boy," James said with a wink.

Lord Grantham came over to join them and offer his congratulations on the wedding and the evening's festivities. Most of the guests' eyebrows went up when they spotted the musicians for the evening in a group near the piano. Garret had been busy with his group of friends teaching them the reels and had his brothers and sister lined up to play through the night. The first dance Davin lead Camilla out for a highland dance Rose had rehearsed with the pair of them. Davin had gotten back into the swing quickly after the years of dance classes with his mother and Camilla did a passable job. As the night went on Davin had to sit out more and more until he finally had to give up completely and go to bed.

Mrs. O'Rinn didn't know what to do when Tom came to the kitchen and brought her out to the drawing room for the next reel. Rose had rounded up Sean as well.

"Oh no, Mr. Branson, I can't dance with your guests," she protested.

"Apparently it's tradition for the staff to dance at a Scottish country dance," Tom said. "It might be bad luck not to."

"Oh very well then. We don't want to bring bad luck down upon the house," she replied.

Camilla wandered over to sit with her mother while the reel was going on.

"Are you having a nice time mother?" Camilla asked her. Their exchanges were still distant with each side trying to put on a brave face.

"It's a very nice party, Camilla. It's much different than if you had married in England."

"I don't think it would be," Camilla replied. "Davin's mother is Scottish. Apparently she will take any excuse she can to throw a dance party especially a Scottish one. The reception tomorrow, now that will be quite different. The local women got together and insisted they throw a reception for us. I don't really know what to expect."

"Have you been happy here?" her mother asked.

"I wasn't at first. I was too upset," Camilla admitted. "I kept busy and made friends. Now I'm happy. I could easily live in the Free State for the rest of my life. Where ever we decide to settle I'll be happy to be with Davin."

"I should have put my foot down with your father's nonsense sooner," her mother said.

"How is father?"

"Stubborn. He was always so determined you wouldn't have a marriage like ours. He has had a difficult time dealing with his disappointment," Mrs. Royston said.

"I don't think my marriage will be like yours at all," Camilla replied. "No one is forcing us to marry. We are because we want to. Either of us could have changed our minds at any time and we haven't. We both doubted when Davin was first at university but the moment I saw him again I knew it was right. I love him and that will never change."

"You're too young to know that for certain," her mother said.

"Mother, you threw me out of the house with everything I own and not a penny to my name and Davin stood by me," Camilla said. "Davin and I have gone through his recent illness together as well. Our feelings for each other haven't diminished. They've grown stronger. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

"You've changed," her mother said.

"Of course I have. I'll never let anyone control my fate again the way you and father did. I've learned to stand on my own two feet with Mr. and Mrs. Branson's help and I'm going to keep working at it. Davin and I will make it together because we're determined to. Now, I need to go and mingle with the other guests."

Camilla's mother was left speechless with her mouth open slightly as Camilla moved off into the room to speak with some of the guests. The next reel Camilla was partnered with one of the gentlemen in attendance and back to dancing.

"That one has more backbone than you'll ever have," Mrs. Royston's mother said to her daughter as they watched Camilla.

"Mama, how could you say that," Mrs. Royston said.

"Because it's true," Camilla's grandmother said. "She may have disgraced herself but she's risen above it and making something of herself. Even her speech has improved since she's been on her own. Don't tell me you hadn't noticed."

"She seems so different. She's grown up and determined. I don't know her anymore," Mrs. Royston said sadly.

"If you'd paid more attention in the first place you might have gotten to know her better," her mother scolded her. "You took my mistakes and repeated them. You're husband put her out and you went along with it. I abided by your wishes but not any longer. Camilla and her new husband will be welcome at our home if they choose to visit. Your father would have come along as well if his health were better."

"So you think I should throw in the towel with my marriage?"

"I didn't say that. I said Camilla has backbone and I'm proud of her. If you ever decide to stand up for yourself and speak your own mind with that one your married to I'll be proud of you too."

"You've changed as well," Mrs. Royston said.

"I'm getting smarter in my old age."

-0-

Tom couldn't believe his eyes when he arrived at the church the next day. Davin had gone over to the main house in the morning with Camilla's brother so he wouldn't see the bride before the wedding in her dress. Tom, Camilla, her mother and Sybil who was maid of honor headed over in the family car that had been decorated with ribbons for the occasion. The churchyard was full of buggies and cars and people were still arriving. Two of the local farmers were outside directing traffic and waved for him to park at the front of the church.

"Oh my," Mrs. Royston said.

"They said they were inviting everyone from all around. I didn't think they meant quite this many," Camilla said with fear in her voice.

"Keep your eyes on Davin and you'll get through it," Tom said. "I didn't see a soul except my bride during my wedding."

"Mummy looked like a princess. I remember," Sybil said. "And you look beautiful too, Camilla. Like an Irish fairy tale princess."

"I feel like an English ugly duckling," Camilla said.

"You look lovely," her mother said patting her hand.

They waited a few minutes until the last minute stragglers had gone in then carefully got Camilla with her dress out of the car. Cora had sent over one of the family dresses from England and Sybil had altered it to fit. Camilla was covered from head to toe in layers of antique lace with roses worked into the pattern.

"There you are dear," Mrs. Sheahan said as she came to meet them in the vestibule. "Now here's your horseshoe."

"My what?" Camilla asked in confusion as Mrs. Sheahan produced a small horseshoe that had been painted white with a white ribbon tied to it.

"For luck. It is tied into the bouquet," Mrs. Sheahan said. She barely took a breath as she barreled on in her excitement. "This is an Irish wedding after all. Now you must make sure both feet never leave the floor for the rest of the day. The fairies will get under your feet and bring you bad luck if they do. Don't you look as pretty as a picture? You're the finest bride these parts has seen in many a year."

"Mrs. Sheahan, this is my mother, Mrs. Royston," Camilla said.

"You must be proud of such a fine girl," Mrs. Sheahan said. "She doesn't take any nonsense."

"Well, yes I am," her mother said slowly.

"Now get to your seat, everyone is ready. We've kept the front seat just for you. Come along," Mrs. Sheahan took Camilla's mother by the arm and practically drug her into the church. Garret came out of the church carrying his bagpipes. He was dressed in his kilt.

"They're ready," he said. "Davin looks like he's going to faint."

"Oh, Davin should be resting. I knew this would be too much for him," Camilla said in alarm.

"It's nerves. All grooms look like that while they're waiting for the ceremony to begin," Tom said patting her hand on his arm to reassure her.

Sybil lifted Camilla's veil down over her face.

"Here we go," Sybil said.

Tom could feel the girl's hand shaking as he walked her down the aisle. The church was indeed packed to standing room only. Davin was at the front with Camilla's brother beside him acting as best man and ready to catch him if he did in fact faint. The gentry were to the front dressed in morning coats and their finery while the rest of the crowd was wearing their Sunday best. Tom couldn't help but think on the slow walk down the aisle this was the most like a community it had seemed since they had arrived. He handed Camilla off to his son then went to take his seat beside Rose in the front row. There was a great deal of sniffling from Camilla's mother, grandmother and all the farmwomen during the ceremony. At the end of it all Garret piped them out of the church to the car. People swelled out of the church doors. Davin turned back to the crowd and produced a bag of coins, which he threw into the air by the handful for luck. The children ran about picking up the pennies. The crowd showered the car with so much rice Tom had to turn the wipers on to see where he was going as they drove off.

"It was so lovely," Camilla said. She was gazing at Davin adoringly.

"It was a beautiful service," Sybil commented.

"I can only remember feeling nervous," Davin said. "It doesn't feel real."

"It's real enough we're married," Camilla said excitedly.

"We've got two hours before the dinner and dance tonight. Time to rest up for a bit," Tom said.

"I think we'll do just that," Davin said gazing at Camilla longingly. Her only answer was a smile and blush.

-0-

Russell's class had just broke for a short break in early January 1938 when he received a message there was someone waiting to see him in the main foyer of the college. He headed down the first flight of stairs until he could see the lobby. He spotted Sir John Carlton pacing back and forth looking like a thundercloud.

"The traveler is home," Russell said quietly. He went down the rest of the stairs to the lobby.

"I was wondering when you would show up," Russell said calmly.

"Where is my daughter?" Sir John demanded.

"Astrid is still in Bruton at her new school," Russell replied. "Her nanny is at the house in Horsham until her next school break if you had bothered to check."

"Don't get flippant with me. This is next to kidnapping!"

"I assure you it's all quite legal," Russell said. "My grandfather did have very shrewd business acumen from what I understand including his choice of solicitor. I've been awarded temporary custody while you were out of the country and I now control Astrid's trust permanently."

"This is preposterous. It is not the arrangement I had with my late wife," Sir John stated.

"I have no idea what arrangement you had with my late mother," Russell said. "Since I now control the family estate any arrangement you have will have to go through me. I have class starting again in a few minutes. I can meet with you at four for half an hour. I'm afraid the rest of the day is taken up with my studies."

"Fine. At four at the house here in London."

"Sorry, I don't have time for the trip to the house. You may meet with me at my dormitory, Hepwith House. The lounge won't be busy at that time of day."

"Four o'clock then," Sir John said.

Russell held himself stiff until he was out of sight of the lobby. He let out the breath he had been holding and leaned against the wall for a moment before he made it back to class. He knew the actions he had taken on Astrid's behalf were the right ones and her father wasn't going to take it well. Not a thing that was happening was unexpected but it didn't make it any easier.

Once the lawyers had engaged a professional nanny a number of things about Astrid had come to light. She had been left on her own all summer and most of the winter and had taken to eating sweets three times a day. The nanny had put a stop to it and with reinforcement from her older brother over the telephone Astrid had started eating regular meals. Russell had informed his sister a steady diet of pudding wasn't healthy and she would be allowed one treat a week, which was all he ate as well. The biggest problem the nanny had discovered was there was something wrong with Astrid's reading and writing. Astrid was polite and bright enough she had no problem playing games or doing needlework, but everything she wrote when there was any noise around her was backwards. The same thing happened when she was reading. She could read quite well but the minute there was any noise she mixed the words up and couldn't recognize them. He had contacted the headmistress at the school arranged for January. She assured him it was a condition they had seen before. Astrid would be allowed to attend the school but under the condition she have a full time tutor who would work with her five days a week at an additional fee. The boarding school was one of the best. Between school, the tutor, the nanny and anything Astrid needed extra over the summer, Russell estimated it would take a third of Astrid's allowance to see her through the year and pay her tuition for next fall. He had every intention the balance would be left in her account for her to fall back on when she grew up. It was a great deal of responsibility to take on, but he was trying his best to see she was well taken care of.

He put Astrid's father out of his mind for the rest of the afternoon, then made his way back to the dormitory to meet with the man after class was done. He was a few minutes late and found Sir John Carlton waiting for him pacing back and forth in the lobby.

"Sorry to be late," Russell said. "I'm a bit busy with my studies so we'll have to make this brief. We can sit in here," he showed Sir John to the lounge. It was deserted at the moment. Russell set down his book satchel and took his stethoscope off from around his neck. He placed it in his bag.

"Now can you tell me where my daughter is?" Sir John said.

"I found out Astrid was on her own at the London house quite by accident," Russell replied. "I engaged a nanny for her to see to her needs and enrolled her in a girl's school in Bruton. It's one of the best girl's schools in the country, so I'm told."

"It's a waste of time sending her to school. She can't read and write properly," Sir John said.

"I'm aware there are problems as is the school. She has a full-time tutor to help her. Astrid's allowance is sufficient for her to have the best of help and I saw to it she is receiving it," Russell said. "Why did you leave her?"

"I thought it best she be away from the house in Horsham where she spent time with her mother until she was out of mourning," Sir John said.

"Over six months is a great deal of time for mourning for a child don't you think?" Russell said.

"I was dealing with my own grief as well."

"From the consulate reports you were having quite a good time in Paris. It didn't sound like someone in heavy mourning to me," Russell said calmly.

"You had me spied on?" Sir John said indignantly.

"No, just inquiries through the Foreign Secretary who happens to be my fiancées grandfather."

"Oh, um yes, I see," Sir John stammered. "So what are your intentions?"

"My only intention was to see my sister was properly taken care of and receiving the education she can afford," Russell said. "I consulted with my fiancées family to ensure the care she was receiving was proper for her rank."

"Are you planning to keep her from me?"

"Not at all. I'll give you the name of her school. You can contact them about setting up visiting times. They keep the girls quite busy with outings and things on the weekends," Russell said evenly. "Your welcome to stay at either of the houses as well. Astrid will want to spend time with you when she is on holiday. It was always my belief that you would be living on the estate with your daughter. I had no intention of tacking any action until I found she had been left on her own."

"So you've just restricted my access to her funds."

"That's right," Russell said. "My father. The man you saw me with when my mother was dying taught me to believe in the value of hard work. For all his faults he is honest and he does work hard to support himself. Unless you can prove to me there is some reason you need access to Astrid's inheritance that would provide something she needs I don't see myself allowing you access to the money."

"My daughter should not see her father reduced to a penniless beggar," Sir John said.

"I would agree with that," Russell replied. "She shouldn't see her father as a lazy, flamboyant playboy either."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Find a job," Russell said.

"Somewhat difficult without enough funds to support myself for the next months."

"You've withdrawn seventy-five percent of last year's allowance. What did you do with it?"

"Medical bills and a full time nurse for Margaret took a good bit," Sir John said. "The rest I spent on living expenses."

"It's an awful lot to spend on living expenses when there are two houses here you can live at free of charge," Russell said.

"We're not of the same class. You don't understand what's expected."

"My fiancées family is of high rank. Most of them are titled. All of the men have some type of occupation and they all live within their means," Russell said. "I suggest you do the same. You are welcome to reside at the house here in London until you get yourself on your feet. I'll give you a one-time payment of five hundred pounds from Astrid's allowance to get you set up in whatever occupation you decide on."

"That won't pay my expenses for a month."

"Take it or leave it," Russell said.

"I'll take it."

"Wait here. I'll retrieve a check," Russell said. He went to his room and came back down with the signed check. He handed Sir John a paper with the name and address of Astrid's school as well.

"Don't try to take Astrid from the school," Russell said. "They know she is only to leave with myself or her nanny. I did put you on the visitor's list in the event you came back to England."

"You've thought this through haven't you?"

"Children of neglect have no choice but to learn the hard lessons," Russell said. "I don't dislike you, but neither do I owe you anything. My only concern is my half sister's welfare. I've got to get my dinner then to the hospital. I don't have much time."

"I'll be at the house here in London if you need to contact me," Sir John said. "Thank you for this." He held up the check.

"Goodbye for now," Russell said before he headed off into the dining room.

"You might not have known him but you're just like your grandfather," Sir John muttered at Russell's retreating back.

Chapter 24 – Letting It Out

"Christmas in the Free State was rather more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be," Anthony remarked. Edith and Michael were over to visit for the afternoon. They were all sitting in the library. Michael was bouncing baby Violet who was now eleven months old on his knee.

"It was a shame Rose and Tom's eldest couldn't make it for his brother's wedding," Cora commented.

"Victoria told me he is simply chained to his studies since last summer. They only have three week breaks here and there until they're finished apparently," Edith said.

"It all sounds like a great deal of work," Mary commented.

"I would think we all want a doctor that is well schooled at our bedside," Robert commented. "Trust Branson to have a wedding reception that resembles nothing that anyone of our class would have."

"Now Papa," Mary defended. "Rose told me the farmwomen insisted they would arrange a community celebration for the reception. There was certainly a great deal of food if not the most elegant dishes."

"I thought it was rather enjoyable to see the community come together for the reception," Michael said. "Apparently the farmers that went in on the hay scheme Tom came up with last summer did so well, the others were a bit jealous. They're starting to pay more attention when he brings up different ideas and at least discuss them which is more than they did last spring."

"The estate was beautiful if a bit like stepping back in time," Mary commented. "I did enjoy the reeling. It's something I wish we did more often."

"Poor Davin, he's so thin," Cora said. "He couldn't even stay up to enjoy his own engagement party."

"Dreadful thing that, all of them having heart murmurs. It's fortunate our Sybil doesn't have one as well," Robert commented.

"Rose said the problem can show up at any time during puberty. It doesn't look like Sybil has one. Let's just hope she and the younger boys are in the clear," Cora said.

"If a war does come to pass it will let them out of service," Anthony said. "Our sons won't be so lucky."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Robert said. "The last war was such a waste of young lives."

"The feeling in London is very pro German in some circles," Mary commented. "Thank heavens none of our close friends have jumped on board."

"I've heard that woman the Duke of Windsor married is a card carrying Nazi," Edith commented.

"Don't even mention that woman being part of the royal linage," Robert said with a grimace. "She has single handedly almost destroyed an institution that has gone on for hundreds of years. A commoner would have been bad enough but a twice-divorced American. He needs his head examined."

"It would have finished your mother in one fell swoop," Cora commented.

"It almost finished me," Rosamund said in a quavering voice. "I couldn't bear to think of that woman sitting on the throne. Poor Berti having to take it all on, you know he never wanted to be King."

"Whether we want the responsibility birth puts on us or not we have it," Anthony commented.

"Sybil was telling me her young man has taken on the charge for his half sister," Edith commented. "He's hired a nanny and has her at boarding school."

"Not just any boarding school, it's one of the best in the country," Michael said.

"I hope Sybil thinks this through before the summer. A girl of nine to mother and Sybil will be just eighteen this summer. It's hard enough when you have your own right away," Cora said.

"At least he's had sense enough to hire a nanny instead of shipping her off to his parents. A butler and housekeeper have no business raising a Lady," Robert said.

"They raised her brother part way and he seems to be taking on the responsibility of a family estate quite well," Mary said. She used her cup of tea to hide her slight smirk at her father's expense.

"Yes, well, humpf," Robert grumped. "Still she's old enough to be at boarding school and he's done the right thing. That's what matters."

"Here's to hoping Sybil is home in England for Christmas next year," Cora commented.

-0-

"Young Mr. Branson, what may I do for you today?" Dr. Reigler asked. "Not feeling under the weather are you after your wedding and the holidays?"

"No, I was a little tired after the festivities but nothing drastic," Davin replied. He was sitting in the doctor's office looking a bit nervous.

"No harm in checking since you're here," Dr. Reigler said. "Jacket and shirt open if you please."

Davin opened his shirt and sat still while the doctor listened to his chest.

"No change from your last examination," the doctor said. "Your pulse is slightly stronger which is a good sign. Your murmur has only changed slightly which means there is some damage but not significant enough you should notice any difference. As long as you maintain your diet you should live a normal life."

"A normal life is part of why I've come to see you," Davin said. His cheeks turned red while he was buttoning his shirt. "My wife and I have a bit of a problem."

"Oh, what would that be?" Dr. Reigler asked while he was making a note in Davin's file.

"We want to delay having children. I'll be going back to the university in Edinburgh this fall."

"A wise choice. You are young. There is no rush for at least ten years," Dr. Reigler said.

"Well, the fact is we've run out of French Letters and there isn't one to be had at the pharmacy in these parts," Davin said quickly. His face was bright red.

"What is French Letter?" the doctor asked in confusion. "I am not familiar with this term.

"Prophylactics," Davin said.

"Ah yes, one of the problems in a heavily Catholic region," Dr. Reigler said. "The church speaks against them. The chemist shops sell so few they don't carry them." He reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a box. "Almost contraband," he said. "There are other methods you may employ as well, although not quite as effective." He went over a few things with Davin. "I only wish more young people in these parts would think ahead."

"Thank you for these," Davin said.

Dr. Reigler made out the chit for the bill.

"You may pay my wife at the desk in the waiting room," he said.

"Thank you for the information, Doctor," Davin replied.

-0-

Russell walked down the line of stalls on Easter Sunday 1938 and stopped outside of one where he could hear a man's voice reading slow halting words from Winnie the Pooh.

"That's a stupid tiger, don't you think, Princess. Bouncing on his tail," Matthew Beldon asked.

The horse made an answering nicker.

"Won't be long now girl," he said before he went back to reading aloud.

Russell moved up and leaned on the stall door. His father was stroking the mare's side and reading from the book at the same time. He quickly closed the book and tossed it to the side when he realized someone was there.

"Your landlady said you were here," Russell said.

"Diamond Princess is about to foal. I came down to be with her. Reading from a book calms the beast," Matthew said. "What are you doing here today? I thought you'd be with your new parents."

"I only had one day off over the weekend," Russell said. "My sister is busy with some school Easter activity. I thought I would pay you a short visit and see how you're getting on."

"Fine enough," Matthew said. "I keep busy. This time of year they'll be ten mares foaling. It's enough to keep me here day and night."

"You're getting on with your reading by the sounds of things."

"I am. Doesn't hurt the teacher is pretty as a picture. Gives me something to look at when the lessons get dull."

"So you've got an eye for her," Russell inquired.

"Aye, I have. We've gone out a few times. She's a church going woman. She won't stand for any funny business. There's half a dozen others chasing after her as well."

"I hope your keeping your temper and gambling under control," Russell said.

"You sound like a nagging harpie," his father said. He ran his hand down the horse's side to her belly. "It will be a bit yet. Come on. I'll show you something." He exited the stall and lead Russell down the way to a hay storage area. Near the back a sack was hanging on the wall that was stuffed with straw.

"Take a swing at that," his father said. Russell tapped his fit against the sack. It didn't budge.

"Not like that. Like this," his father said winding up and hitting the sack with all his might. The sack was so stuffed with straw his fist barely left a mark. "Works wonders when things get a bit too much."

"It's good Dad as long as it works," Russell said.

"I'm not going back to prison," his father said. "If pounding a sack full of straw is what it takes. I'll do it."

"What about the other?"

"Stop treating me like a child."

"Then don't act like one and answer the question," Russell said.

"No. I'm not gambling. As long as I let the anger out I don't feel the need. You don't need to worry about it."

"I worry about a lot of things," Russell said.

"You shouldn't. You can't control what other people do."

"I know that," Russell replied. They walked back down the row of stalls. His father picked up a pair of stools for them and set them outside of the mare's stall that was foaling.

"I worry I'm going to get married and have children and that I'll loose my temper one day and hit them," Russell said after a bit.

"I'm sorry I did now," his father said. "I can't tell you why. I don't know myself. It's how I was raised. The old man belted me a few good ones I tell you and sent me off to work as soon as I was old enough to find a spot."

"I'm practically a father to Astrid now. That father of hers is as useless as teats on a bull."

"You feel the desire to hit her?"

"No, not at all. I feel responsible for her welfare. I took her money away from her father and got her a nanny and put her in school where she's cared for."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Sometimes dealing with it all, school, being a parent at nineteen, having a massive estate pushed onto my lap I have to protect from gold diggers, a fiancée that is a country away, I feel like I want to blow up and destroy anything I can get my hands on."

"Find yourself a punching bag and let it out," his father said. "You're not that old get drunk and go out whoring."

"Dad, I'm not interested in other women."

"You know what I mean. Blow off some steam. You're young you don't have to take the weight of the world on your shoulders. What do you mean gold diggers? I still have the money if you want it back."

"Keep it. It's an emergency fund for you. I have other things I'm dealing with," Russell said.

"Sounds like you came to see me to get something off your chest."

"No," Russell said slightly disgusted. "Can't I just come to see you once in a while? Despite everything that's happened you're still my father."

His Dad got up and went into the stall when he heard movement.

"It's time," he said. He held the mare's head while she lay down on her side then watched for any sign of trouble while the foal was starting to emerge.

Russell watched over the stall door as the front hooves started to appear. It wasn't long and the foal's head was out then the rest of the body. His father let the mare get to her feet, then dried the foal with an old sack while the mare nuzzled it. It was only a minute or two after the foal was born when it was up on it's wobbly legs and going to nurse from it's mother.

"She's a calm brood mare," Russell commented once his father left the stall and they stood there side by side watching the new arrival with it's mother.

"It's her fifth foal. She knows the score. Now out with whatever it is that's bothering you. Is it something I did?"

"No. It doesn't involve you at all really," Russell said.

"So tell me."

"It's Astrid's father. Lady Margaret's husband, if you can call him that. He doesn't resemble any father or husband I've ever seen. You were a better father than he is at the moment."

"Must be pathetic if I'm an improvement," Matthew said.

"You were around and made sure I went school, at least the early part of school so I could read and write properly."

"Not being able to makes things difficult," Matthew said. "So what's he done?"

"He's back in England since January. He hasn't been to see Astrid not even once in all that time."

"How do you know?"

"The school has a visitor's log. He hasn't been there. I checked on my last visit," Russell sighed. "There's more. I cut him off from Astrid's funds. I gave him a few pounds to see him over until he got himself a job. That one is a lazy lay about if there ever was one."

"No job I take it?"

"Not only does he have not job, he tried to move his mistress into one of the houses. I have the nanny keeping an eye on the staff and the goings on at both houses. The staff in London won't do a damn thing unless someone keeps an eye on them. She keeps me informed."

Russell's father whistled.

"Kick him out," Matthew said.

"I don't want to cut him off from Astrid."

"Let him visit whenever he likes but he doesn't stay there. Easy," Matthew said. "It's not like he's paying attention to the child. What are you keeping him on for if he's not earning his keep?"

"I want to do the right thing by Astrid. She's an innocent in all this. It's not like she asked to be left without a mother."

"Have the butler toss him out. You don't have to do it. Hell, the old man wouldn't even speak to me. He had the head groom toss me off his land all those years ago. You said you've hired a woman to see to the child and the houses. Let her deal with his visits. See the child when you like and get on with your life. You're not beholding to anyone."

"You're telling me to act like a big shot," Russell said. "Which I am not."

"No, I'm telling you to act like a man. Take some lessons from the toffs. They don't dirty their hands with the nasty stuff. They have their employees do it. The old man was hard but he was smart. He's left you set up and then some. You don't have to act like a pompous ass but you do have to act like the boss."

"I'm not much of a boss," Russell said.

"You're more one than you know. Get off your ass this afternoon. Take the train back to London and stop by the house. If the staff are sitting on their arses not doing a thing, fire the lot of them. There's enough looking for a job these days, you won't have any problem finding new."

"I'll go you one better" Russell replied. "You can take me by to meet your girlfriend this afternoon. If I walk in when I have my next afternoon free and nothing is done at the house, I'll have my solicitor take care of it."

"Now you're talking like the boss," his father said slapping him on the back.

"Thanks, Dad," Russell said.

"I might not know much about being a father but I do know a fair bit about work and what to expect from a boss."


	27. Coming Home Part VII

Coming Home – Part VII – Chapter 25 through 28

Chapter 25 – Growing Up

Thomas and Abigail Barrow got off the train in Horsham and took a cab to the manor house. The pulled up in front of a large hall the gentry would consider a hunting lodge but to anyone else looked like a castle out of a fairy tale. Russell came out of the front doors to meet them followed by a butler and Nanny Grace. Nanny Grace had been to their home with Lady Astrid at Christmas. She was a middle-aged woman who had spent her life in service as they had. She had been with a Duke's family until the children all went off to university and the girls had left the nursery. She was quite happy to have a post seeing to one little girl and minding the houses for when she returned on vacation and her employer would be finished with his education. In her opinion Russell was barely out of the nursery.

"Mum, Dad, how was the train ride?" Russell asked.

"Thankfully short," his mother replied. "You're looking well."

"All done but the ceremony next week," Russell said. "You remember Nanny Grace?"

"Yes, of course," Thomas said. "How are you?"

"Well, Sir," Nanny Grace said from two steps behind Russell. She made a quick bob.

"Mr. Stokes, my parents. Mr. and Mrs. Barrow," Russell said to the butler who bowed.

"Come in. We'll go in the library," Russell said. Nanny Grace stopped to order tea from the butler. She came through and closed the door behind her then took a seat.

"We were wondering why you wanted us to come up," Thomas said. "We'll be in London for your graduation ceremony next week."

"I need a little help, Dad," Russell said. "You know I've had Nanny Grace here keeping an eye on the houses and what's going on. I don't have time myself."

"The butler should be doing that here," Thomas pointed out.

"Mr. Stokes is competent, Sir," Nanny Grace said. "This house is well run and I have no complaints."

"It's the other house. The one you'll be staying at in London," Russell said. "I was going to have the solicitor chuck the lot of them and hire new, but then I thought I should learn to do some of this myself."

"You're opinion of the household staff?" Abigail asked Nanny Grace. The look on the woman's face was all the answer she needed.

"You both ran a house ten times the size of the London house with only day staff. Dad was on his own for a while as well running Downton. You both know what to look for. I thought you might give me a hand restaffing the place," Russell said.

"How many are there now?" Abigail asked.

"Housekeeper, maid and cook, Mrs. Barrow," Nanny Grace answered.

"For seven bedrooms? That is ridiculous," Abigail said. "I handled that up north by myself plus six children. Mind you the family did chores and helped out. The most you would need is two staff."

"Have you fired them yet?" Thomas asked.

"Not yet. I'm going to fire them and put the butler in the same day," Russell said. "I'm learning to be more ruthless. Nanny Grace thought a butler and a housekeeper-cook would suffice."

"Most of the houses in the area have butlers. A man would be able to see Lady Astrid too and from her friends' homes safely if I am unavailable," Nanny Grace said.

"Hire a butler then and let him take care of selecting the housekeeper," Thomas said.

"I was hoping you'd help me interview the butler," Russell said. "Nanny has lined up two to interview this afternoon through an agency in London. You know more about the job than I ever will."

There was a tap at the door. The butler came in with the tea followed by a footman.

"This place is still run as it was by the looks of things," Thomas said.

"A bit daft if you ask me," Russell said. The butler went stiff. "I haven't a clue as to what to do with the place but it is Astrid's home. It can stay as it is until she's grown up."

"Of course we'll help you interview staff for the London house," Abigail said. "Your father will have no problem selecting a suitable candidate."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Russell replied with a smile. "Nanny, Mr. Stokes, could you leave us."

"What is it you want to tell us son?" Thomas asked the minute the door was closed.

"I wanted to let you know," Russell paused. "I'm in contact with my natural father."

"Are you sure it's a good idea? Has he hurt you?" Abigail asked in alarm.

"Prison changed him. He knows he has temper issues and he's trying to keep it under control," Russell said. "I've only seen him a few times. We send letters back and forth now and then. I'm planning to ask him to my wedding. I don't know if he'll come."

"That's a hell of a note," Thomas said getting up and going over to look out the window.

"I don't want you to be upset, Dad. You're still my Dad. If Sybil and I have children you'll be their grandparents. You're the one I turn to when I need a father. My real father and I aren't close. He's more like a kid I keep an eye on. He did say one thing that made sense though. He told me to act like the boss."

"I don't want you putting yourself in danger," Thomas said.

"There's no danger. I don't stay in the same house with him. I'm not relying on him for anything. He's trying to change. I have to admit he's a lot happier on his own. He's been going to night school to learn to read and write and he has a job at a stable. He's the calmest I've ever seen him."

"We worry about you. You've had so much to bare in such a short time," Abigail said.

"Real parents worry don't they," Russell asked her. "You're the only real parents I've ever known."

"Parents who are going to help you interview a butler and get your London house straightened out," Abigail said.

"And come to my graduation and hold me up when I get married," Russell said.

"That we will," Thomas said coming over to pat his son on the shoulder.

-0-

"Are you ready for the trip to England?" Rose asked Tom.

"That I am," Tom said. "I wish Sybil and Russell were getting married here and making their home in Ireland instead of London."

"Tom, the children are growing up. You can't keep your chicks around you indefinitely," Rose scolded him. "They'll be a few blocks from my brother's and from the Crawley's when they're in London."

"I know. It's just," Tom shook his head. "I can't help thinking about something Dr. Reigler mentioned the other day. He said the annexation of Austria was something he expected. He's happy they made the move to Ireland where his family is safe. His wife's brother is hoping to make the move as well. He's a dentist but he may have left it too late."

"You're worried about war aren't you?"

"Aren't you? Michael and Garth have both written to me the government in England wants farms to produce as much produce as possible and the government here is saying the same thing. If war comes they could starve the countries to death."

"It's not here yet," Rose said. "We live on a farm. If things go back to being tight like they were when the depression started we'll make do. Our son's are in Ireland except the eldest two and neither of them is fit for military service and they're Irish nationals."

"Sybil is marrying a man who would be a prime candidate. He's young, strong, and educated in a medical field."

"They'll have enough sense not to stay in London if things start to happen," Rose said. "He has two houses from what Sybil says. They'll move to the country. We can talk to them about it if it makes you feel any better."

"It would make me feel a great deal better," Tom said. "We'll talk with them. Do you have everything arranged for while we're gone?"

"We'll be back in time for both auxiliary events that are planned for the summer," Rose replied. "Who would have thought Davin's illness and wedding would be the catalyst that got the two sides working together."

"Rich or poor, everyone needs a doctor when they're sick," Tom replied. He went over to rub Rose's shoulders.

"The auxiliary is still very divided but they are working on both activities together. The farmwomen are supplying some of the supplies and their sons and daughters to work at the garden party and the ladies are busy working on sponsors for the community picnic."

"Are you feeling better about things at last?"

"It's not what I was raised with or how we did things in England but I can honestly say I'm proud of what we've accomplished here. When those women were children they wouldn't have spoken to each other, now they're working to improve the community."

"I wish Mrs. Sheahan was on the village council," Tom said with a chuckle. "She'd set the lot of them on their ears. There would be flower boxes on every window by the time she got through with them."

"I do feel a bit better about Davin and Camilla being in Scotland since my mother wrote, Daddy is retiring next month and they're moving back to Scotland. He loves it there."

"Your parents will be close, her grandparents on her mother's side have come around and Sybil will be in London plus the family at Downton. They won't be completely on their own."

"They're planning to buy whatever they need for warm clothes earlier than Davin did before and Camilla has sweaters, hats, gloves and socks made for both of them so they stay warm."

"She'll keep an eye on him so he doesn't eat anything foolish. One good thing about Edinburgh, they shouldn't have any problems getting enough fish for his diet."

"Davin did better than he expected with the scholarships. He has about half of what he did before," Rose commented.

"After this year, he'll most likely be back on top and they'll be well set for next year. If they budget out the money we gave them for next winter and Camilla finds something, they should do well. They've already been awarded married housing at the university. It's not too far for Davin to get to class. He won't even need to take a bus."

"Who would have thought she'd turn out to be so practical," Rose said.

"She's had a good teacher," Tom said kissing Rose on the neck.

"I am anything but practical," Rose said reaching up and ruffling his hair playfully.

"You're practical and fun at the same time," Tom said blowing a raspberry on her neck.

"I'll get you back for that," Rose said jumping to her feet and advancing on him. She knocked him over when his knees hit the side of the bed.

"You won't get me," Tom said laughing and trying to avoid Rose landing a raspberry on him.

"I will," she said laughing and pulling on his shirt until it was undone. She finally kneeled on one wrist and held his other arm with both hands while she rained raspberry kisses all over his chest.

"Has anyone ever told you, you're a very pretty man," she said looking into Tom's face.

"I'm middle aged not pretty," he said.

"You look pretty to me," Rose said before she placed her mouth on his in a passionate kiss.

Dylan, Bradley and Garret had just gotten home from they're second to last day of school and were heading to their rooms to get changed.

"They're at it again," Bradley said rolling his eyes as they walked by their parents bedroom.

"You're not next door to Davin and Camilla, don't complain," Dylan said. "_Ooo Davin, that tickles _and the noise they make, I had to rearrange the furniture in my room so I my head is against the opposite wall._"_

"Do you think we're ever going to get that bad?" Bradley asked the other two.

"I hope not," Garret said.

"Lollan told me about this spot where some of the local girls go and swim without any clothes," Bradley said with large eyes.

"Really!" Dylan said. He had turned into a fifteen-year-old walking hormone in the last few months. "We should find out where it is and go spy on them."

"What for?" Garret said making a bit of a face.

"You are such a baby," Dylan said. "So we can see everything!"

"I've already seen everything," Garret informed him.

They had gone into Garret and Bradley's room.

"I bet," Bradley said scornfully.

"I was out in the stable just about to practice my bagpipes when Aednat came in a couple weeks ago. She took her top off so Sean could see. They didn't know I was there."

"You shouldn't have been spying," Dylan scolded.

"What did she look like?" Bradley asked ignoring his brother.

"Like you'd expect I guess," Garret said with a shrug. "I waited until they were busy kissing to sneak out."

"You didn't see," Dylan said disparagingly.

"I did. Her titties looked like unbaked buns with cherries on top."

"We have so got to find that swimming spot," Dylan said. Bradley nodded.

"You two are so stupid. It wasn't anything special," Garret said. "I'm going to go practice piano. I have a lesson after school tomorrow."

"Let's take the horses and see if we can find the place," Bradley said.

"It's not warm enough to swim outdoors yet," Dylan said.

"You never know," Bradley replied.

-0-

"It's a very nice house," Sybil said to Russell four days before their wedding. She had arrived in London with her entire family. The rooms at Evans House where they would make their home were filled as were Crawley House and MacClare House.

"At first I thought it was too big for us," Russell said. "Then once I realized Astrid needed more attention than she was getting, I thought there wasn't much point in us renting a flat when it's standing here empty."

"It's a lovely house," Rose said. "Sybil mentioned you had changed the staff recently."

"Yes they're both new. The last ones didn't do a thing unless I had them checked on constantly. I think the nanny will take Astrid to the country place for the summer."

"You sound like a squire," Sybil teased him.

"Hopefully like a concerned brother," Russell said. "I hope she takes to you when you meet her."

"Has she spent anytime with her father?" Rose asked.

"Nanny has had her to see him twice since she returned from school so I understand," Russell said. "I sent word with Nanny he is welcome to stay weekends at the country house with Astrid over the summer if he chooses, just not with his girlfriend along."

"You're being more generous than you need to," Tom said.

"I don't want her to be without a parent," Russell said. "In the meantime, Astrid likes the nanny. I like the nanny. It's the best I can do."

"I hope Dylan, Garret and Bradley won't be a bother staying here," Rose said.

"They've got a list of art galleries and museums they want to visit as long as your arm," Davin commented. He and Camilla were staying with Russell as well. "They'll hardly take a breath for the wedding day, then go running off again."

"What plans have you made for the trip?" Russell inquired of Tom.

"The next five days here in London. We'll visit with Redmond whenever he's got a bit of time from his studies."

"It won't be much," Russell commented. "He had to do a great deal of rearranging just to make time to act as best man."

"We'll spend a four or five days at the Abbey, which will give Davin and Camilla time to make the rounds of her relatives, then north to visit with friends of ours and back to Ireland."

"We'll probably go straight back once we're done at Downton," Davin said. Camilla was upstairs getting settled in.

"I thought we could make the trip down to see the place at Horsham tomorrow," Russell said. "If you're interested that is."

"Of course everyone is interested," Sybil said.

"You're all welcome to stay there whenever you like," Russell said. "It's not as grand as the Abbey but it's still too much for me."

"We'll have to fill it up somehow," Sybil said smiling at him.

"When are your parents arriving?" Tom inquired.

"Mum and Dad are coming the night before the wedding," Russell said. "They'll go back the next morning. There is someone coming I wanted to let you know about before hand."

"Who's that?" Rose inquired.

"My real father and his girl friend, Miss Lydia Blackstone will be at the church and the reception."

"I see," Tom said slowly.

"He's changed a lot," Russell said. "He's a lot quieter than he used to be. His girlfriend is a schoolteacher and sings in the church choir. They're a bit of an odd pair, but he's been behaving himself. There shouldn't be any trouble."

"As long as he doesn't upset you," Sybil said taking Russell's hand.

"I'm fine. I wouldn't have asked him to come if I thought there would be a problem," Russell said.

They all glanced to the door when they heard the butler go to open the front door.

"Time to meet Astrid," Russell said.

Chapter 26 – The Color of Music

"Astrid seems rather a sullen child," Tom commented when they headed back over to her brother's house later that day.

"Tom, she's been through major upheaval in the last year. You can't expect her to be all smiles," Rose said.

"I know that. She was polite enough but the way she was clinging to Russell wasn't good."

"Are you forgetting what it was like when Redmond and Davin first arrived? It wasn't easy. It took time to adjust. Goodness knows what is going through that girl's head. Her father barely pays any mind. The only relative she's got is her brother who she barely knows and he's getting married to a complete stranger in her eyes. She probably thinks he's going to run off and leave her."

"It's going to make things hard on Sybil with the girl around," Tom said.

"Sybil will figure it out. She always had so many people around when she was young she adapted easily to whatever was happening. Russell knows little about how Astrid has been raised so far. At least the nanny seems very dedicated if old fashioned."

"That one would have suited old Lady Grantham to a tea," Tom said.

"Mummy will probably try to hire her away as a housekeeper," Rose said with a slight laugh.

"Dinner with your parents tonight, then off to Horsham tomorrow. The trip is going to be a non-stop whirl isn't it?"

"That and then some," Rose said. "Plus I'd like to fit in a dance club or two if we have time."

"Are you trying to kill me? I'm middle aged."

"I'm trying to keep you in shape," Rose said with a smile.

-0-

Astrid was downstairs looking for her storybook when she heard a sound like a bird. She looked up quickly but the sound stopped. She heard the sound again. This time she looked up to see a boy sitting on the stairs watching her through the rails.

"Who are you?" she questioned.

"Garret, who are you?" he asked.

"Lady Astrid. I live here."

"We're visiting while our sister gets married," Garret said.

"I met your sister earlier. My brother says she will be my sister-in-law. What does that make us?"

"Relatives sort of, I guess," Garret replied. "Do you play any instruments?"

"No. Nanny Grace says I will have piano lessons now that I'm home for summer."

"I play piano," Garret said. "We wanted to go to the art gallery tomorrow but now we have to go to Horsham to look at a house. Well, Dylan wanted to go to the national gallery."

"I used to live there at the house in Horsham. Russell says I can go back this summer after his wedding. There are horses."

"Is there a place for swimming?"

"I think there is but I've never been," Astrid replied.

"My sister will take you in a blink. She loves swimming and horses," Garret said.

"Oh. Then I don't want to go."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

"That's dumb," Garret said. "Sybil is nice. You'll like her and she's fun."

"Do you really know how to play piano?" Astrid asked.

Garret came down the stairs.

"If you have one here I'll play a tune. I brought my bagpipes with me but they will wait until we go for dinner tonight."

Garret sat down at the piano bench. Astrid took a seat beside him. Garret began to play a classical piece he had been working on.

"Do you know any songs? he asked.

Astrid shook her head no.

Garret switched to a nonsensical Irish folk song and sang a few lines until Astrid laughed.

"How do you know what to play?" she asked.

"I feel it in my hands," Garret replied. "I can read sheet music, but I'm better when I play by feel."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Sybil taught me recorder when I was really little, then she taught me flute and Redmond taught me violin. I played by the sounds."

"I don't think I can learn," she said. "Sometimes I can't read when there is too much noise."

"You don't have to read the sheet music if you play by sound," Garret said. "Here put your hand on mine and close your eyes."

She took her hand off his then played the notes in perfect reverse order.

"Neat trick," Garret said.

"It's not a trick. That's how I hear it. It's why I can't play music or write very well."

"You should try flute. Maybe it will make a difference," Garret said. He took out his tin flute and played a single note. Then handed it to her.

"It's been in your mouth," she complained.

"So?"

Astrid put the tin flute to her lips and played a single note.

"Not bad. Now put your fingers like this. Get the first note then lift this finger this and this one in turn." He touched her fingers.

Astrid did exactly as he instructed. She smiled at him when she took the tin flute from her mouth.

"I did it," she exclaimed in delight.

"On the piano you can number your fingers, we'll do one hand." Garret placed her hand on the piano and then touched her fingers in turn. She played the notes back perfectly.

"Do you want to try the bagpipes? They make a bit of racket when you're learning."

Astrid nodded excitedly. Garret was back in a few minutes with his bagpipes. Astrid was trying the simple piece Garret had shown her over and over on the piano.

"First it's going to make noise when you blow them up," he said. He positioned the pipes in her arms. Now you're going to keep enough air in them to make them feel firm under your arm but your fingers are going to do something completely different. He positioned her hands and touched her fingers in order for a very simple bar of melody.

"Blow, blow harder," he coaxed. "Keep blowing now move your fingers."

Astrid did as he instructed and managed to make a chain of a few notes. Russell came down the stairs to find out what the racket was about.

"I can play music," Astrid told her brother with a large smile. "I couldn't before. Garret is showing me how." The bagpipes made a horrible racket as they deflated.

"That's good Astrid," Russell said encouragingly. "If anyone can figure out how to teach you to play it's Garret. He can play almost anything ever since he was little."

"Music is about counting," Garret said. "If you can count to four you can play almost anything. Maybe you should try drums."

"Girls don't play drums," she said.

"They do in Ireland," Garret replied. "We brought a bodrhan with us. First I'll teach you how to count music."

Russell left the two of them in the drawing room. Garret was counting to four and having Astrid clap it out with him.

"Mr. Beldon, whatever is going on?" Nanny Grace inquired.

"Master Branson is teaching Astrid music," Russell said. "He's a musical protégé. Whatever it is he's doing she's responding. You can hear her laughter."

"That's the first time in all these months," Nanny Grace said.

"Leave them to it. They're having fun," Russell said.

They headed over to MacClare house that evening with Garret carrying his bagpipes under his arm with Astrid holding his hand. Davin and his three brothers were all wearing their kilts with formal jackets, while Russell wore a suit. Nanny stayed at home since there were children at the house and a nanny to see to them at their destination.

Sybil kissed Russell hello. Astrid backed up and partially hid behind Garret when she saw Sybil.

"I'm teaching Astrid some music," Garret informed his sister.

"Lady Astrid," his mother reminded him.

"Do you want me to call you Lady?" Garret asked Astrid who was hidden behind him.

She shook her head no.

"She says her first name is fine," Garret told his mother calmly.

"She's happy with Garret, let her be," Russell whispered to Sybil. "She laughed today. It's the first time I've ever heard her."

Redmond was home and came to hug each of his brother's and parents in turn. Astrid still hadn't let go of Garret when he greeted his brother.

"Hello, Lady Astrid," Redmond said.

"Hello," Astrid said over Garret's shoulder.

"Going to pipe the meal in?" Redmond asked his brother.

"Just for Grandpapa Shrimpy," Garret said.

Astrid went off with the other little girls for her meal when they came to get her. She knew them and was happier away from the crowd of people who she had only met briefly. When it was time for the dancing the younger group came to join the adults. After playing two reels Garret let his brothers take over with violin and piano for a few pieces. As soon as he set the pipes down Astrid was at his side.

"Can you teach me the dance?" she asked hopefully.

"First I need something to drink," Garret said. "Then I'll dance with you."

Garret got Astrid a glass of punch and one for himself from the butler.

"This kind of dancing is easy. It's always eight. Count in your head, eight skips if it's your turn to move. Everyone will make sure you go in the right place, don't worry if you turn the wrong way."

"Can you show me some more music tomorrow?" Astrid asked.

"I can show you a bit if we have time. We're supposed to go to that house."

"It's my house, well, my other house. I'll show you everything there. There's a big piano and horses and a garden," Astrid said excitedly.

"We could play games then in the garden," Garret said. "What kind of games do you like?"

"Tag and catch me if you can and go, stop."

"They're good games. Everyone will play if we ask. Mummy is hard to catch," Garret said.

"You're mother plays games?" Astrid asked with her eyes wide.

"Of course," Garret said. "Are you ready to dance?"

A few times Astrid faltered during the dances and turned the wrong way.

"Remember eight," Garret whispered to her when they moved through the line together. Astrid nodded and smiled at him. She was so preoccupied with Garret she didn't have time to think about clinging to Russell.

"I have to play the pipes now," Garret told her after they had danced a few reels.

"But I want you to dance with me," Astrid said starting to pout.

"Bradley will. Go rescue him from Cousin Elizabeth. He always gets stuck dancing with her," Garret said.

Astrid nodded and dashed over to Bradley who was only too relieved to be extricated from his cousin's grasp.

"You're brothers are a hit," Russell whispered to Sybil.

"They're like a pair of pied pipers. Let's hope she decides to take to me," Sybil whispered back.

"She will. She's shy. How can she help but love you? I do."

"Not a second alone since I arrived," Sybil whispered to him.

"A few days and we'll have all the alone time we want."

"With four brothers, a sister-in-law and your sister in the house?" Sybil said.

"They'll amuse each other and you're brothers aren't staying forever," Russell said confidently.

After the dancing broke up everyone headed back to their respective houses. Astrid was yawning and leaning on Russell but not wanting to give in. She got a sour look on her face when her brother kissed Sybil goodnight, then walked back between Garret and Bradley with each of them by the hand.

"Astrid wants to play games tomorrow in the garden if it's not raining," Garret informed the group.

"You're not playing games," Camilla told Davin.

"I'm well enough for a few garden games," Davin retorted. "I'll run off so you won't catch me."

"We can play all the games you like," Russell said. "We'll play until Astrid begs us to stop."

"You're in for it now," Bradley told her. "No one can beat Davin. He's too fast."

"I'm going to beat him," Astrid said smiling at Bradley.

"The challenge is on," Davin said with a wink in Astrid's direction.

-0-

"One house is like the other," Dylan said disgustedly as he joined Bradley, Garret and Astrid at the piano in the drawing room at the Horsham House.

"I'd say you're correct," Bradley replied soberly. "We are trying to find a way for Astrid to read music.

"I tried before with an instructor but I couldn't do it," she said dispiritedly.

"We've found a way for Astrid to learn but only for a few bars," Garret said. "You need to be able to read the sheet music."

"I can't," Astrid sniffled.

"Don't cry Astrid. We'll think of something," Garret said.

"Colors," Dylan said. "You know like that sheet music for little kids. You two learned by following Sybil. Maybe what Astrid should do is colors."

"But she's not a baby or a little kid," Garret said.

"If she can follow the colors we color the notes," Dylan replied.

"It's worth a try," Bradley said. "Do you have any colored pencils?"

"There are some in the library in my coloring box," Astrid replied. She went to retrieve a box with coloring books, paper and an assortment of crayons and colored pencils. Dylan took a piece of paper and colored some different colored dots in a line. He wrote the names of the notes over top.

"Here Garret play this," Dylan said.

Garret played the first line of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He showed Astrid which color corresponded to which key. He touched each finger on her right hand and said the colors out loud.

"Now you try," Garret said encouragingly.

Astrid played the line saying the colors out loud in order.

"It works!" she said excitedly.

"So far," Bradley said. "We'll have to make it more complicated to make it work for everything but once you learn the basics the rest should come easier.

"I'll write out the score," Dylan said. He drew the bars of music on the sheet of paper and colored the notes with different colored pencils. Garret reminded Astrid of the colors on her right hand, she positioned her hand on the keyboard and very slowly played the song.

"You need timing and a proper conservatory plan, but I think we've go it," Dylan said. "We'll find a music store tomorrow and get you the first book. If we color the notes you should be able to play."

"I can't believe it, thank you," Astrid said smiling. She tried the simple tune again and managed to play it to the end.

"What is everyone up to?" Sybil asked when she, Russel, her parents, Davin and Camilla came back to the drawing room after looking around the house.

"We've found a way for Astrid to follow a conservatory lesson," Bradley said. "You'll have to color the notes for her after we go back to the Free State."

"That's wonderful Astrid. You'll be able to take part in music class now," Russell said as way of praise. The little girl nodded and smiled.

"Can you play for us?" Sybil asked her.

Astrid looked at Garret uncertainly.

"I taught Garret and Bradley at first on recorder," Sybil said. "They made a horrible racket until they got onto it."

"I never," Garret said indignantly.

"You were three. You made a lot of noise," Davin said disparagingly. Tom couldn't help but laugh at the look on Garret's face.

"I spent many days making excuses to go to the village to avoid the noise," Rose said. "Perhaps you could show us what you learned Astrid?"

Astrid stared at the paper and played the tune slowly before she pulled her hand back and looked at her lap.

"That is very good for the first day," Sybil said. "Show me what you've done, Garret."

"Dylan wrote out the score," Garret said handing Sybil the piece of paper.

"The changes are simple enough," Sybil said. "I can easily transcribe any music Astrid needs."

"You'll be in London and I'll be here," Astrid said. She still hadn't looked up.

"Only if you want to be here," Sybil said. "Russell goes back to school in two weeks. I'll need someone to keep me company without my pack of brothers. I need you to stop me from being lonely."

"You can stay in London if you like, Astrid. I thought you would be happier here is all," Russell said. "I'll be at school almost all the time for the next few months."

"We'll have lots of fun while Russell has his nose in the books until you go back to school," Sybil said. "We can play music, ride horses, take the train to my grandparents and go swimming. We might even get Russell to leave his studies for a day or two and go and visit Mr. and Mrs. Barrow at the shore."

"I'd like to see the shore in the summer," Astrid said getting her smile back. "Garret said we could play games. Can we play in the garden now?"

"When you've put the crayons away," Dylan said. He was so used to reminding his younger brothers of their chores he did it without thinking.

"Lead the way," Tom said to Astrid when she returned from her task.

"I'm going to beat Davin at Go, Stop," Astrid said.

"I doubt that," Bradley said solemnly. "You'll have to beat Mummy first. He's even faster than she is."

"Davin is not faster than me," Rose said getting competitive.

"Here we go," Tom said with a grin.

-0-

"I feel like I'm on a wheel, running and running and I can't catch up," Tom complained to Rose during Sybil and Russell's wedding reception at Crawley House. Their time in London had been non-stop dinners and family functions. The younger boys were supposed to be staying at Russell's house with Davin and Camilla keeping an eye on them. The three of them had taken to Russell's sister and all four of them had spent the last two days gadding about London under the watchful eye of Lady Astrid's nanny. From what Camilla had said when they weren't running around from museum to museum they were busy teaching Lady Astrid music and drawing. Davin and Camilla were left pretty well on their own with their own age group.

"You just want to go home where it's quiet," Rose chided him.

"Not necessarily. I'd just like five minutes to sit and put my feet up," Tom said. He glanced over to where Russell's natural father was with his girl friend. The man had changed as Russell had said. The man that was at the church earlier and now at the reception bore little resemblance to the one Tom had put the constable onto years ago. Matthew Beldon at the moment was quiet and unassuming. He was paying a great deal of attention to the woman that was with him and other than to offer congratulations to Russell and Sybil after the ceremony he hadn't spoken to anyone else except his girl friend. A few minutes later Tom spotted Matthew Beldon headed towards Thomas and Abigail Barrow. Tom headed in the same direction in case there was trouble.

"You're the pair that raised my son, aren't you?" Matthew asked Thomas and Abigail.

Thomas set his jaw as he turned to the younger man.

"That's right," Thomas replied through gritted teeth.

Tom who was a few feet away couldn't help but notice the age difference in the two men. They had to be a good fifteen years or more apart.

"I wanted to thank you for raising Russell to be the man he is," Matthew said. He took a breath. "He wouldn't be what he is now if it had been left up to me."

"We did what was right, unlike you," Thomas said angrily. "You damn near killed him."

"I regret all of it now," Matthew said looking Thomas in the eye. "You're his parents and you're a damn sight better at it than I ever was. I hope for your sake you never have something in your life you'll regret till your dying day and have to live with." His girl friend pulled on his arm to lead him away.

"We all make mistakes," Thomas said finally as Matthew Beldon started to walk away. He turned back at the sound of Thomas' voice. "I'm not the man I was when I was younger either. We can't change the past."

Matthew slowly put out his hand to Thomas who took it just as slowly.

"I was wrong about you when I was younger as well," Matthew said. "You're a good father to my boy. Thank you."

"You aren't planning to have more children are you?" Abigail spoke finally.

"No, Lydia knows I can't risk it," Matthew said looking at his girl friend. She smiled at him encouragingly. "One day we may marry but not until I know I've got the anger beat."

Russell came over to see what was going on with his father and his parents.

"I see you've met," Russell said.

"We have," Thomas said stiffly.

"We've got to get going," Matthew said.

"You're leaving already?" Russell asked as he walked his father towards the door.

"Don't want to wear out my welcome, son," his father said. "She's a fine girl. Be happy with her."

"I'll come and see you when I get a chance," Russell said. "I've got course starting again in two weeks."

"You belong here, son, with them," Matthew nodded towards Thomas and Abigail. "Don't worry about me. There's no rush. Stop by when you have a mind to."

"I belong with you too, Dad," Russell said.

"You belong with your new wife," Matthew said evenly. "Take your mother's inheritance and put these toffs on their ear."

"How about I live a normal life with my wife that suits us," Russell replied.

"Whatever works son," Matthew said. Lydia offered her congratulations again before they left.

"Thank heavens we're out of there," Matthew said was they walked away. "Let's find a pub and have a real meal that doesn't look like it's going to march off the wafer it's served on."

"Matthew, you are completely irreverent," Lydia said with a laugh.

"You liked that stuff?" Matthew asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it tasted terrible."

"I didn't care for the food either," she said with a small laugh. "It was a beautiful wedding though."

"Russell's been dead gone on that Branson girl since he was just little. I never thought he'd stick with her right to the alter."

"You'll be a grandfather in the near future," Lydia said.

"A granddad before I turn forty," Matthew made a face.

"Matthew?"

"Um?"

"Could we forgo the lunch and the engagement and the wedding and go straight to the honeymoon?"

"I thought you were a church going lady that didn't go in for that kind of thing," Russell's father said in surprise.

"I don't normally. Well, I never have before, I was just thinking," her face turned bright red.

"You do realize we can't get married and live in the same house. It might not be safe for you. I haven't hit anyone in years, but I don't know if it will come back."

"I know that," she said.

"We'll get a room," he said smiling at her. "It was a nice wedding wasn't it?"

"Very," she replied.

Chapter 27 – A Younger Sister

"The three of you are being silly," Rose scolded her three youngest sons.

"We are not being silly," Dylan said. "Davin and Camilla are going to stay with her grandparents in the morning and you and Da are going to Downton for four days, day after tomorrow. We want to stay in London with Sybil."

"Sybil and Russell have been wed less than three hours. They might like a bit of time on their own," Tom informed them with a frown.

"Astrid will be at the house. They won't be on their own," Bradley said. "Can't we at least ask them if we can stay instead of going to Downton?"

"Why don't you want to go to Downton?" Rose asked them.

"George is working and you're going to go visiting, Mummy. Visiting is boring," Garret said.

"I want to go back to the national gallery and Garret is teaching Astrid piano. Sybil wouldn't have to mind us. Astrid has a nanny," Dylan pointed out. "Besides I'm too old to need a baby sitter."

"You're not old enough to go running around London on your own," Tom said.

"Nanny Grace has been taking us around with Astrid," Bradley said. "What's the difference if you're here or not?"

"Logical and independent to a fault," Rose said to her husband.

"You may ask Russell and Sybil if you may stay on," Tom said. "If…" He held up a hand to stop them from thinking they had won the argument. "If Nanny Grace agrees to mind you in addition to Astrid and if you agree to donate one week of your summer wages from your work when we get home to the clinic."

He got three nods from his sons.

"I have to hear it from Sybil that she's agreed to this," Tom warned them. All three boys went off to ask Sybil and Russell if they could stay on. The reception was still in full swing and Sybil was in her wedding dress talking to the guests. Between the Crawleys and Rose's family they had invited over a hundred people. Sarah was there with her mother for her graduation trip to London. Redmond hadn't left her side since they left the church.

"I hadn't realized I said, _I do _to a house full of brothers," Russell teased the boys.

"Then we can't stay?" Bradley asked disappointedly.

"I'm only teasing," Russell said. "You can stay as long as you like, but you have to ask Nanny Grace as well as your father instructed. Just make sure you let your sister and I have a little time own. No kissy sounds at every turn."

"We're not babies," Dylan informed him.

"You look like three blonde angels to me," Sybil said kissing each of her younger brothers on the cheek.

"You are so sappy today," Garret complained.

"It's my wedding day. I'm obliged to be as sappy as I like," Sybil said. "We'll pack up for a few days and go down to Eastbourne if Mr. and Mrs. Barrow have room for us. Go make the rest of your inquiries."

"Sybil, are we ever going to be alone?" Russell said quietly in her ear.

"We've barely seen them the last two days," Sybil said with a smile. "They'll keep your sister busy at the same time and we'll have all the time alone we like." She rocked on her heels a bit.

"Not much of a honeymoon," Russell said.

"Our wedding trip will be a family outing to the shore," Sybil said. "What had you planned with a younger sister living with us?"

"A one way ticket to our room to lock ourselves in and only come out when we were on the verge of starving," he whispered in her ear.

"After all this waiting it's all I can do not to pull your shirt off right here," Sybil whispered back keeping an impassive smile on her face. "Another half hour and we can make an exit."

-0-

"I've always thought about going back to the Free State when I've finished my MD," Redmond said to Sarah. "I've another year, then two years of specialist residency."

"Perhaps you could do your residency back home," Sarah said. She was watching Redmond's face as he spoke.

"London would probably be the best," Redmond replied. "Although I may apply in to hospitals in other cities."

"Do you know your specialty yet?" she asked.

"It picks you, you don't pick it," Redmond replied not really paying attention to what he was saying then catching himself. He was busy studying the curve of her smile and thinking it was even nicer than he remembered. "I mean it all depends on the recommendations of the supervising physicians during this next year. I'll have a choice of specialties from their recommendations. Everyone does better in some things than others." He took a sip of his drink. "I'll be off for a two weeks in another ten days. Will you still be in London then?"

"We're visiting family near Oxford for the next month. I'll be in England but not London," she answered.

"Perhaps you would care to come to town? I could show you around a bit."

"I'd like that," she said. "Have you spent much time at Crawley House?"

"A bit over the years. Our family usually stayed with my Uncle James and Aunt Victoria at the house where I've been living while at university. Would you like to see the gardens here? The Dowager Countess planted the roses. She was quite an interesting old lady. She had me pouring tea like a I'd been born to it by the time I was six."

"I'd love to," Sarah replied shyly.

Michael took a drink from the tray on the sideboard and turned to Tom.

"You're eldest three are all married or spoken for by the looks of things," Michael said.

"It seems like yesterday they were babies, now the youngest three want to stay in London with their sister because Mummy and Da are too boring," Tom groaned slightly.

"You still have a few more years yet," Michael said with a chuckle. "I'll be glad when you come north. I want to show you the new plans with all the _"suggestions" _the Agricultural Ministry has come up with. Suggestions my foot, they're telling us where and what to plant. Anthony's lack of farming background is really showing when it comes to dealing with that lot. You can't just plop crops here and there and expect them to grow."

"The government at home is wanting us to produce more vegetables as well," Tom said. "Difficult to do as it would take modern machinery we can't afford to fuel to be able to get more crops in on time. It takes years to diversify profitably as you know."

"The country and the farmers may not have a choice in the next few years," Michael said. "Enough of that let's not talk farming and war at your daughter's wedding."

"Better to talk farming than to think of what my daughter's going to be doing in the next few hours," Tom said with a slight grimace. Michael laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Mine decided to speak the other day. Edith was trying for Mama and I was trying for Papa and her first word was Grandmama."

"Smart girl, she knows who to butter up to be spoiled," Tom replied.

-0-

"Downton and the Abbey seem the same and yet subtly different," Tom commented on their second day there.

"How so?" Lord Grantham asked. The family was gathering in the garden for afternoon tea. It was a warm day without a cloud in the sky. The men had a tendency to loose themselves in shoptalk while the women discussed the recent wedding.

"I notice the difference in the crops just from the train when we arrived," Tom said. "There is something else though but I can't put my finger on it."

"The scheme Michael brought back from the Free State for crop rotation has worked well, despite my doubts," Anthony commented. "Any big plans for Eagle Cairn?"

"A small dairy herd to supply the estate. I'm not entirely sure the land is well suited for milk production. There are large dairy operations further south where the land is better suited to it. It will take some trial and error," Tom said. "Wool is the main source of commerce in the area. I can't see that changing much even with the demand for more produce the government is predicting. I'll collect as much information here as I can on the newer crops and make inquiries in the Free State as well then take it all back to the Farmer's Association."

"I didn't start out as a farmer," Michael commented. "It's hard for people who haven't spent any time on the land to grasp the concept not every piece of land is suited to specific crops or animals. I struggle with it myself. I often resort to the expertise of the tenant farmers when I reach a quandary."

"These changes the Agricultural Ministry are bringing in are playing havoc with the profits and budgeting as well," Anthony said. "We can't cultivate land we don't have the staff to work, needless to say the outlay for the cultivation and new seed stock. We don't want to loose ground after all the work to get things turned around over the last ten years."

"If a war does come, there will be more than enough demand for the products from the estate," Lord Grantham remarked. "The only issue will be finding enough men to work the land."

"In the Free State I don't have too many problems with finding the hands willing to work," Tom said. "It's more about speeding up the process and working around the fuel prices. I'm hoping to get some ideas from our friends up north when we visit there next."

"Edith and I would like to make a short trip up to see everyone with you, but I don't have the time after being down to London for the wedding," Michael said. "You'll have to let us know what you find out."

"I'll do that," Tom said.

-0-

Sybil greeted Sarah at the door of Evans house after the butler had opened the door. She was staying with them for a few days to spend time with Sybil. Russell had started his anesthesia course and they were planning to go out to the theatre as a group with Redmond. Their first attempt to go out together had ended in disaster when Astrid had become almost hysterical when they were ready to leave the house. Sybil was trying to be understanding and supportive of the little girl but at the same time trying to deal with Astrid's insecurities was a great deal more than she had counted on so early in her marriage.

"Sarah, welcome," Sybil said.

"Thank you for having me," Sarah replied kissing Sybil on the cheek. "Married life seems to be agreeing with you."

"Agreeing with me now that Lady Astrid and her Nanny have gone to visit a school friend for a few days," Sybil replied. They were alone since the butler had taken Sarah's bag up to her room.

"She certainly got herself worked up the last time I was here," Sarah replied.

"I've never dealt with a child like her before," Sybil said. "You know what my brothers are like. They are all so preoccupied with their own interests I can't remember any of them fussing much except when they were babies."

"Astrid is a girl living without her parents. You can hardly expect her to go dig worms like a boy," Sarah said.

"She was so good when my brothers were here. The moment they left she cried for Garret for two days," Sybil said shaking her head. "We've promised her a trip to the Free State for Christmas and that settled her down. Russell talked to a pediatrician at the hospital about her finally. He said we need to give her a stable home life and that will be her best medicine. She's had too much loss. I don't understand how her father can just go off and leave her."

"It's no wonder she's clinging to her brother," Sarah said. "If anything happened to my parents I don't know what I'd do and I'm a great deal older than Lady Astrid."

"I'm sorry the last outing was cancelled because of all this," Sybil said. "I don't mean to sound cruel, but I'll be relieved when it is just Russell and myself when Astrid starts school in a week. We'll both be at school ourselves but we'll have the weekends."

"When you get to study," Sarah reminded her.

"I don't think pattern making and millinery in the first term are going to have much for homework," Sybil said.

"What other courses do you have?"

"Color and textile theory and design principles. Not any of it sounds terribly difficult," Sybil said. "Would you like a lemonade? I find it too warm for anything else."

"Yes, please," Sarah said. They went through to the kitchen to retrieve the drinks, then headed to the back of the house where there was a garden.

"This is a lovely house," Sarah commented.

"It was Russell's grandfather's," Sybil said. "There is a portrait of his grandfather at the other house. They're a great deal alike."

"It's funny how we can look so much like our parents isn't it? Redmond looks so much like Davin and your father it's almost unnerving when they're all together. I keep thinking I'm going to mix Redmond and Davin up and they'll get upset."

"Redmond's serious face and Davin's are different," Sybil said. "After a while you'll get used to it and you won't have any trouble. They're personalities are different as well. Davin is quieter but he's more of a risk taker. Redmond thinks everything through to the last detail and he's forever looking out for everyone else. Are you two getting along well?"

"Quite well although we've only seen each other a few times," Sarah replied. "Sybil I wanted to ask you something about your brother," she said slowly.

Redmond had just come through the house and stopped in the doorway at Sarah's words. The girls' backs were to him. He didn't want to eavesdrop but he wasn't interested in a girl that was going to talk about him and gossip behind his back.

"It depends what it is," Sybil said.

"Redmond isn't the kind of boy who goes out with a lot of girls and then brags to his friends is he?" Sarah asked. "I was fooled once before by someone that pretended to be nice but wasn't. Luckily there wasn't anything more than holding hands to report. Of course our favorite society girl from Galway was involved."

"My brother would never do anything like that," Sybil said. "Nothing about Cloda surprises me."

"No he wouldn't," Redmond said coming into the garden to join them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't help but overhear."

"I didn't mean to gossip," Sarah said blushing pink. "I was just inquiring."

"I'll get you a lemonade," Sybil said.

"Please," Redmond replied. He had his usual serious expression on his face. He took a seat next to Sarah. "I don't gossip or tale tales about my personal life and I've been looking for a girl who feels the same," he said taking her hand. "I was hoping that girl is you."

"I've been hoping for the same thing," she said quietly. "I don't like putting my private life on display. When you've been fooled it makes you cautious."

Redmond leaned forward and kissed her. He kissed her the second time more deeply. He didn't release her until he heard his sister coming out of the house.

"It's so warm, I wish we had a swimming pond," Sybil said.

"I don't think you'll find that in the middle of London," Redmond said with a slight smile.

"If we had a large fountain, we could jump around and get cooled off," Sybil said with a smile. She and Redmond both looked at the garden hose at the same time. They made a dash for it but Sarah was faster and got there first. The three of them wrestled with the hose until they were all soaked.

"A fine upstanding trio of upper class snobs we are," Sybil said still laughing. Her soaking top and shorts were clinging to her and her hair was plastered every which way in disarray.

"Just because we're from the upper classess doesn't make us snobs," Sarah said sticking her nose in the air. "It makes us more reserved."

"And quieter," Redmond said before he doused the top of Sarah's head with the hose. She let out a squeal and wrestled the hose from him, then proceeded to chase him around the garden with it. Sybil went inside the door to call to the housekeeper to bring them some towels. Sybil took a towel when they arrived and started to dry her hair. She looked into the garden to call to Redmond and Sarah but the only thing she could see was the garden hose still running in the middle of the lawn. She switched it off and headed into the house to change with a smile still on her face.

"Someone might see us," Sarah whispered to Redmond when he pulled her into a small alcove in the garden.

"Can you see anyone from here?" he asked. There was a trellis with climbing roses in bloom blocking anyone's view of them from any of the houses around.

"Not a soul," she said quietly. She let herself lean against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Redmond kissed his pulling her close. The wetness of their clothes started out like layers of ice between them making the goose bumps stand out on her arms. The fabric warmed quickly from the warmth of their bodies allowing him to feel every contour of her body through the wet fabric.

"Sarah," he said a hair's breath from her lips. "There's something about me you should know."

"Oh," she said pulling back and looking expectant as though she was expecting bad news.

"I'm not rich. My relatives are. I work and earn scholarships to get by. I'll do alright but I'm never going to be wealthy."

"You'll be a doctor, you won't starve to death," she said leaning forward to kiss him in relief.

"I'm not planning to have a fancy practice that caters to the wealthy," he said running his hands up and down her sides after a brief kiss. "You have to understand. I'll never be that kind of doctor."

She pulled back and licked her lips.

"Redmond, do you want to kiss me?"

"Very much and maybe a little more than kiss," he said.

"Then be quiet."

He smiled before he kissed her again.

Chapter 28 – Getting Settled

"Astrid, please don't fuss," Sybil said with an exhausted sigh when they arrived at Astrid's school in Bruton. "I'm here and so is Nanny Grace. Russell will come to see you when he can the same as last year. You know how much time he spends at school. He can't come every weekend and you'll have parties and outings to go to. You'll be busy and the trip to see my family at Christmas break will be here before you know it."

"I don't want you to go," Astrid said tearfully.

"You liked the school last year, Lady Astrid," Nanny Grace said. "Proper young ladies go to boarding school. Your brother went to a great deal of trouble to find you a good school where you are treated well."

Astrid nodded and looked down at the older woman's words then took her hand.

"We aren't leaving yet," Sybil said reassuringly. "I have to see your music teacher about the method you're using to learn piano. She'll be very surprised how much you've learned over the summer and I wanted to check with your tutor as well."

Astrid smiled faintly at Sybil. It was the one area where Sybil felt she was making headway with the little girl. Astrid was progressing quite rapidly now that she could read the sheet music once it was colored. She practiced regularly and glowed under the praise she received from both Sybil and Russell. They had taken Astrid to see a pediatrician over the last few weeks to see if there was anything that could be done about her reading and writing. He had diagnosed her as having dyslexia and given them a list of new treatment methods some of which were highly experimental. He had told them Astrid's case was not extreme and it had no bearing on intelligence. It was a matter of trial and error to find a method that would allow her to read and write with less difficulty much as they had discovered on their own with music.

The pediatrician had spoken with Russell and Sybil on their own after sending Astrid out to the waiting room. He told them it wasn't unusual for children with the condition to be told they were stupid and couldn't learn. He believed this had happened to Astrid in the past. There was a great deal of undoing to be done around her belief surrounding her problem. He also recommended regular letters and visits to her at school to reassure her she was not going to be left alone again. Sybil had been ready to pull her hair out when Astrid started coming into their room in the middle of the night and crawling on the top of the bed between the two of them at least two to three times a night. They had resorted to locking the door when they wanted to be intimate to prevent any sudden surprises. The pediatrician had told them that would clear up as well once Astrid was feeling more secure.

Nanny had been working with Astrid on trying the different techniques over the last few weeks. So far they had found Astrid could read much better if she held a piece of colored glass over the words and read through it. Even when there was noise she was able to distinguish the words with the glass. Color seemed to be the answer as it had been with music and Nanny Grace had been trying different colors of glass to find which one worked the best.

"What type of sheet music is this? It looks like a rainbow," the music mistress asked when Sybil met with her and Astrid. "It can't possibly be correct."

"Miss Albertson, I've transcribed the grade one conservatory syllabus for Astrid and she is able to play if the notes are colored," Sybil said calmly. "Any sheet music you require her to play needs to be either transcribed first or send it to me and I will transcribe it for her."

"It's highly irregular," Miss Albertson said.

"Astrid, could you play the piece we've been working on," Sybil said opening the music book to the page where Astrid was studying.

Astrid sat down to the piano and played the piece almost perfectly.

"Now try this piece," Sybil opened a book the teacher had in the room to an identical piece of music.

"It doesn't make any sense," Astrid said.

"Could you play this Miss Albertson? It's one Astrid has never played," Sybil asked pointing to a very simple piece she knew Astrid could easily play if colored. The music teacher played the simple tune. Astrid played it back in reverse order. Sybil then showed her the same piece that had been colored in the book. Astrid played it with only a few flaws in timing.

"It's hard to believe," Miss Albertson exclaimed.

"My brother's came up with the system," Sybil said. "With only slight inconvenience to you there is no reason Astrid can't take part in music with her classmates and have private music lessons."

"Yes, of course," Miss Albertson replied. "I can easily work around this especially if her conservatory program is already scored. This is quite unusual but I'm sure I can accommodate the change." Miss Albertson smiled at Astrid who smiled happily in return.

The next stop was the tutor where they went over the list of techniques Nanny Grace had already tried with Astrid and which ones had helped so far. By the time they left the school Astrid had relaxed a great deal and was busy chatting with her friends who had already arrived. Nanny Grace left straight from the school for her two weeks off while the weather was still warm.

"Where is everyone?" Russell asked when he got home that evening. Sybil came to meet him and looped her arms around his neck the moment he had his coat off.

"Astrid is safely delivered to school, Nanny is on vacation and I gave the other staff the night off. It's just us for the first time since our wedding."

"Lovely," he said kissing her lingeringly.

"Guess who I ran into today?" he murmured while still trailing small kisses on her lips.

"No idea," Sybil said. She was fiddling with the buttons on his shirt.

"I saw Derek on the underground. He and the Peter are looking for a place to live," Russell said.

"Uhuh," Sybil answered distractedly.

"I was thinking they could live here," Russell said.

"Russell that girl Beth Derek is seeing puts my teeth on edge," Sybil said pulling back and going rigid.

"Derek broke up with Beth just before my graduation. Peter is still with Alice but she's right enough. Besides the lads are at the university or studying almost full time. It's why you've barely seen them. They'd only be here to sleep."

"Russell," Sybil groaned. "We're finally on our own and you want to fill up the house. What if Derek got back together with Beth? I don't want her over and I agree Alice is nice enough but she still isn't my sort."

"Come on Sybil," Russell wheedled. "We have this huge house when we really should be living in a flat and Nanny is heading to the other house to keep an eye on things as soon as she gets back. There is more than enough room."

"You sound like you've already made up your mind without discussing anything with me first," Sybil said warily as she took a step back.

"I kind of," Russell said swallowing hard. He didn't see what Sybil was so annoyed about. The house was much too big for the pair of them and they had talked about moving to Horsham once he was done training in February as her school was a shorter train ride from there than the London house. He couldn't see letting these huge houses sit empty. "I…well, I…"

"Russell, out with it," Sybil said putting her hands on her hips and tapping her toe.

"I told Derek he and Peter could stay here. They'll be over tomorrow morning after their shift at the hospital."

"Without asking me?" Sybil said raising her voice. "How could you?"

"It just came out," Russell said wincing. "I'm sorry, but I still don't see the issue."

"Six weeks! We've been married six weeks with not a minute without your sister and you didn't think you needed to ask me before filling up the house again."

"What did you want me to say?"

"That you would ask me first!" Sybil said almost shouting. She may have inherited her mother's dark hair but she had inherited her father's temper.

"I don't really see the issue. They're both busy. They'll hardly be here."

"What if Derek takes up with that Beth again? What about that? I don't want her here. Redmond still talks about the time she almost broke Aunt Victoria's clock."

"Sybil you're being unreasonable."

"No, I'm being a new bride who wants her husband to herself for a few months," Sybil snapped. She turned and went up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door shut behind her. She picked up her lace and satin nightie off the bed, wadded it in a ball and threw it in the corner. She sat on the bed fuming. Five minutes later the door opened slowly and a hand appeared holding a glass of Sybil's favorite lemonade.

"It's fresh squeezed." He wiggled the glass back and forth. "If I had asked you what would you have said?" Russell asked from the other side of the door.

"I would have said yes," Sybil grouched. "You can bring me my lemonade and then I'll forgive you."

"Our very first argument," Russell said crossing the room and handing her the glass. "In what fifteen years we've known each other?"

"You can't just make big decisions without asking me," Sybil said.

"I will next time and I don't think Derek will be back with Beth. She moved to Leeds. Nigel and Emma didn't last either. I don't know what he saw in her. She always reminded me of a mouse scurrying from place to place."

"Good. I didn't care for her either," Sybil said. "You know Derek is cheap and Peter is messy?"

"We'll work out room and board with them when they arrive tomorrow and we have staff to pick up. The place is as neat as a pin even when we had your brothers here. Besides they're in fifth year. They'll have enough time off to eat a meal, sleep for a few hours then back at it. The pace is brutal. I had a roommate in my first year that was a fifth year medical student. He was hardly ever in the room. Most likely we will barely see them. They're stuck at a hotel they can't afford with the housing shortage in the city. Derek had his bags with him on the way to the hospital rather than keep an empty hotel room overnight."

"I told you he's cheap," Sybil said.

"No, he's trying to stretch what funds he has to finish school. I would have done the same thing if I had to. It's not easy when you don't have enough and you know not a one of them has had a summer job with almost no time off," Russell said. "They're our friends. It's foolish to leave them without when we have too much and we're thinking about moving down to the other house in February. Am I forgiven?"

"If you promise not to do it again," Sybil said.

"I promise," Russell said. "It's a shame to waste our only evening on our own being angry."

"You're right it is," Sybil replied. "I start school in two days. I want to make the most of every minute until we hear the patter of little feet."

"What?" Russell asked in alarm. "You're not with child are you?"

"No, but you are delivering two bouncing baby male medical students to the door in the morning. I'd say we'll be hearing the sound of footsteps outside the bedroom door very soon."

"It might be triplets," Russell said. "I told Derek, Nigel could come along as well if he wanted to."

"I'm going to choke you," Sybil said laughing. "It's a wonder you didn't invite my brother over as well."

"It's a thought," Russell replied with a laugh.

-0-

Rose watched her sons head off for fishing after they came home from their summer jobs a few days before school was to start. They came home everyday, wolfed down their dinners, grabbed their fishing rods and headed out. Sometimes they went swimming then came home, got cleaned up, flopped into bed and did it all again the next day except for Sundays when the only change in their routine was church in the mornings. Everything seemed perfectly normal except with Dylan. He would head out some days with his brothers with his sketchbook under his arm and on some days with no fishing rod or sketchbook at all. If Rose didn't miss her guess he'd found something or someone who had caught his attention and the last thing she wanted was a repeat performance of the mess Davin had gotten himself into. The younger boys had all received talks on girls and what went on behind closed doors from Tom and herself within the last year and she'd had another talk with them before the London trip.

"Tom, we're going to go see what's going on at their fishing spot," Rose said when he got home that evening. He'd been off to the far side of the estate checking on the harvesting schedule. He'd come back covered in dirt and sweat from being out to the fields in the heat to talk to the supervisor where they were harvesting potatoes, which was an extremely dirty part of the operation.

"Rose, I'm hot, tired and filthy. I want a glass of ale and a luke warm shower. The boys have been fishing a hundred times or more with no ill effects," Tom complained.

"Dylan is up to something I just know it," she said. He went with the others but didn't take his fishing rod or his sketchbook this evening.

"Could it be he's tired?" Tom said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Have you ever known any of the other four boys to be too tired to go fishing?" Rose asked him.

"Good point. I'll get a quick rinse off and clean clothes and be right with you," Tom said.

Tom was quick. In under ten minutes they were walking down the lane and across the fields to where the boys liked to fish. Rose had brought along two cold bottles of ale so they could drink them as the walked.

"It is warm," she said holding the cold bottle to her neck to cool herself. They walked towards a place in the stream where the water was slow and a stand of trees provided shade. They found a group of six boys sitting on rocks and around the bank with their feet in the water. Four of them were fishing and two were reading comic books but no Dylan. Tom recognized the three of them as the boys Garret and Bradley played music with.

"Bradley where's your brother?" Tom asked. The boys all looked up with a look of alarm when they heard Tom's voice.

"He went with some of the older boys, Da," Bradley said looking guilty.

"And exactly where did they go," Tom said sternly.

All of the younger boys had worried expressions on their faces.

"They went downstream, Da," Bradley said.

"Since we just came from that way and didn't see them I think all of you can pick up what you're doing and show us where," Tom said. The younger boys all looked at each other with a worried expression. "Now."

"You heard, now get moving," Rose said. "And stop shuffling your feet. I want to know where they are before it gets dark."

Garret shuffled along the slowest of the pack until a yank on his ear from Rose got him moving faster. They had been walking about ten minutes when the boys stopped on the path and pointed to another path leading into a thicket around the stream near the bottom of a slight hill.

"I'll keep an eye on this bunch," Rose said.

Tom walked into the shrubs dreading what he was going to find. He could hear the sound of feminine laughter coming through the trees. He finally spotted a pair of boys shoes with feet in them sticking out from under a bush. They looked to be a small man's size. When he took a good look there were three pairs of boy's feet spaced out under the bush.

"What do you lot think you're doing?" Tom said. The girls laughter suddenly turned to a collective scream and a great deal of splashing could be heard. The boys' feet tried to scurry away under the bush away from his voice, but Tom was too quick for them and caught two of the feet from different boys by the ankles before they could get away.

"Come on out now before I drag you out of there by your heels," Tom said.

Two boys wiggled out from under the bush. One Tom recognized as Derry O'Daley, Bryan and Lollan's older brother who was around sixteen. The other boy looked to be around fifteen or sixteen as well. Tom had seen him around but couldn't pinpoint who he was.

"I take it my son was with you while you were watching the girls?" Tom said.

"I'm not telling," Derry said shuffling his feet.

"You were obviously up to no good if you were hiding," Tom said giving them each an accusing look.

"Can't a fella just have a look?" the other boy said looking at the ground.

"It depends what you're looking at," Tom said. "If I ask any of the girls in the village about this spot what are they going to have to say?"

"Well, um," Derry said.

"Yes, well um, out with you to the lane and we'll talk about well, um," Tom said. He marched the two of them out to where Rose was waiting with the other boys.

"Big mouth," Derry accused one of his younger brothers and punched his arm.

"None of that," Tom said. "I know very well what you were up to, the whole lot of you. You know darn well it's wrong to spy on someone while they're bathing. The girls need a spot of privacy. They're not putting on a peep show for you lot. If I hear of any more of this I'll be around to speak to your mothers."

The boys all got desperate looks on their faces. He had threatened them with their mothers since every last one of the fathers would probably be thinking the same thing as him and thanking providence their sons had a healthy interest in the opposite sex.

"What's your name? And yours?" Tom said pointing to the two boys he didn't know. "Your funs over for tonight. Home with the lot of you." He said once he had the boys' names.

"Tom, what were they up to?" Rose whispered as they followed their two youngest sons home.

"Nothing boys haven't been up to for generations before them," Tom whispered back. "They were watching the village girls swim. Dylan ran off but he was there. I would wager my last penny not a one of those girls owns a swimming costume."

"Oh those dirty little rascals," Rose whispered. "Just wait until I get my hands on Dylan."

"You know for all his artsy business and having to play a girl in the school plays two years in a row, he's all boy," Tom whispered. He couldn't help but grin.

"Tom Branson, Dylan's behavior was inexcusable."

"Don't tell me you wouldn't have peeked at the boys if you had gotten a chance when you were younger," Tom whispered.

"I did," Rose said with a smirk. She had to press her hand over her mouth so the two younger boys wouldn't hear her.

"I did my share of peeking at the girls myself," Tom said with a smile. His face immediately went sober when Bradley turned around to see what his parents were talking about. "Keep walking. You two aren't innocent in all this either."

"Mummy, Da, I just wanted to go fishing and spend time with the lads," Garret whined.

"No, more tonight," Rose said grimly. "Get moving before I paddle your bottoms." Both boys started running towards home. "Five red blooded boys," Rose said smiling up at Tom and taking his hand.


	28. Coming Home Part VIII

Coming Home – Part VIII – Chapter 29 through 32

Chapter 29 – In a Man's World

"Tom, you are not going to the Farmers Association meeting," Rose insisted. It was late Spring 1939 and people were bracing for the word of war at any moment. Countries in Europe were falling left and right to the advancing German army. The government in the Free State was making noise about neutrality, but the reality of the situation was if the United Kingdom went to war, blockades and resources diverted to a military force were going to make things that were already difficult to get in the Free State even harder. People everywhere were worried about starvation. The people in the area that had survived more than one famine were concerned and the push this year to produce more agricultural product was even greater than last year.

"I'm _doughing_," Tom insisted stubbornly. He had a terrible cold and Rose had insisted he stay in bed and get rid of it. Dr. Reigler had warned them during Davin's illness to take extra precautions. He'd had a hard time getting enough antibiotics to treat Davin. The drugs were newer and in short supply. If Tom's cold progressed to something worse he would be in trouble.

"You are not going. You are going to stay in bed and get well. I want us both to be at Redmond's graduation. It will be a great day to see our son take his oath and receive his diploma. I'm going to go to the meeting. I can take your notes and bring back notes on what they had to say."

"Rose, you're a woman they won't listen," Tom snuffled. "You know what they're like and this meeting is important."

"I'm going and you're staying put! You're more important than any meeting," Rose said with finality as she put on her hat and secured it with a pin.

"That's a nice hat." Tom coughed. "I don't remember it before."

"Sybil sent it. It's one of her creations," Rose said. "You lay there and don't you dare get up from that sofa." She knew his distraction techniques well and wasn't falling for them. Tom looked like a small child that had been scolded as he snuggled down on his pillow a bit more and pulled the blanket up.

"Behave," Rose pointed a finger at him before she left.

Tom made a bit of a face after he took a swig of his tea with honey and lemon. Mrs. O'Rinn had declared ginger as a sure fire remedy for a cold and added some to his tea. Tom was sure she had added the entire packet the way the spice burned going down. He wasn't too worried about the meeting. The farmers would resist Rose but she had spunk and wouldn't put up with any nonsense and she knew a thing or two about estate management.

This last winter had seemed to shoot by. Dylan had discovered girls but hadn't yet realized the subtleties of chasing the opposite sex. Tom had punished him for running off from the pond and not staying to face the music by making him muck out the stable twice a day for a week. Dylan had been caught snogging one of the local girls behind the church by her father and received a cuff on the side of the head from the man. Many a time since last summer Tom had wished all of his sons could be more like Redmond when it came to women. He was the quiet, reserved one and had never given them a dot of trouble when it came to girls. Redmond had made a quick trip home at Christmas with Sybil and Russell. He'd doted almost the entire time on Sarah and left with a ring on her finger. They still had all the details of the rest of his education to figure out and it would be a long engagement.

The youngest two hadn't gotten into anything yet except at Christmas when Astrid was to visit and had started her nighttime wanderings. Bradley and Garret each had their own rooms now and she'd crawled into bed with Garret twice and Bradley once. Both boys had taken her back to her own room when they had woken up and found her there. After repeated scolding from all of the adults she had finally been convinced to go to her brother and Sybil's room when she woke up and was frightened. It was no wonder the girl woke up frightened in the night. Sybil's last letter had said the father had decided to take an extended trip to Argentina with his girl friend. Russell had no choice but to assume full legal custody, which was neither here nor there as they were seeing to Astrid's needs anyway.

Davin and Camilla were staying put in Scotland. She had found a job in the payroll office of a distillery company and he was working at the distillery for the summer. She had sent a large order for the homespun wool she used for some of her sweaters and the woman who supplied the wool had been overjoyed. Some of the men on Davin's course had traded jibes and poked fun at his traditional Irish sweaters. He'd made fun in turn of their lighter weight vests that wouldn't keep a gnat warm. The banter had gone back and forth until they had gone out to the test farm to work for a week in the pouring rain before Christmas. Davin's sweaters had turned the rain and kept him warm under his rain slicker while the other's had been a sorry looking lot by the end of the week. Camilla had received orders from almost every student on Davin's course within a week.

-0-

Rose squared her shoulders while she waited for Sean to open the door of the pub for her where the meeting was held. There wasn't a decent woman in the area that would set foot inside a pub without a male escort. Even though Rose was there for a business meeting there was no sense in feeding the local gossip chain. She went to the table where the men were gathered and waited while Sean held the chair for her. She could see the whites of some of the men's eyes while she took a seat.

"Gentlemen," she said. "My husband is under the weather and unable to attend. He felt this was too important a meeting to miss. I've come in his place."

"Now just a minute here," the head of the Association said. "We don't cotton to a woman on her own in a pub and what would you know about running an estate?"

"I'm not on my own in a pub," Rose pointed out. "Mr. Hagerty, my groom and a married man is acting as my escort and will see me from door to door." Sean turned and toasted the group with his pint before he turned back to his place at the bar. He and Aednat had tied the knot a few months before and were living in the servants' quarters. She was working as day help at the main house and helping out in the kitchen when Tom and Rose entertained.

"You don't know anything about what we have to discuss," another man said somewhat belligerently. "We're not throwing a social you know."

"Gentlemen," Rose said calmly. "I have lived on estates all my life and helped my husband on numerous occasions with estate affairs both here and at the last estate we lived on where he was the Agent. Just because you are not aware of my involvement does not mean it doesn't exist. I have my husband's notes on today's meeting and I will take notes back to him on everything you discuss."

"We don't have time to waste arguing," the president of the Association said at last. "Let's get down to it. We can talk to Mr. Branson later if things don't get done."

There was a round of grumbling and grumping from the table. The barman came over and set a cup of tea with creamer and sugar on the table in front of Rose. The objects looked ridiculous in his large beefy hands.

As the meeting progressed Rose could sense the underlying tension and fear in the men's voices and body language. Everyone one of them was wondering what changes lay ahead and if their country would decide to go to war and take their sons. Rose took notes. When it was her turn to speak she took out Tom's notes and read them. She made a few additional comments of her own on the things the men had been discussing.

"I would suggest creating a master list for the Farm Association of all the products each farm in the area is producing," Rose said. "We don't know what commodity prices will do. During the early part of the depression the Association where we lived in England had to do some creative work in creating new markets. You may not need to resort to that but it could still be a valuable tool."

"New markets," one of the men scoffed. "Either they buy what you grow or they don't."

"Not necessarily," Rose said. "You've all met Mr. Gregson when he was here. He's been instrumental in setting up new ways of selling products and attracting new business to the estate in England. Who here has ever thought of selling directly to the hotels in Galway City or Dublin? What about holding a farm market in conjunction with a community event? They are all methods of getting products to the end consumer at times at a better rate than you would otherwise receive. I'm sure my husband would be happy to discuss it with you once he is up and around again."

"I wouldn't mind a distillery right next door. So we don't have to go so far for whiskey," one man said. The others all laughed.

"Since the land here isn't suited to growing barley, I doubt that would be possible," Rose said. "You would have better luck attracting a brewer of ale or a winery. With this mild climate fruit wine would be a more likely choice."

The men's laughter died quickly.

"Was there anything else, Mrs. Branson," the Association president inquired.

"That was everything I had to say for the moment," Rose replied. As the meeting progressed Rose made a mental note to ask Tom if the estate was growing turnip that year. She couldn't help but think of the first two winters when the depression started and the endless meals of mutton, potato, carrot and turnip. The hard root vegetables they had in storage had been what saw many of the families on the estate through those years at Downton. She couldn't help but worry about her own family. The three eldest boys were safe from military service due to their heart conditions but no one was safe from what the war might do to their lives. She wanted to pull Sybil, Redmond and Davin close and bring them home to watch over, but what she was going to do was keep her upper lip stiff, hold her ground and make the best of things.

-0-

Sybil set the telephone down on it's cradle and stared into space. She had just started her summer break and Nanny had gone to retrieve Astrid from school. Russell was working a late afternoon shift at the hospital. He'd found a job at a hospital in just south of London as an anesthesia specialist nurse. It was a large hospital and with the shortage of qualified nurses they had snapped him up in a minute. Today he would be working in recovery and getting home on the last train. They had moved to Handley Hall in Horsham as it was closer for both of them to commute and Astrid loved it here.

It had been Aunt Mary on the telephone. First Great Aunt Rosamund had passed away two months ago and now Grandpapa. He'd been worrying about the possibility of war and making plans for Downton to be used again as a recovery hospital if needed. The strain had been too much and his heart had given out. Sybil couldn't think of the Abbey without thinking of her grandfather. He wasn't a young man and they'd all known this could come at any time, but it was still a shock. She picked up the telephone to call Redmond and then set it down again. He was supposed to be down later today to stay until his graduation ceremony. He was a medical doctor or would be once the ceremony was completed.

Thoughts popped into Sybil's head in no particular order. Cousin George was now the Earl, but he still had university to attend. Grandmamma would have to move to the Dower House but Aunt Edith and Uncle Michael lived there and they had converted a room to a day nursery when they lived there. The house was more suited for a family now.

"I wonder what that makes Aunt Mary," Sybil said out loud into the room. As the Earl's mother she should be the Dowager Countess, but since Grandmamma was she wasn't. But then Aunt Mary was the current Countess Gillingham. Sybil shook her head at her random thoughts. She thought all the titles were a bit silly. Her time in the Free State had given her an appreciation of living without them and she and Russell were perfectly happy without the titles as well.

Sybil stood up then sat back down again. She should pack and go to be with the family until the funeral but at the same time Astrid was due back. A stable home life included her sister-in-law being at the house to greet her. The last place Sybil wanted to take the child was to a funeral. She went back to her desk in the drawing room where she had been sorting out her notes and sketches from the year at school. There was no point trying to think things through, it could all wait until the family was home later.

-0-

"I think you should ask yourself what would Mummy and Da do," Redmond told his sister. They were sitting in the drawing room discussing the pros and cons of them heading north to see the family until the funeral. Astrid hadn't arrived yet. They'd both shed tears over the loss of Sybil's grandfather. Sybil was trying to decide whether or not to telephone Russell at work.

"They would have a family meeting and we would make a decision together," Sybil said tearfully.

"Then we talk it over at breakfast tomorrow since Russell won't be back until late and make a decision then," Redmond said.

"I don't know why I'm being so ridiculous," Sybil said. "We've expected this for well over a year. Grandpapa was seventy-three. Much older than many."

"Not as old as the Dowager made it," Redmond replied.

"Grandmamma is the Dowager now," Sybil reminded him. "Time to dry our eyes, Astrid should be home anytime now."

-0-

"That's very sad," Astrid said the next morning at breakfast when they told her the news. She had only met Robert Crawley once or twice and the news didn't upset her. Russell wouldn't leave until after lunch for work.

"Why don't you and Redmond go to Downton until the funeral. I'll see what I can arrange with work. I'll try for two nights but I'll come for the day of the funeral at least," Russell said. "Astrid will be fine on her own her with Nanny Grace."

"NO!" Astrid cried dropping her fork. She dashed around the table to put her arms around her brother and burst into tears.

"It's only for the day Astrid and maybe one or two nights," Russell said. "You don't want to come to a funeral. Everyone will be sad."

"Don't leave," she wailed.

"What if I ask Mr. and Mrs. Barrow to come and stay overnight," Sybil said. "Would you feel better then?"

"They took care of me when I was a little boy and I was sad," Russell said.

"Mrs. Barrow was at our house when I first came to England and we used to see Mr. Barrow at the Abbey for a lolly," Redmond added.

"Would he bring me a lolly from the shore?" Astrid asked with her face pressed against Russell.

"You may ask him politely and he might," Sybil said hopefully.

"It would only be one or two nights at the most Astrid," Russell said stroking her hair. "You haven't shown us your report card yet."

Astrid straightened up.

"May I be excused to retrieve my report card?" she asked.

"Yes," Russell said. He waited until Astrid left the room. "Good thinking. Mum and Dad might just do the trick."

"Grandparents are almost as good as parents," Sybil said then wiped her eyes.

"What did you decide on residency?" Russell asked Redmond. "Last time we saw you, you hadn't made a final decision."

"Surgical," Redmond replied. "It was that or opthamology. If I decide on a further specialty it will be another two years beyond that."

"Where?" Sybil asked him.

"This is the hard part. London. I start mid-August. Sarah wanted me to apply to Dublin, but I thought it through and the reasons to stay in London are the same as when I came here for training. Residents don't make much. After the residency we can go to Dublin if she likes or another city in the Free State."

"You know you're welcome to live at Evan's House," Russell said. "The lads are all moving on as soon as the graduation ceremony is over. It will be empty again."

"Thank you. I'll keep it in mind and let you know," Redmond replied with a nod.

Astrid arrived back with her report card.

"Steady improvement in all subjects, above average in music," Russell read.

"Very good," Sybil said with a smile.

"Average in spelling, math and reading. That is a big improvement, Astrid," Russell praised. "You've done very well."

"Read the one for art," she said with a smile.

"Excellent in art," Russell read. "Well done."

Everyone praised her for a report with all passing grades. Sybil was thinking how different it was from her family report card days with her father looking over the reports and almost everyone with near perfect marks. It was huge improvement from her Christmas report when Astrid had been below average in almost every subject except art and music where she was average. Her one from the previous year had been dismal.

"I worked very hard," she said.

"It shows. We'll make some telephone calls after we finish breakfast. You may put your report in the desk in the library so you may show Mr. and Mrs. Barrow if they are able to come," Sybil said.

"I will," she said. She smiled suddenly. "It's only for two nights. Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Barrow would let me call them Grandmamma and Grandpapa?"

"We'll ask them," Russell said with relief.

Chapter 30 – Doctor to the Rescue

"Please Sarah, try to understand," Redmond said. She had come with his family for his graduation from medical school. The entire family was staying at Handley. Sarah hadn't taken the news he was staying in London well.

"You don't see my side of things," Sarah said dabbing her eyes with a hanky. "My life is in the Free State. I don't want my fiancée so far away when there is no real reason for it."

"I told you my reasons. I can afford to live in London because I have family there I can live with. I can't live with the family in Dublin and I don't want to burden my parents further. Russell has offered me a room at Evans House and I've taken him up on it. It will cost me a fraction of what it would to live in Dublin. Residents have long hours and very little pay. I've been accepted at a prestigious hospital where I'll see twice the variety of situations I would anywhere else. It's too good of an opportunity to turn down."

"It's another two years of barely seeing you," Sarah sniffled. "When we got engaged it was only six months. I'm not a city girl. I don't want to live in a city."

"You could stay in the country here."

"What would I do here? I would loose all the points I've earned in show jumping. I'd have to start over and where would I live?"

"Here with Sybil and Russell. It's not in the city and they have a stable that is almost empty. We could get married and you could live out here and come into the city when I have time off."

"What if when you're finished this two years you decide to stay on in England again. I want to live in the Free State. I'm Irish not English. People here treat you differently because you're Irish and don't try to tell me they don't."

"You wouldn't be moving in circles where you get a lot of that. I told you when we were first seeing each other I wasn't going to be wealthy. My training takes a long time and a lot of sacrifices. When I'm done we can go back to the Free State. I'm not going to be a country doctor. I could find a place in a city hospital and we could live on the outskirts."

"What if there's a war?"

"My heart murmur isn't bad but it's enough to keep me out of any war. Besides I never planned to volunteer in the first place. I'm still an Irish national and it wouldn't change my career one bit. I'm a doctor who's going to be a surgeon. The only difference I'd ever see is the type of surgeries required."

"I'd have to have my horses brought over and I don't want to be a burden to your sister," Sarah said. She was quiet for a moment. "Just until you're done training and then we go home?"

"We'll talk to Sybil and Russell," Redmond said. He put an arm around Sarah and pulled her close to lean on his shoulder. They were on a bench in the side garden. With all the worry over farms growing enough produce Sybil had heard about from her father and relatives she'd had the household vegetable gardens increased to fill most of the back of the house. The flowerbeds to the front and side of the house now held cabbages as well as flowers much to the gardener's dismay.

"If you live here you won't lack for cabbage," Redmond said with a slight chuckle.

"Your sister is a bit of a farmer at heart isn't she?" Sarah said. She put an arm around Redmond's waist.

"She's like Da and a bit of a daredevil like Mummy, but don't tell any of the Crawley family that. They'll take a fit. They want her to be like her mother was."

"I thought we'd be engaged at least a year," Sarah said wistfully.

"We'll figure it out. I have till mid August. We could go back to the Free State and get married and make arrangements," Redmond said hopefully.

"It takes forever to get married at home. Six weeks at least from the time you talk to the priest."

"We'll send a cable and see if your parents can arrange it," Redmond said. "I think it would be better to get married there, then most of both families could attend, but then we could get married here. Davin and Camilla will be down from Scotland for my graduation. He could be the best man. I would like my brother at my wedding. I missed his."

"We're really going to do this and soon aren't we?" Sarah said sitting up and blinking.

"Yes, I think so," Redmond replied. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No, I haven't changed my mind," Sarah said. "We'll do this as long as you absolutely promise we go home when you're done your training."

"I promise. Four years at the most in England and then we head home," Redmond replied.

-0-

"Hmm," Astrid said to Tom. She was wearing Redmond's lab coat, his reflector, and stethoscope. She had a card in the breast pocket Redmond had written Dr. Carlton on. Astrid had gone to London on Nanny's free day with Redmond to "help" him move. Redmond had been giving his sister a break by taking Astrid along. She had taken an interest in his microscope, which he had brought back to the house and made up a few slides for her to see. Since then she'd taken an interest in playing doctor. He'd loaded her up with a pocket of tongue depressors and a magnifying glass including his stethoscope and turned her loose on the family. So far she had examined her brother's hair, Rose's finger nails, a host of eyes and freckles and managed to listen to the chest of almost everyone in the house.

"What is the diagnosis, Dr. Carlton?" Tom said with a wink in Rose's direction. Astrid was checking his beard with the magnifying glass.

"The whiskers on the side of your neck are longer than the other ones," Astrid declared at last. "Did you know some are white and some are black but most of them are red?"

"A very astute observation," Rose said trying not to laugh.

"Open your shirt, please," Astrid said in a formal tone she thought a doctor would use.

Tom obligingly opened two top buttons of his shirt. He jumped when she placed the ice cold metal on his chest.

"Hmm, very interesting," Astrid declared.

"Your observations?" Redmond asked as he came into the library and took a seat. He was trying not to laugh. His parents had scolded him for letting Astrid play doctor but it seemed to be holding her attention and she hadn't fretted in the four days since he'd let her loose on the house with his stethoscope, which made her brother and his sister happy.

"Mr. Branson doesn't sound like everyone else," Astrid said. She took the stethoscope and put it on the top of Tom's head. "Here either."

"What do you mean not like everyone else?" Redmond asked quickly.

"Russell's heart goes bump, bump, Dylan's goes bump, click bump and Mr. Branson's goes bump, click, click, bump and it sounds like when you leave the needle on the phonograph too long. The top of his head is louder than everyone else's too."

"You'd better let me have a listen," Redmond said with a frown. He sent Astrid up to get his medical bag after he had listened to his father's chest. He sent everyone else out of the room once he had his things and checked his father's blood pressure. "Did you go to the doctor at home before you came?"

"I saw him when I first came down with a cold three weeks ago. He said to stay in bed and rest," Tom said.

"Did you?" Redmond asked knowing full well his father wouldn't sit still for an entire two weeks.

"Not exactly," Tom said. "I didn't see how sitting at my desk could hurt anything."

"Da, you have to be more careful," Redmond scolded. "You need a chest x-ray, a blood test and most likely a prescription. I can't sign for them. I won't be licensed until next week. You need to go to the hospital and get checked over."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. You sound like you have walking pneumonia. You need tests to confirm it. You're going to get checked out. You're short of breath and don't try and lie your way out of it."

"You know me too well," Tom said looking chastised.

"It's a mild form of pneumonia and normally isn't a problem but with the family history of heart murmurs it's foolish to take a chance. Dr. Reigler would have caught it before you left home if you had gone to see him. It wouldn't hurt you to see a cardiac specialist while you're here either. It's a new field and there aren't many of them around. If it was me I would prescribe the same diet Davin is on for both you and Dylan."

"I'm not that bad and I don't want to eat that rabbit food Davin does."

"No wonder Mummy says you can be frustrating," Redmond said. "You're getting too old for eating a meat pie at a pub whenever you take a notion. We're heading to the local clinic now."

-0-

"I want mashed potato and gravy," Tom pouted five days later at dinner.

"Daddy, the specialist said eating rich food was bad for your heart," Sybil said. "All those rich elaborate meals at the Abbey couldn't have been good for you."

"And you need to rest and get well. You can go into London for the ceremony tomorrow, but that's it," Rose said. "We're staying put until you're well."

"Old Lady Grantham ate rich food every day of her life and she lived until she was ninety." Tom pointed out. "I've go too much to do back home." His mind was going to all the jobs and things he had planned out. He had hay sales to negotiate and he wanted to check on the new fruit trees that had been planted. For some reason he couldn't stop worrying about his pheasants. They had a batch of chicks. Sean was supposed to increase the size of the pen while they were away, but Tom had wanted to do it himself.

Now that Redmond and Sarah had decided to get married in the Free State and come back to England to live, she would be shipping over her two horses. Russell and Sybil had decided to spend some of Astrid's allowance and have an Irish hunter sent over and use some of Russell's allowance to restock the stables. There was talk of fuel rationing. Since all of them knew how to ride they would use horses to get around the village and area and the train when they went into town. More and more people in the local area were using bicycles to get around. Russell had brought the old motorbike to the house from Eastbourne, but it was so old and leaked so much oil it wasn't much use any longer. He was still putting off buying a new one.

"Great Aunt Violet was unusual and she never did a day of manual work in her life," Rose said. "She didn't have a problem with her heart. You do. Now eat your beans and chicken and stop complaining."

"I don't mind Davin's diet now that I eat it too," Camilla said. They had arrived earlier in the day. "It was easier to make one meal than two this winter. It took me a few weeks to adjust. Now gravies and sauces make me feel sick to my tummy."

"You look amazing," Sybil said. "I hardly recognized you. I'll have to have you as a model for when I do a showing next year."

"I've lost quite a bit," Camilla said.

"I liked you before, but now you're even prettier," Davin said. "We're skinny together."

"I wasn't overweight," Camilla said. "But I always was more on the round side."

"You're not both too thin are you?" Rose asked in concern.

"No, we're both healthy and on the low side of ideal weight," Davin said. "I went for a check up and everything is normal or better than normal. More people should eat like this."

"Not even a sweet or butter on the vegetables," Tom griped.

"A piece of fruit and a glass of red wine if you must after dinner," Davin said. "Otherwise you're cut off."

"No wine until you finished your medication," Redmond reminded him.

"I can't win," Tom griped with a long face.

"We want you around for a good while yet," Rose replied.

-0-

By the time they got back to the house the next day, Tom was exhausted. He'd thought his heart would burst with pride when Redmond was called up to receive a reward for coming first in his class, then made a short speech. Later when Redmond

went forward to receive his diploma and then took his oath Tom glanced over to see tears in Rose's eyes and Sarah smiling at Redmond as though he were the only one in the room. Nanny Grace had come along and was beaming as Redmond's three friends received their diplomas as well.

After the ceremony and the pictures had been taken, they had returned to James and Victoria's house for a luncheon. Even though Tom had gone for a short rest before making the trip back to Sybil and Russell's house, he felt like he had been pulled through a wringer.

"I think I'll go up to bed," Tom said the minute they got in the door.

"Go ahead, darling," Rose said. The younger women had been talking clothes for the entire train ride back and had gone to Sybil's sewing room to look at some fabric. Russell, Davin and Redmond had gone off to look at the horses in the stables and decide exactly what was needed. Astrid and the two younger boys had decided to get out her grandfather's old fishing rods and try to find the local fishing spot. Since the three of them were together and occupied Nanny Grace went to put her feet up until dinnertime.

"I guess you and I are on our own," Rose said to Dylan.

"I'm going to go out and draw in the garden, Mummy," Dylan said.

Rose suddenly felt alone. She was constantly reminding Tom the family was growing up and here she was suddenly feeling as though she wasn't needed anymore. She turned around and headed for the stairs. There was nothing like talking over clothes with a group of young women to make you feel…old. She sighed as she climbed the stairs.

-0-

"Who would have thought you'd wind up with this house and all the rest when we were kids," Davin said on the way down to the stable. "All we could think about was going fishing or terrorizing Da's motorbike back then."

"It still doesn't seem quite real," Russell said. "The staff here roll their eyes every time we decide on something, but it's my house now. They can lump it."

"How to run a nonconventional house by Russell Beldon," Redmond quipped. "You must have borrowed a page from my Da's book."

"The gardener almost died when your sister had him plant more vegetables and less flowers," Russell said with a laugh. "You should have seen the staff when we went down to make our own breakfasts after we first moved down here. They all ran for cover."

"Why are you keeping them all on?" Redmond inquired. "It's not like you and Sybil can't run the house yourselves."

"I'm busy with work and she's at school in the winter. The place as it is runs itself and it's sitting here waiting for my sister. I don't know how much more change she can take."

"Speaking of change, how do you think Da is really?" Davin asked his brother.

"He's got another twenty years if he watches his diet and stops trying to be a hero," Redmond said. "He needs to let other people do the small jobs and take it easier."

"He'll never do that," Davin said.

"He will if we put Mummy onto him," Redmond said with a grin.

Davin walked through the stables and looked at the four horses stabled there.

"If you want to avoid upset with your sister, I'd say three of them need to move on to greener pastures before they drop dead of old age and she spots them," Davin said when he'd looked the animals over.

"We'll get one over from Ireland at least," Russell said. "Sarah's bringing two. I thought we'd buy three or four. These three can to auction. I don't know the first thing about picking out horses. Your Dad said their groom has a good eye."

"Your natural father could pick out a pair for you in a blink," Redmond commented. "What's he up to these days anyway?"

"Head groom at the stable he's at. It's a big operation," Russell said. "He and Lydia are thinking about getting married at Christmas. They're taking their time. He told me on my last visit he spends time at her cottage but he doesn't stay over. She's got him going to church socials and won't let him near the track."

"I hope she knows what she's getting herself into," Davin said.

"He's honest. It's one thing I can say about him. He doesn't lie about what he did. Prison was hard on him being with thieves and cut throats. He wouldn't still a penny. He doesn't want to go back so he's doing what it takes to stay out," Russell said.

"You sound like you've forgiven him," Redmond said.

"I have. He's apologized as best he knows how and he is trying," Russell said. "He's learned to read and write and he's keeping himself neat as a pin. It's a vast improvement on how he was when I was younger. I think I'll give him a call and put him on to looking for a pair of horses. Hunters most likely to suit Sybil and something gentle for Astrid."

"That one has a thing for our youngest brother," Davin commented. "She's _examined_ him at least twice since I've been here."

"They're just little kids," Russell said.

"He's thirteen. What were you thinking about our sister when you were thirteen?" Redmond asked.

"I was thinking how much I'd like to kiss her in the hay in the stables at Downton and too frightened to try," Russell said with a slight self-deprecating laugh.

"Garret is the most like Mummy of the lot. He's not afraid of anything," Davin pointed out.

"In other words you think I should have the talk with Astrid?" Russell said.

"Most likely for the best," Redmond said with a cocked eyebrow.

"My wonderful talk from my Dad was here's a box of condoms," Russell said.

"Ours was this is how it works. Don't get a girl pregnant," Davin said with a chuckle. "I couldn't wait to try."

"I got the revised version with your hands to yourself," Redmond said with a laugh.

Chapter 31 – Life With Astrid

"Good morning, Mr. Branson," Astrid said. She was standing beside the bed wearing her lab coat, nametag that read 'Assistant Physician Carlton' and her stethoscope with a pink ribbon tied to it. "I'm here for your morning check up."

"Good morning Assistant Physician Carlton," Tom replied equally as formally. He was sitting up in bed wearing his pajamas. Redmond had been checking him over daily but had left the day after his graduation with Sarah to make arrangements for their wedding. Russell had taken over giving Tom a once over on a daily basis. Astrid had received a great deal of praise from everyone in the family for realizing there was something different sounding about Tom's chest. Her brother had bought her a "doctor bag" with a nametag, lab coat in woman's extra small, a real stethoscope and an assortment of harmless paraphernalia she could use to poke and prod her "patients". Davin had shown her how to listen to a horse's heart with the stethoscope and now each of the horses in the stable were receiving a daily checkup when she wasn't busy having a piano lesson from Garret or going on outings with the three boys.

"Open wide," Astrid said. She took the thermometer from her brother after he had shaken it down and placed it in Tom's mouth. She promptly got out her magnifying glass and looked at Tom's eye while Russell checked his pulse and listened to his chest.

"Well?" Russell asked her. He had to bite his lips to keep from laughing.

"The patient needs to wash his face," Astrid declared with a nod.

"I did wash my face," Tom said around the thermometer.

"No talking," Astrid informed him in a serious voice.

Russell checked the thermometer then handed it to Astrid who looked at it through her magnifying glass. She put the thermometer in it's case then turned back to Tom.

"You'll live," she proclaimed.

"That's nice to know," Tom said trying not to laugh.

"Oh, I have to hurry up," Astrid said loosing her serious face. "Sybil wanted me to try on my new dress to make sure it fit properly."

"You'd best hurry then," Russell told her.

"Redmond created a monster," he said once Astrid had left the room.

"It's harmless enough," Tom replied.

"I told her the boys were to stay fully dressed for her examinations and no giving out kisses to make things better," Russell said.

"That's for the best."

"You are sounding better and your temperature is normal. If you keep resting, drink lots of fluids and take your medicine, there is no reason you shouldn't be up and around in a week or so."

"I'm not a man born to a life of leisure," Tom said.

"No but you are one who's sick at the moment. You need to follow doctor's orders, stick to your diet and take things easier. Let the staff manage the small stuff they are paid to do."

"I find it difficult to leave it all to someone else," Tom said. "You can't be having an easy time with all this either." He gestured to the house.

"No, but I try to focus on what's important," Russell said. "I want a clean house and a wife and sister that are happy. I leave whatever house we're not living in to Nanny Grace to handle. Sybil is better at handling the staff than I am. I don't need to work to pay my way anymore, I do it because I need to feel useful."

"I don't know how the aristocratic types stand it," Tom said. "When I first came to England they looked at anyone who worked as though it was some sort of disease that was going to rub off. Not as many can get by with doing nothing these days but it still exists."

"It's not my cup of tea either, flitting from party to party and doing basically nothing."

"If a war comes are you going to sign up right away?" Tom asked him.

"I'm not planning on it," Russell said. "The hospital I work at is understaffed now. We're two short in my department. We're all getting less free days because of it. If they take all the medical personnel into the army, I don't know where they think they're going to find the people to fill the need that exists."

"Bureaucratic decisions and war have a tendency to make little sense."

"It's time I got ready to go to work," Russell said when he glanced at the clock. "Rest, fluids, take your medications and no having Astrid sneak you a toffee. I had the butler lock them in the pantry."

"You're no fun at all," Tom griped while folding his arms over his chest.

-0-

Two days later Sybil was sitting in the drawing room watching while Garret gave Astrid a piano lesson. He was working on her timing with a particularly tricky line of music when the butler came in.

"There is a man at the door, Mam, he is asking for Mr. Beldon," the butler said.

"Did he gave a name?" Sybil asked.

"He said he is a Mr. Beldon," the butler replied with a sniff. He clearly didn't believe the caller.

"That is my father-in-law, please show him in and bring us tea in the library," Sybil said.

"Yes, Mam," the butler replied.

"Welcome, Mr. Beldon. Was Russell expecting you?" Sybil asked when she greeted Russell's father. "He didn't mention anything."

"No… well… I didn't mean to barge in. Russell asked me for this and I didn't want to mail it. So… I well… here." Matthew Beldon thrust a piece of paper into Sybil's hands and turned to leave.

"Mr. Beldon what is this?" Sybil asked.

"The list of horses Russell wanted. It's all there, breeds, locations and prices you won't have any problems. I'll be going now." He had his finger in his shirt collar trying to loosen it.

"Won't you at least stay for a cup of tea," Sybil said. "You've come an awfully long way not to stay for at least a few minutes."

"I don't want to push in," he replied.

"You're my husband's father. You're welcome here whenever you decide to visit," Sybil said. "Please won't you come in?"

Matthew nodded and followed her to the library.

"Bloody house makes me nervous to this day," he grumbled.

"I beg your pardon," Sybil said.

"The house, it's hard to walk in the front door of a place that holds bad memories," he said more clearly. Sybil thought he looked like he was going to faint.

"I'm sure it is," Sybil replied. "Mr. Stokes, tea and sandwiches please."

"Very good, Mam," the butler replied.

"Have you been keeping well?" Sybil asked.

"Oh Aye, busy with work and Lydia has me going to church socials left and right," he said.

"And your fiancée?"

"She keeps herself occupied."

"Are you still planning to marry at Christmas?"

"Maybe. Don't want to rush things," he said. Sybil noticed his legs were shaking. "I've put them in order."

"Put what in order?"

"The horses. I put them in order of the ones I would pick. Russell said you wanted good sturdy hunting stock with gentle dispositions and good breeding."

"Oh yes, thank you for doing this," Sybil replied. "I'm going over in a few weeks to the Free State. I thought I might purchase an Irish Hunter. My family lives in County Galway. There are some very good breeders in the area."

"Aye, good sturdy horses well suited to the country," Matthew Beldon replied. Sybil could see the beads of sweat starting to pop out on his top lip.

Just then the butler came through with the tea tray with Rose following him. Matthew jumped to his feet the second he spotted Rose.

"Mr. Beldon, I don't know if you remember my mother Lady Rose Branson," Sybil introduced.

"A pleasure, Mr. Beldon," Rose said extending her hand to him.

"Please sit," Sybil said when Matthew hadn't sat back down again when the butler brought him a cup of tea. He quickly shook his head to the offered cream and sugar. He sat down with the teacup rattling in his hands.

"Mr. Beldon is helping us with restocking the stable Mummy," Sybil said. "He's brought a list of horses he recommends."

"Some decent horses you can get at a good price if you're any good at horse trading," he said. The tea had slopped into the saucer from his shaking hands. The butler sniffed and handed him a fresh cup.

"That's very kind of you," Rose said. "It's always best to have someone knowledgeable in the field help you make a an informed choice especially when there is a child involved."

"I'm not going to be a granddad am I?" Matthew asked quickly with a look of fear.

"No, not at all," Sybil replied. "Lady Astrid, Russell's younger sister lives with us. We want to make sure the new horses are all calm and suitable for a child."

"Oh yeah, Russell mentioned her in one of his letters," Matthew said. "Thanks for the sandwiches. I should get going."

"Won't you stay a little longer," Sybil asked. "Russell should be home from work in an hour or so. He'll be upset that he's missed you."

"In that case I'll stay a bit," Matthew said. He sat back down hesitantly.

The door opened and Garret and Astrid came into the library. They bowed and curtsied respectively when they were introduced.

"Have you finished music practice for today?" Sybil asked.

"Astrid has. I still need to practice for Redmond's wedding," Garret replied.

"Then you may do so," Rose said. Astrid took a seat beside Sybil.

"Are you the boy Matthew my Mama used to talk about?" Astrid asked staring intently at Matthew.

"Astrid, manners," Rose scolded.

"I was only asking," Astrid said.

"I'm surprised she mentioned me," Matthew said. He stopped shaking the moment he spoke to Astrid.

"She did after she got sick," Astrid replied. "Have you been to my Mama's grave? I never have."

"Astrid I didn't know you had never been to your mother's grave," Sybil said in surprise.

"No one ever took me," Astrid replied.

"We'll go now," Matthew said getting to his feet quickly.

"All right," Astrid replied. She took his hand. "You don't have to come Sybil. I'll be fine with him."

"Astrid, I don't think…" Sybil began.

"She's safe," Matthew said. "I give you my word."

Sybil nodded her agreement.

"We don't have very many flowers to take in the garden. Sybil planted cabbages so we wouldn't starve," Astrid informed Matthew as she lead him to the door.

"Smart girl, you can't eat flowers," Matthew replied.

"You can eat violets. I saw it in a magazine my tutor let me cut up. You're very tall. Like my brother."

"Did I do the right thing?" Sybil asked once they were out the front door.

"You'll find there are times as a mother it is best to step out of things and let your children find their own way," Rose replied. "I think this is one of those times."

-0-

Russell got off the train and headed home an hour late. There had been a meeting at the hospital at shift change. The hospital was in negotiations to become a military treatment center should a war come to pass. The recruiters were sniffing around trying to get the staff to sign up early and the hospital was urging the staff to wait until they knew for certain what was going to happen. By the time he got to the station he had just missed his regular train and had to wait for the next one. He was half way home through the village when he spotted Sybil coming towards him with a worried look on her face.

"Sybil, what is it?" he asked. The inside of his chest twisted with apprehension.

"You're father is here," she replied.

"What's Dad doing here? It's busy season at the Inn. It's not like him to leave on a whim."

"Not that father, your other one. Matthew Beldon is here," she said.

"He isn't in trouble is he?"

"No, he's not in trouble. He just showed up with the list of horses you asked for," Sybil said. She bit her lip slightly. "He took Astrid to see your mother's grave."

"He did what and you let him?" Russell said in alarm. His emotions where skyrocketing every which way.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," Sybil said. "There's more. He's with her right now. Mummy is keeping an eye on them."

"Sybil, you can't leave her alone with him," Russell said taking off for home as fast as he could walk. Sybil was almost running to keep up.

"She's taken to him Russell. I don't know why but she has," Sybil said.

Russell rushed into the library to see Astrid sitting beside his father on the sofa. He was reading to her from Black Beauty while Astrid leaned against his arm. Her eyes were almost closed.

"Hello Dad," Russell said.

"Hello, son, she's almost asleep," Matthew said softly.

"No, I'm not," Astrid said with a yawn. "Did you ever have a horse to take care of you really liked, like Black Beauty?" She didn't bother to sit up.

"I did once a long time ago. He was a black Andalusian gelding named Storm. He'd be long since dead by now," Matthew said.

"We have a horse named Storm," Astrid said her eyelids were closing again. "He's so old no one rides him anymore."

Matthew hesitantly raised a hand then stroked her hair.

"I'll try to find you a new one to ride," he said quietly. Russell got up and lifted his sleeping sister so his father could get up. He laid her back down on the sofa and put a throw over her. His father followed him out of the room.

"She doesn't sleep very well," Russell said. "It's unusual for her to fall asleep in the daytime."

"Lady Astrid is a real charmer," Matthew said. Russell's eyes opened in surprise. Astrid was high strung and other than Garret and Bradley she had never taken to anyone right away before.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the old boy if you have time," Matthew said.

"Who?"

"The horse. He was always my favorite."

"Sure, Dad." They exited the house and headed towards the stables. "What brings you down today?" Russell asked him as they walked.

"Thought I'd nip down and see you and drop off that list of horses," Matthew replied evasively.

"The real reason?"

"Lydia wants me to fix the roof on the Parish Hall. I'm a groom, not a bloody carpenter and I'm afraid of heights. I've wanted to see you for a bit. It's too damn hot to be fixing a roof, so I came."

"Dad, you can't run away from every argument and situation where you might get mad."

"I can try," he said.

"You can't avoid it forever. Not saying your piece might actually make things worse. Think it through and tell her your reasons calmly. She just might understand," Russell said. "I am glad you're here. I do need help with the stable."

"Can't you get the groom to do it?"

"They look at me like an outsider around here and I tossed the staff at the London house. I don't know if I can trust him to make a good choice or not. It's my wife and sister's safety I'm worried about."

The moment they stepped inside the stable the head groom that had been there since Russell grandfather's time came forward.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he said to Matthew.

"Mr. Beldon is my father and is welcome on these premises any time he chooses to visit," Russell informed the man before Matthew had a chance to respond. "Bring Storm in for us to take a look at."

"Yes Sir," the man said backing down.

"You've learned to be the boss," Matthew commented.

"I took some good advice," Russell said with a grin. "Besides the ward matrons when I was in training never took no for an answer. It works like a charm."

It wasn't long and a black horse with a flowing mane and tail was lead in.

"He's still a beauty even if he is old," Matthew said reverently as he checked the animal over.

"He's yours if you want him," Russell said.

"I can't take him just like that."

"I need to replace the horses Dad. Since you're here maybe you could look over the ones we have and give me some advice. Storm is going to be sold. He'll probably go for fox meat. Davin said it's a wonder his heart is still as strong as it is at his age."

"He's too fine an animal not to have a dignified end. He was meant to be ridden by royalty," Matthew said. "We can call and see when the next stock car is going. I'll take him today if there's room on the train. Let's take a look at the others."

Matthew looked at the other horses and recommended replacing all of them. Russell asked for his help in purchasing the new animals. He said he would take care of it on his next free day.

"You really don't want to fix that roof do you?" Russell said.

"No, I don't," Matthew replied.

"I'll make a donation to the church to pay for the roof repairs since you're seeing to the stable for me."

"That will make Lydia happy," Matthew said. "Let's get up to the house and make some arrangements for moving the horse and decide on which ones you want me to buy."

"Where are you planning to put Storm when you get him to Newmarket?"

"In Lydia's back garden," Matthew said.

"You think you're going to avoid a fight when you show up and put a horse in your fiancées back garden that is most likely going to eat her rose bushes and trample her lawn?"

"I'll remain calm and tell her my reasons," Matthew replied evenly.

"You're something else," Russell said with a laugh.

"I made you didn't I? I'd say we're a pair."

Russell laughed. "We are at that," he said.

Chapter 32 – War

Redmond scrubbed his nails and the back of his hands with a small brush to prepare for surgery. He went over the procedure in his mind while he scrubbed. Surgical residency took concentration, accuracy and most of all a great deal of time. He was starting to wonder if he and Sarah shouldn't have waited another year before getting married. The physical part of the marriage was wonderful. He felt like he was floating on air for hours after they were together behind closed doors, but when he got to work and she complained she wasn't seeing enough of him after only four weeks back in England, he had his doubts.

He had told her over and over again about the demands of his chosen profession. He would never be wealthy and the way things were shaping up he would never be a country doctor. If it weren't for the allowance she received from her father, she would be finding her married life a great deal different. He didn't have a dot of savings left. His parents had helped out with his tuition, books and journals for the last two years to cover the part the scholarships didn't. He'd done better than most on scholarships but Davin did a great deal better than him at finding free money.

He finished scrubbing his hands and waited while the scrub nurse helped him with his gown and gloves. His mind ticked over the procedure yet again. He nodded faintly when he finished the list. There was a reason he had chosen to apply to this hospital and another equally prestigious one outside of Cambridge. They used the latest techniques and were on the cutting edge of innovation. The old way of thinking was "if in doubt cut it out or off." The new methods and ideas were coming all the time. Even the way they scrubbed in at this hospital was a newer method designed to reduce infection. Already he'd observed at a particularly difficult surgery and been second assistant at another. There was no way he would be exposed to this level of work in a smaller city. Once he was finished these two years, he could declare a specialty and carry on or decide to become a general surgeon. The possibilities were endless.

The x-rays were displayed on the wall as he joined the surgeon. The man they were working on today was an early casualty of the war and had a piece of shrapnel lodged against the bone in his thigh. It was a wonder the transport to England hadn't killed him. Skill and accuracy were going to be what it took to save the man's leg and possibly his life. He took his position, cleared his mind and held out his hand for the first of the instruments.

It was late afternoon by the time he was done with his shift, rounds and had reviewed at least twenty charts. He made his way back to Evans House. He had only moved a few blocks from his aunt and uncles and promptly filled the other rooms at the house with other residents looking for a place to hang their hat when they weren't stuck at the hospital. Even though war had been declared four weeks ago Nanny Grace had moved in as soon as Astrid was back at school and declared she wasn't leaving no matter what Mr. Hitler thought he was doing. Redmond doubted the woman's back would give a fraction of an inch even without the corset always she wore.

Tonight he would grab a bite to eat then round up everyone at the house to work on the Anderson shelter. Some were scoffing at the idea of putting a bomb shelter in their yards and saying let the bombs fall, they wouldn't budge, but Redmond thought it couldn't hurt to be prepared. If nothing came of the war and the bombs didn't come as they hadn't so far, it would be an interesting conversation piece if nothing else and they could use it as a root cellar to store the vegetables for the house that Sybil had grown in her massive garden.

He shook his head and got a smile on his face when he thought of his sister. Marrying a wealthy man hadn't changed her one bit. She was a country girl at heart growing food and riding whenever she had the chance. Cousin Mary hadn't taken to the idea of her studying fashion design and textiles one bit declaring it to be too bohemian for someone of Sybil's rank. Sybil had smiled politely as had Mummy and then gone right ahead and done exactly as she pleased.

The longer Da spent back in Ireland the happier he seemed to be. Mummy was settling in as well, referring to Eagle Cairn as home. This last time with the family she laughed about the antics of the members of the Ladies Auxiliary and about her trip to the pub for the Farmers' Association meeting. Mummy had always done things her own way and living in the Free State was no exception. The ties to Downton were growing weaker and weaker. Without Cousin Robert there, there seemed as though there was little to call them back. He would see Cousin Cora on her planned trip to visit Sybil next month.

Sarah came down the stairs to meet him when he got in the front door.

"I wasn't expecting you in town," Redmond said as he came forward to kiss his new wife.

"I wanted to see you," Sarah said with a smile. "And I brought a load of vegetables in for you new shelter/cellar and the news from your brother's letter that just arrived."

"You needed an excuse?" Redmond asked.

"Not really," Sarah replied snuggling against him then backing up slightly and wrinkling her nose. "You smell like antiseptic."

"Hazard of the trade," Redmond replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Digging in the garden unless they're at work."

"Come watch me dig for a bit and tell me what Davin had to say," Redmond said taking her by the hand.

"Camilla wrote the recruiters are everywhere at the university but most aren't signing up. That was the only news," Sarah said.

"They're third year. Why chuck it all now after two years of work?" Redmond said. They went out to the back garden to see the other men who lived there attempting to assemble the metal sheeting of the shelter from a set of supposedly simple directions.

"Perhaps we could plant roses over it, with a trellis," Sarah said when it became abundantly obvious the shelter was going to be an eye sore once they had it half up.

"My sister would cover it with carrots or peas," Redmond said with a wink.

"You won't need carrots or peas for the little one for two years," one of the men commented.

"What little one?" Redmond said in bewilderment.

"Surgery has addled your brain," another of the residents said with a laugh.

"What are you talking about?" Redmond said still confused.

The first man who spoke stopped tossing shovelfuls of dirt and leaned on his shovel.

"I've been looking at pregnant women all day for the last year. I know one when I see one. How long have you been married?"

"Six weeks," Sarah said with her eyes wide.

"That should put you at close to two months," he said. "You should get to a test and confirm it."

"An English baby," Sarah said in shock.

"An English baby with Irish parents," Redmond said as he dashed over and hugged her. "An English baby with almost broke Irish parents." He laughed swinging her around.

"I might not be," Sarah said.

"Does your stomach hurt," the resident obstetrician asked her while he was digging.

"I thought it was all the vegetables Sybil has been feeding us," Sarah said. "I feel like I'm going to turn into a vegetable."

"You're pregnant," he replied with a shrug.

"I'm really going to have a baby," Sarah said starting to get excited. "A baby! I don't know what I should do first."

"Sit and watch me dig," Redmond said with a smile. "Then we can celebrate. Where are you going?"

"I have to write my mother and have her send the christening set," Sarah called over her shoulder as she headed into the house. "My aunt will want to come for the birth and we'll need the family crib sent over as well."

"We need a test to confirm things first," Redmond called after her.

"And I'll have Sybil design a layette and Camilla can knit the blanket and…" Sarah continued into the house.

"You better go catch her mate before she has a barge load of stuff delivered to the door," one of the men said with a chuckle.

"Carry on, lads," Redmond said as he put his shovel to the side and dashed off after his wife.

-0-

"No Russell again," Sybil said. "The war has barely started and already the casualties are starting to arrive and there aren't enough nurses and doctors to see to everyone. Then the government gets the bright idea to draft all of the physically fit doctors and nurses. How do they think they're going to send them to officer's training if they can barely leave the hospital as it is."

"They're going to have to train more people or the sick and injured are just going to have to wait," Sarah said. She had been back from London for two days. She was waiting on pins and needles for the results of the pregnancy test she'd had done the previous day. "When are the lorries arriving?"

"Day after tomorrow. I told them not to park on my cabbages but they probably will. You know how men are. Trample the produce one minute and then look for their dinners the next."

"You'll have to take the day off school and help your Aunt and I stand guard," Sarah replied with a smile.

"They wanted to take over the stables as well but I told them over my dead body," Sybil said defiantly. "We just got the stables restocked and the army wanted to take over. I'd like to put a fence between the main house and the stable and cottages so they can't get near."

"Sybil settle down," Victoria said. "You and Russell agreed to this. It's better than having the military annex your house and turning it into lodgings for a bunch of seedy men." She shivered slightly at the thought.

"I don't know why I've become so attached to the house in such a short period of time," Sybil said. She thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I do. I could see us raising children here and it's perfect for family coming to visit. Russell's grandfather had good taste. It's a very nice house, with a nice village and an estate that practically runs itself with all the farm land leased and I hate this war already." She stamped her foot slightly.

"The cottage is nice too, Sybil and we've got almost all the antiques and china packed for storage," Victoria said. "If it's too crowded I can always go back to London. It's been quiet so far."

"Aunt Victoria, you can stay as long as you like," Sybil said with a sigh. "It really is a lovely cottage. It's like something out of a storybook. It makes me think of what the cottage in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility would have looked like. Apparently it was built a long time ago for the head groundskeeper, but the current one lives in a smaller one on the estate."

"It will work out, Sybil," Sarah comforted her. "You still have a sewing room and we have the stable and horses. I'm going to make Redmond stick to his promise and take me home when he's done his training."

"I hope things work out the way you want them to," Sybil said. "Nigel is specializing in orthopedics and they already moved him to a military hospital for his residency."

"Have you heard from the others?" Victoria asked.

"Nothing yet," Sybil replied. "Peter is going into pediatrics and Derek is specializing in gynecology. Somehow I don't see either of those specialties suiting the military. I'm going to bed. Can you two ladies make sure the rest of the beans get canned tomorrow while I'm at school?"

"Don't worry about the beans," Sarah said. She and Victoria made a face at each other behind Sybil's back. Neither of them had ever canned a bean before in their lives until a few weeks ago when Sybil had them all go to the kitchen to help the cook prepare vegetables for canning. It wasn't their favorite activity, but this was war. If they could can the German's into quick defeat, they would do it even if they had to do it snapping one green bean at a time.

-0-

"You mind your manners this time. No putting your nose under her skirt and no stealing her nickers from the line," Matthew Beldon said to Storm as he tied him to the rail of the fence in front of Abigail's cottage.

Storm barely flicked an ear. He pushed his nose at Matthew's pocket for the treat he knew was hidden there. He stood contentedly munching the sugar cube and smacking his lips. Matthew had started riding Storm as soon as he'd gotten him settled at the stables where he worked. Matthew rubbed a hand under the horse's mane and gave him a pat on the neck before he headed to the door. The horse was old but he was still a dream to ride. He didn't go anywhere fast anymore but his gait was as smooth as silk and he'd gotten a few looks from the other men when he rode past.

He'd had every intention of keeping the horse at Lydia's in the large shed she had out back and grazing him on the green in the evenings. Lydia hadn't been too happy about him showing up with a horse unannounced but he'd managed to talk her around. It hadn't gone too badly until Storm had gotten bored one morning, untied his tether and then opened the latch on the half door of the shed. The horse had pulled all the laundry off the line and nosed around the garden munching on this and that until Lydia had gotten home from market day. A large black horse had greeted her with her brassier firmly clamped in his teeth standing with his head hanging over the front gate and waving the offending undergarment at everyone who passed. He wouldn't let go of the bra until she waved a bun at him and tossed it around the side of the cottage. Storm had gone after it like a dog after a ball leaving great gouging marks all over her tidy small lawn. The next day he'd moved the horse to the stables and spent all day Sunday and most of his next free day putting Lydia's garden back to rights.

"I see you've brought that mangy beast," Lydia said. She still hadn't forgiven Storm for waving her bra at the passersby.

"He not mangy. His coat is gleaming and his tack is bright as a button," Matthew said. "He'll take you anywhere you want to go and you'll be the bell of the town."

"Until he lifts my skirt and shows my nickers to the entire congregation again," Abigail retorted. "Don't say it."

"But…"

"You're going to tell me again that horse was ridden by royalty, weren't you?"

"I was going to say, he wanted an outing so I brought him along," Matthew said hopefully.

"Most men get a dog. I have to find one that gets a pet horse that ruins my garden," Abigail complained.

"You didn't want just anyone did you?" Matthew asked her sidling up to sneak a kiss on her neck. It usually worked like a charm to get her around to his way of thinking.

"No, I wanted the one man in my library class who was actually trying to learn and better himself," Abigail said. She tipped her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck. "What did the recruitment office have to say?"

"I'm too old to be a foot soldier and not old enough for the home guard," Matthew replied lifting his head from her neck. He still had his hands around her waist. "They wanted me to sign up and then send me down to care for the horses for the Horse Guard. I told them where they could stick that idea."

"We all have to do our part," Abigail reminded him.

"I've a good post, if I signed up I'd be back to the bottom rung. It's not exactly doing your part to take care of horses for a bunch of pampered officers. I'm going to wait for a bit. I'll join the blackout patrol instead. Besides, I just got Storm. I can't leave him now. Who would take care of the old blighter?"

"You can put him in the shed while we're at the social," Lydia said.

"Does this mean you want him back?" Matthew asked hopefully.

"No, only if you go to the army. Then I'll keep your mangy horse for you," Lydia said.

"You'd look like a princess riding him," Matthew coaxed. "I could find you a side saddle."

"I'd break my neck riding side saddle. If I do ever consent to ride that animal I will be wearing trousers, thank you very much," Lydia replied.

"I'll bring a tether and you can ride him Sunday after church," Matthew said hopefully. "We can take him for a walk after the social. You'll like him if you get to know him a bit."

"We'll go for a walk as long as you keep Storm on a short lead so he can't get my skirt again."

"He likes what he sees," Matthew said confidently.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, the rope on the church bell has come loose. I thought you might fix it."

"I'm not going up there," Matthew said quickly. He let go of her and walked a few steps away.

"Why not? You've done all the repairs I ask you to before. I can't see how this is any different."

He took a deep breath and moved his neck trying to release the tension. Fear and anger had come up like a wave and he was attempting to fight it back down. He took another breath before he said anything.

"I'm afraid of heights. I didn't tell you before and Russell paid for the roof on the hall so I wouldn't have to go up there," he said.

"I didn't know that. If you would have mentioned it, I wouldn't have asked you," Lydia replied.

"There's more and I'm going to try and say it as calmly as I can."

"Go ahead."

"I don't like doing repairs on the hall and I wish they would ask someone else. I'm not a carpenter and I really don't know what I'm doing. It puts me on edge."

"Matthew, I wish you had said something before. Mr. Shealy offered to do the repairs but you were already doing them. It would be easy enough to ask him."

"He's not offering because he has his eye on you is he?" He had a hold of a side table. His knuckles were going white trying to maintain control.

"Matthew, don't be ridiculous. He's a married man. I'll tell his wife. Are you having a bad spell?"

"I am. Give me a minute." He took a few deep breaths and let go of the table. He straightened up. "Too much avoiding. My son was right."

"About?"

"I need to tell you when something bothers me instead of holding it in. I feel better. Actually I feel a lot better," he said with a laugh. "Let's go to that social and I'm taking that mangy beast with us."

"If you like," she said. "You are feeling all right?"

"I'm all right and you have nothing to fear. I felt angry and I managed to control it. You have no idea how good that feels."

"The anger?"

"Don't be daft woman. The control. I can feel it coming and I can control it. Let's get married."

"Now who's being daft?"

"If anything happens to me I want to know you've legally adopted my horse," he said laughing and lifting her up with two hands on her waist.

"He is rather cute when he isn't, Oh my mums. He's eaten all my late mums," Lydia cried in dismay. "Well, I suppose I don't have to cut them back," she said with a smile. "We'll get married soon. We can talk to the parson at the social."

"Let's go," Matthew replied with a smile.


	29. Coming Home Part IX

Coming Home – Part IX – Chapter 33 through 36

Chapter 33 – Moving Day

"Thank you for coming ladies," Sybil said. She was standing on the step of the house. She had told her classmates about the house being used for the military and the trouble they were having getting the garden harvested before they arrived. The entire class had decided to come and help out and make it an inspiration visit to a country garden. Sybil already had more than enough produce in jars to see them through the winter and the cellar at the cottage was stuffed. She hated to see the produce go to waste and since most of her class was living in London where the shortages were already starting to be felt they jumped at the chance for free baskets of food.

"We have approximately three hours before the military arrives. All of the vegetable waste needs to be hauled either to the stables or the compost once the vegetables are harvested. There will be water and tea at the back of the house in an hour should you need a break. We'll start here in the front with the cabbage in the flower beds and work our way around."

Victoria and Sarah were standing back and looking with trepidation at the assortment of twenty young women mostly dressed in bright outlandish clothes who were carrying a variety of different baskets and bags. Some of the women had fingernails that were at least an inch long. The two older gardeners who were now members of the Home Guard were looking at the women with dread.

"Eight on wheel barrows to haul the waste to the drop off area and twelve placing everything into the boxes the gardeners have set out for us. We'll divide everything up once we're done," Sybil instructed. "Let's get to it."

"Oh look. A bright green worm with black spots," one of the women said while her partner cut the cabbage loose. We could use this to design a fabric. It's really unusual."

"The color of the cabbage would be a good spring color," the other replied. Her large ball red earrings were swinging back and forth on chains at least three inches long. The gardener passing by took his hanky out of his pocket and wiped his face. He held the cloth over his mouth and coughed to hide his laugher. The way some of the women were holding the heads of cabbage by their fingertips was a sight to behold.

At the end of the first hour the women had the cabbages picked and were ready to start on the vegetable garden. They went around back for a break.

"There are so many colors here to inspire," one of the girls said.

"Never mind the colors, the vegetables are going to inspire my brother's and sisters stomachs," another said. "We can't afford to get this much at the green grocers."

"A vegetable print fabric would be interesting," another said. "We should have a lunch break competition to see who can design the most interesting print."

"The winner gets a jar of my homemade chutney," Sybil said enthusiastically. The women were all chatting about their fabric design ideas as they headed back to the garden. The two gardeners were in the garden loosening the carrots.

"You grab them like this and pull," one of the men said. He grabbed a handful of carrot tops in his work-roughened hand and pulled up half a dozen carrots at a time.

"Like this?" one woman asked. She grabbed a handful of tops and pulled with two hands as hard as she could. The carrots burst out of the ground easily. She landed flat on her back with her gypsy style skirt flying up in the air and showing her drawers. Two other women rushed over to help her back up.

"Not quite like that," the gardener said not looking up. His face was red with embarrassment.

"Oh look what I found," one woman waved a cucumber in the air. "Some boy went off to war and forgot his bits." The women all laughed. With over twenty to help out the vegetable garden was cleared out in another hour and the women were busy dividing up the produce when the first lorry arrived.

"Here they come to ruin the gardens," Sybil groaned.

"Attention ladies," the class instructor who was along as well said. "Mrs. Beldon positions please?"

Sybil quickly dispatched women to different parts of the gardens to stand guard. The gardeners who had been waiting to clear up while the women divided the produce went off to different parts of the garden as well. Sarah and Victoria went to stand by at the stables.

"Mrs. Beldon," the lieutenant in charge said. "The house and grounds was to be cleared this morning."

"You're early," Sybil told him. "My friends are here harvesting vegetables and to help keep an eye on things while you move in."

"That's not how this works," the young man said.

"That is how it works at my home," Sybil said defiantly. "Mr. Stokes the butler has the keys and will see to the inside of the house."

"I don't have time to argue," the lieutenant said. "Just stay out of the way."

The first half hour things went fairly smoothly until a come along pulled up and four motley looking horses were unloaded. The men attending them took them around the side of the house.

"Mam, mam, come quick," one of the gardeners called. "They're eating the roses."

Sybil dashed around the side of the house to see the horses picketed along the rose garden busily munching away while the men were leaning against the side of the house having a cigarette.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sybil demanded. "That garden has been there since the time of Henry VII. It is not going to be demolished by the army, this war or those filthy horses."

"Now 'old on," one of the men said when Sybil started to untie the horses and handed the lead of the first one to the gardener.

"Get them out of this rose garden this instant," Sybil ordered.

"Where do you suggest we put them?"

"Have the Head Groom find you a suitable shed," Sybil said. "Those five shilling animals are not going to destroy my garden and they are not sharing a stable with our prize hunters."

The men rubbed their cigarettes out on the ground and moved to take the animals.

"And you can pick up your trash," Sybil said with her hands on her hips.

"Women," one of the men grumbled as he retrieved the cigarette butts.

Sybil went closer to the house to see two of her classmates arguing with a group of men who wanted to pile sandbags on a flowerbed without moving the flowers first. Her instructor was sitting on Astrid's swing refusing to get off and let the men take it down.

"Mrs. Beldon. You have to let the men get on with things," the lieutenant complained when he caught up to her.

"And you need to respect our property," Sybil informed him. "You have eight acres of lawn. That is more than enough to place your tents and all the rest. I've sent your grooms to speak to my head groom about finding a place for the horses. Some of these gardens have been here for four hundred years. You're not going to destroy them in an afternoon."

"Could you at least have the ladies move their vegetables out of the way?" the man said deflated.

"I could," Sybil replied haughtily.

Two hours later the lorries were unloaded and an exhausted group of women gathered back to one side of the gardens to finish dividing the vegetables before they headed back into town. Sarah and Victoria wheeled out a tea cart as there had been little activity at the stables once the Head Groom had assigned the horses to a paddock and an out building.

"Thank you ladies, for coming to the rescue of Handley Hall," Sybil said. "You've made all the difference."

"Small victories," one of the girls said. "Did you see the cut of those dreadful uniforms?"

"The color," another said with a shudder.

"Ladies, now that we've had our field outing to a country garden for inspiration we will work on your designs tomorrow during class," the instructor said. "Time to get to the train and back to town."

"I wonder how they're faring at the Abbey," Sybil commented with a sigh once everyone had left and they were getting the teacart back to the cottage. "I'm worn out."

"Cousin Mary will keep them in line," Victoria said.

There was a tap at the door. Sybil opened the front door to reveal the lieutenant in charge of the move.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Beldon," he said. "We were wondering if you might help rearrange the books in the library to accommodate the training manuals?"

"I'll be right there," Sybil said with a smile.

-0-

"It's nice to know your Cousin Mary being vexed and in particular Elizabeth can bring you such joy," Tom said with a chuckle. Rose had read a letter out loud from Mary that evening by the fireplace and all three boys had roared with laughter when she complained of Elizabeth and two evacuee boys playing tricks on each other.

"I wish there wasn't a war, so we could go to England and congratulate them," Bradley said with glee.

"Bradley, putting glue in Elizabeth's hand cream was a terrible thing to do. It got all over and ruined her dress," Rose scolded.

"And I wonder what Mary's little angel did to the boys," Tom said grinning.

"We didn't hear that part of it," Rose said with a smirk.

Dylan had the popcorn popper out and was busy making popcorn over the coals in the grate.

"I've decided where I want to go to university," Dylan said while he was shaking the wire basket.

"What have you got in mind?" Tom asked him.

"Architecture. There's a university in Dublin that teaches it. They offer certification through The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and Royal Institute of British Architects. It means I would be able to work anywhere in the world," Dylan said.

"Once the war is over," Tom pointed out.

"What made you think of it?" Rose asked him.

"Art. I like to draw and architects do that basically all day long," Dylan said. "I don't want to be a starving artist. I'm practically starving now on this dumb diet."

"Since you ate three drumsticks at dinner, and a big pile of potatoes and carrots I hardly think you're starving," Tom said. "Not having gravy or butter on top is not that great a hardship. I'm glad you've decided to stay in Ireland."

"It's the easy choice at the moment. There's another university in Limerick that teaches architecture if I don't get in at Dublin. I can get a degree, work at something I like and I can always paint or draw in my spare time. It works and my education won't cost anything near what Davin or Redmond's does."

"What about you Bradley, any ideas yet?" Tom asked him.

"I have an idea but I don't know what it's called," Bradley said thoughtfully. "I might change my mind though."

"What idea is that?" Rose asked him.

"It's going to sound dumb."

"Let us be the judge of that, Tom said.

"I'd like to learn about kids like Astrid. What is it that makes it so she can't read like everyone else but she can when she uses colored glasses? She can hear Dylan and Da's heart murmurs when she listens through the stethoscope but I couldn't and neither could Garret until Redmond told us what to listen for and even then it was hard to hear. There are other kids like her. There is one at our school. He can barely write but he can memorize all the lines in a play when he hears them once and he's the captain of the chess club. I want to know why they can do some things better than everyone else, but the basic stuff most people find easy is almost impossible for them."

"Were you thinking of teaching or research?" Rose asked him.

"More the research. The why and how it would be easier for them to learn," Bradley said. "I tried looking it up in the encyclopedia at school but there wasn't any information."

"It isn't silly to find something you want to learn about," Rose said. "It sounds like you have the basic idea. Now you have to find out more about it. The university registrar in Galway City might have information that could help you decide."

"Maybe," Bradley said. He carefully removed the small pan with the melted butter from the side of the coals for the popcorn.

"Not too much butter, boys," Rose cautioned. "Dylan shouldn't really have the butter or Daddy."

"Mummy, dry popcorn tastes like dust," Dylan complained.

"I would have chosen the music school in Dublin no matter where I lived," Garret said thoughtfully.

"You all have a bit of time yet," Tom said. His sheep dog nosed the door to the kitchen open and came through to take up a position to wait for any errant kernels of popcorn that might come her way.

"Da, I could finish early if I wanted to the same as Redmond," Bradley said with exasperation.

"Then why don't you?" Dylan ribbed his brother.

"Because I like making the sets for the plays and watching you pretend to be a girl," Bradley taunted his brother back. The taunting session quick turned into a wrestling match with Tom and the boys in a pile on the floor with the dog devouring the entire bowl of popcorn before Rose could rescue it.

"The only one who knows how to behave themselves in this house is Trix," Rose complained before her husband's arm caught her around the waist and pulled her into the tussle.

-0-

Cora sat in the sitting room of Sybil and Russell's cottage and sipped her tea while she watched Sybil sew the buttons on two men's shirts she was finishing off for Redmond. She could hear the faint sound of the officer recruits on parade at the house next door and the occasional drone of aircraft heading out over the channel. It was mid November and the war had been going on for two months.

"Anthony is convinced rationing will get worse after first of the year," Cora commented.

"It very well could, Grandmamma," Sybil replied. "Things are already in short supply in the shops. I'm glad I grew a large vegetable garden last year but I won't be able to grow as much next summer. I'll have to squeeze them in every inch of the cottage grounds. London has been quiet thankfully."

"There are so many evacuee children," Cora said. "Edith has a little boy and two sisters at the Dower House with us. They are very well mannered and the two little girls are school aged. The little boy and Violet amuse each other. They are really no trouble at all."

"What about Aunt Mary? Did she take any?" Sybil asked as she started the next button.

"Two older boys," Cora replied. "There is no choice you know. The billeting officer shows up at the door and you take the children by order of the Home Office. Mary thought older children would be more self-sufficient. That was a mistake. The eldest boy and Elizabeth took one look at each other and the war was on. The boys eat with the staff and attend the village school but it doesn't stop them from taunting Elizabeth terribly."

"I suppose she doesn't taunt them?" Sybil questioned with a knowing smile.

"I'll only say one side is as conniving as the other," Cora said with a small smile.

"What have they gotten up to?"

"She put India ink on the elder boy's shaving cream so he turned around and put paste in her hand cream."

"It served her right, if she started it," Sybil said.

"It hasn't stopped there. There have been all sorts of instances of water dropping mysteriously from windows and a dead fish left under her bed. Anthony gave them all a good talking to but it hasn't helped."

"They haven't brought any children here yet. I don't know what I would do with Sarah pregnant and Aunt Victoria back to London. She decided to go back since it's quiet. All of their children are at school in the country. Sarah is off volunteering at the veteran's hall today. They're handing out pamphlets on every topic imaginable and giving knitting lessons."

Sybil finished the first shirt and folded it. She got a cup of tea before she started on the second one.

"Camilla could show them all a thing or two about knitting," Cora commented. "Her work is so fine. I've had all sorts of compliments on the gloves she made me."

"She's so fast, I don't know how she does it," Sybil replied. "She can make a man's sweater in under three days even with a cable pattern."

"Still making shirts for all of your brothers?" Cora asked.

"While I have the fabric," Sybil replied. "Redmond and Davin won't be going into the army so they still need shirts. The others are getting close to full-grown. There's no point making Russell a civilian wardrobe. He'll be going to training in January. He got a notice."

"Why is it taking so long?" Cora asked.

"They have to wait until there are trained orderlies at the hospital," Sybil replied. "They'll take over in recovery and only need one trained specialist nurse instead of two for the surgical recovery ward once they arrive. The rest of the nurses will cover the operating room. After that they'll rotate the doctors and nurses through training."

"It looks like we'll be getting the Women's Land Army in soon," Cora said. "Michael is busy setting up the quarters when he's not practicing with the Fire Brigade."

"The uncles aren't trying to reenlist?"

"They're both too old. The same as your Grandfather was in the last war. Michael joined the Fire Brigade since they're short men with the younger men in the village signing up and Anthony is busy organizing black out patrols."

"What about you, Sybil? How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine Grandmamma. School is going well. There is a great deal of talk about ready to wear. It looks like the days of going to the dressmaker for everything are numbered."

"So many changes," Cora said with a sigh. "It seems as though the very fabric of our existence is being changed. There is little left of the life when I was a girl."

"Change is inevitable, Grandmamma," Sybil pointed out as she picked up the second shirt and started the first button.

"It all turns out much different than we thought it would," Cora commented thoughtfully. "I never thought your father would be someone I would come to rely on when he ran off with your mother."

"Daddy never talks about her much," Sybil said thoughtfully.

"At first I thought he would never get over the grief," Cora replied. "The only thing that kept him going was you, and then he fell for Rose and he came back to life. His life moved on as did everyone else's. I would think he wants to protect Rose's feelings. It doesn't mean we don't treasure her memory."

"It's hard to feel something for someone you never knew," Sybil said. "Mummy is the only mother I've ever known. It's different for Astrid. She remembers her mother."

"Your mother, my daughter was full of life. She would have wanted you to live and go out and try new things. She embraced change as you do."

"I don't know if I embrace change Grandmamma. I'm a bit of a farmer at heart," Sybil replied. "Even my designs aren't all that out there. I'm a bit of a traditionalist."

"You're exactly as you should be," Cora said patting Sybil's hand. "Happy."

Chapter 34 – Surprise Guests

Sybil returned from her last day of class and paused as she passed Handley Hall. There was definitely something going on. The grounds were a hive of activity. There were lorries everywhere and more tents were going up adorned with large red crosses on them. She hurried home. So far the war hadn't changed her life all that much except for the move and the time Russell had spent in training. It had been a different experience than most as he'd been right next-door and she'd waved to him more than once when she saw him out on the grounds. Her years of cooking lessons and running down to the kitchens constantly when she was young were paying off. They were still working on the stores in the cellar and the majority of the cottage garden was already planted for this year. Meat, bread and sugar were in short supply, but otherwise they were fine. Russell wasn't home as often as she'd like. The operating rooms at the hospital were running at full capacity and more than once in the last while he had stayed at the hospital and made it home only when he had a few days free to sleep most of it away. Redmond had come down from London as often as he could as well since Sarah was getting close to delivery and it was better for her not to travel. He wasn't faring much better than Russell and slept twenty hours on his last visit.

There was something in the air the last few days. There wasn't any mention on the wireless of what was happening but the tension and urgency of the activity going on next door was more than obvious. One of the women at school had said her father was called out in the middle of the night to go somewhere with their yacht and hadn't yet returned. Whatever it was the news would soon come and Sybil's concern at the moment was Sarah who was due to deliver at any second. Her Aunt had arrived from Oxford and was seeing to her while Sybil was in town at school. Neither of them knew the first thing about delivering babies and were planning to call the doctor at the first sign of anything happening.

"I'm home," Sybil called when she got in the door.

"We're through here," Sarah called. She was sitting on a chair with her feet on a stool looking uncomfortable.

"How was London?" Sarah's aunt Shirley Maxwell inquired.

"Tense. There's something going on but no one knows what it is," Sybil replied. "One of my classmates father was called out last night with his yacht. The authorities came to the door at two in the morning. The same sort of stories are everywhere and there is certainly a hive of activity next door."

"Redmond rang and said his free days have been cancelled," Sarah said. "I was counting on him being here for the birth."

"You never mind. We're here and I've made the chicken vegetable soup you like from dinner. I followed Sybil's recipe she wrote out for me," Shirley said.

"I hope you didn't have too many problems with it," Sybil said.

"You already had the stock made from the bones. It was easy enough to add the vegetables and boil it a bit," Shirley replied.

"I'm getting so tired of this waiting," Sarah said.

"Anything in the post?" Sybil asked. "We could read letters to make the time go faster.

"Not a thing," Sarah said. She pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to go and visit the horses. As soon as I'm recovered enough I'm going for a ride."

"I'll come along," Sybil commented.

The next day there were more lorries at the training school only this time there was no question a war was on. Lorry load after lorry load of wounded young men were pulling up and being escorted into the hospital tents. There were ambulances outside of their small local clinic as well. Anywhere that could take the wounded was filling up quickly and they were still coming.

"Sybil I don't like the look of this," Sarah said. She was rubbing her back. The two young women were in the yard of the cottage watching the goings on at the main house from a distance.

"I don't like the look of it either," Sybil replied. "Our husbands are treating not fighting. We know they're safe even though they're not among the wounded."

"I wish I'd insisted Redmond work in Dublin," Sarah said worriedly.

"He wouldn't be happy in Dublin. Redmond needs the constant flow of information coming in and the activity of a large hospital. He's tired when he's off but he's happy doing what he loves."

"I know, I only want the baby to be safe," Sarah replied.

"Why would any German invade this cottage?" Sybil teased her. "Do you think they're after my jars of chutney and pickles?"

"You're wicked," Sarah said with a grin. She turned to go back inside when the first contraction hit and her water broke. "Sybil," she gasped.

"It's time. I'll send your Aunt for the doctor," Sybil said taking her arm. Sarah could only nod as they made their way towards the house.

"There's no one available to come," Shirley said twenty-five minutes later after she had made a trip to the clinic in person to get help. "They gave me a pamphlet and told me we're on our own."

"What do they mean, no one available?" Sybil questioned. "Sarah needs medical attention."

"There are wounded everywhere. There aren't enough chairs. Some of the wounded are on the floor. They can't leave. The receptionist gave me this brochure. She said unless something goes wrong there is no one to come and then we'd have to get her to them."

"I can't do this," Sybil said in panic.

"We can and we must," Shirley said taking her hands. "You're going to be an Aunty and I'm going to be an Great Aunty very soon by the sounds of things."

"I want my mother," Sarah wailed two hours into the labor. She'd been sick to her stomach and made a trip to the washroom where she'd stayed for ten minutes before Sybil and Shirley could get her back to her bedroom.

"We've a pamphlet from the Home Office," Sybil told her in an attempt to reassure both of them. "You know they're an official on everything from exercises with a broom, to mending a roof. How could we possibly go wrong armed with that."

Sarah said something in Irish Sybil surmised was a curse against the crown or the Home Office and possibly both before she went into the next contraction.

"We're supposed to look to see how wide the opening is and if we can see the babies head," Sybil read from the pamphlet. "I'm not looking at Sarah's bottom!"

"I'll take a peak," Shirley said. She lifted the covers for a look then put them down. "I don't know. All I saw was something that looks like sweat breads."

"My baby," Sarah wailed.

"I'm going to try next door. There are doctors and nurses everywhere. Surely one of them can come," Sybil said.

She ran across the lawn. A sentry stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man asked her.

"I need a doctor," Sybil replied breathlessly. "My sister-in-law is having a baby. We don't know what to do."

"They're busy. Find a civilian doctor," the sentry informed her.

"Since every doctor in the entire country except the medically exempt ones are in the army exactly where do you imagine I do that?" Sybil questioned him.

"Dunno," the sentry said. "I'll ask. Wait here."

He came back a few minutes later.

"They said unless she's bleeding to death they're busy," the sentry informed her.

"Oh," Sybil muttered wringing her hands. She ran back towards the cottage then suddenly veered towards the stable when she saw the head groom leading one of the horses back inside.

"How many foals have you delivered?" she asked the man.

"Hundreds, Mam," he said.

"Leave what you're doing and come with me," Sybil said. She took the bewildered looking man's arm and practically drug him back to the cottage. They were greeted by the sound of Sarah wailing through a contraction.

"I know horses, not people," the groom said going white.

"We need help and you're it," Sybil informed him.

"I'll go for the midwife," he said. "Jenny Watts lives on the edge of town. She's delivered all kinds in her day." He was out the door like a shot.

"No luck," Sybil said. "The groom has gone for a midwife."

"I'm going to strangle Redmond. I'll hang him from the rafters by his privates," Sarah said as she wadded the sheets in her fists. "I want to go home. How dare he give me an English baby?"

"Mummy called Daddy every name she could think of when she had Garret," Sybil said. "You could here her all over the house. I think this is normal."

"I'm not sure," Shirley said nervously. "I've never had a baby."

"Let's try a cold cloth on her forehead," Sybil said.

"It's coming out the other end not the top of my head," Sarah screamed.

"The pamphlet says to remain calm," Sybil said.

"You try pushing out an oversize melon and see how calm you are," Sarah yelled.

Sybil couldn't have been more relieved when she heard the sound of hoof beats outside the window. Shirley ran down to let the midwife in. An old lady that looked like her face was a prune, with a purple nose came up the stairs. She was leaning on a cane.

"Are you the midwife?" Sybil asked.

"She's busy helping with the wounded. I've had fourteen of my own. I think I know what to do," the old lady said tapping her cane. "Now did you boil any string and a scissors?"

"For what?" Shirley asked.

"Useless toffs," the old lady said in disgust. "Put a pot on and boil two pieces of butcher twine six inches at least each and a pair of scissors. I need clean towels and hot water as well. I'll get my hands washed and we'll fix her right up. A cup of tea while you're at it." She waved her cane at Shirley.

"I'm not useless. I'll have you know I'm a fellow of literature," Shirley said indignantly.

"You don't know the first thing about babies now do yee?"

"Well, no," Shirley replied. "The pamphlet said the mother isn't to have any food or drink during labor."

"It's for me not her," the old lady said. "I'm too old to go galloping across the fields. Almost rattled my bones to bits on that horse. I'll be lucky if I can walk tomorrow. Now get to it." She made her way over to look at Sarah.

"Now young Mrs. you're going to be just fine," she said smoothing Sarah's hair back.

-0-

Tom headed out on horseback with his dog by his side. There were so many shortages these days and food was in short supply. Poaching had increased. Those looking to make a quick penny would pinch anything they could. They were moving the flocks more often in an attempt to slow the poachers down. There wasn't the rationing going on there was in England for the simple reason there wasn't much to ration. Petrol was non-existent now in the summer of 1940. Sugar, jam and imported fruit were things of the past as well. Wool prices were high and they could sell every bit they produced with no problem as well as any produce, meat or fruit. He was thanking his lucky stars he'd brought in a small dairy herd on the property. It was more of sheep farming region but the herd was producing enough milk the village shop was well stocked with milk, cream, butter and cheese and they had more than enough milk for the house.

The Free State was out of the war but it's effects were being felt none the less. The medical shortage was even worse than it had been before with doctors and nurses heading to England to work in the hospitals there. It was to the point where Dr. Reigler was now seeing to four villages. Mrs. Reigler's brother had finally made it out of Austria before the war started. He was one of the few dentists in the region and had appointments booked two months in advance. Planes flew over regularly on their way out to patrol for submarines and German ships. Irish ships were supposed to be neutral but it hadn't stopped them from being fire upon and some of them sunk.

Redmond had written that Sarah still wanted to come home more than ever. They had written back to say the shortages were no different in the Free State than they were anywhere else and people were afraid to take the ferry across the Irish Sea in fear of submarine attack. He was a grandfather now. Redmond and Sarah had a little boy and they had named him Dalaigh Thomas after Redmond's father and himself. He set his horse to take the fence at the end of the field in a jump rather than open the gate. His dog skipped up a pile of stones and jumped down running after Tom. He smiled to himself as he rode. He was fifty years old and still a bit of a dare devil at heart. He couldn't take all the fences at a jump the way he had when he was younger and he would probably feel the one he'd just cleared later in the day, but it was still fun to push the edge once in a while.

Rose had been after him all winter to leave more things to the staff. He had to admit sitting with his feet up in the evenings was getting higher and higher on his list of things he liked to do. In another fifteen years he would be set for retirement. He couldn't believe it would be at his doorstep in such a short period of time. It seemed like only yesterday when Garret had been born. Dylan had firmly decided on architecture and only had one more year of grade school left. Bradley had done some research and found out the thing that had taken his interest was neurology. Tom hadn't known whether to groan or glow with pride at a second son wanting to be a medical doctor. If everything went according to plan they would have two doctors, a veterinarian, a fashion designer, an architect and a professional musician amongst their children and not a farmer in the lot. Garret had found himself a spot teaching music for the summer in the city. He rode the bus back and forth everyday and actually seemed relieved not to be working in the fields.

Dylan was busy flitting from girl to girl and had become the worst kind of flirt despite repeated lectures from his father. Bradley was showing some interest in the opposite sex but was a great deal more reserved about things. Of all the boys Garret seemed the least interested in girls, saying he would know what he wanted in a girl friend when he found it. Whoever she was would have to like bagpipes and if she played music it would have to be well enough not to put his teeth on edge. Tom had laughed, ruffled his hair and been only too relieved Garret wasn't ready to chase the opposite sex at fourteen.

Trix dashed across the field yapping madly at something she saw. Tom reined the horse in the direction Trix was headed and spotted something white that looked like a scarf blowing from behind a small knoll. He squinted but couldn't make it out.

"Trix hold," he called. The dog went into a crouch and stayed put as he caught up to her. "Come," he said as he continued forward. The white scarf turned into a blowing puff of something larger as he got closer. He stopped the horse and got down. He took the rifle he was carrying on the saddle from it's holster. With all the poachers about one couldn't be too careful. He walked up the knoll with his rifle at the ready. He could see a hint of grey pant leg showing around the billowing fabric he thought must be a parachute.

"Whoever you are put your hands up and show yourself," Tom said.

There was no answer. He carefully made his way around the parachute. The man was laying on the ground not moving dressed in some kind of coverall affair with a helmet and goggles that had slipped and were partially covering his face. Tom carefully approached, knelt down and pulled the pistol from the man's holster. The only response was a slight groan.

"Who are you?" Tom asked him.

"Flugoffizier Hans Meyer eine drei sieben neun null," the man mumbled faintly. "Ich Übergeben."

"I can't understand you," Tom said with a frown. Trix was standing beside him growling. "Trix down," he ordered. He went back to his horse placed emptied the pistol then placed it and the bullets in the saddlebag and put the rifle back in the holster. He took his flask of tea out of his saddlebag and went back over to the man. Tom poured some tea into the cup and placed it to the side to cool. He carefully took the man's helmet and googles off. The pilot tried to lift his arm and push Tom's hands away but was so weak his arm flopped back onto the ground.

"Where does it hurt?" Tom asked him. "Where?" He patted his own arms and legs.

"Gebrochen Beinen," the pilot said weakly tapping his legs. Tom touched first one leg and then the other. The pilot groaned when he touched each leg.

"There's not much around here to use for splits," Tom said. The pilot looked at him through half open eyes. "Never mind," he said. He reached for the tea that had cooled a bit and held it so the man could sip it. The pilot looked at Tom with distrust. "Tea." Tom took a sip then held it back to the man's mouth. He sipped the tea then nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to get you out of here or what you're doing in the Free State," Tom said. He waited until the pilot opened his eyes again and helped him drink the rest of the tea. He took out his knife to cut the lines of the parachute that were wrapped around the man's body. The pilot saw his jack knife and tried to move his arms to push Tom away and promptly passed out.

"One problem solved," Tom said as he worked to get the parachute untangled. Once he had it loose he bundled it in a ball and put a rock on it to hold it in place.

"There's nothing for it but to go for help," Tom said out loud. He put the lid back on the flask of tea and put it in his saddlebag. He mounted and headed towards the nearest farm. It didn't take long to find a crew working cutting early hay. Twenty minutes after he'd left the man a group of them were back with a hay cart and an assortment of forks and poles to use as splints.

"Do you think it's safe," one of the women who was in the field to help with the haying asked. A downed pilot would be a sight to behold and a German one at that. She'd come along to see for herself. She'd never seen a pilot let alone a plane in her entire life. She was standing peering down at the pilot.

"He's not going anywhere too fast, the shape he's in," one of the men said.

"We'll use a pole for a splint between his legs and tie them together," Tom said. "He's not going to have a nice a ride all the way back to the village clinic but it can't be helped."

"What was he doing flying over the Free State?" one of the men asked.

"I have no idea," Tom said. "Nor what happened to the plane. We'll get him to the clinic and telephone the authorities."

"Bloody stupid British war," one of the men said as they lifted the man into the cart. The pilot had come to and promptly passed out again when they lifted him. "At least he could have had a packet of toffees in his pocket. I haven't had one since last summer."

"You're sweet tooth will be sending you to the dentist, Alroy," the woman said. "I'll ride in the back with him and keep an eye on him."

"No, we'll get back to cutting hay and Mr. Branson here can return the cart when he gets this character to the doctor," Alroy said. "That hay isn't going to cut its own self."

"With you for a brother I don't need a chastity belt. It's no wonder all my suitors run off. One look at you at they all run," his sister informed him.

"More like your clacking tongue drives them off," her brother retorted. "We need to get back to work. Will you be alright on your own?"

"I'll manage," Tom said. He tied his horse to the back of the cart and whistled for Trix to jump up.

Chapter 35 – The Local Telegraph

Tom didn't know how the local people passed the word so fast, but by the time he got the cart into the village with the wounded German pilot there was a crowd gathered outside the clinic. Most of the village had never seen a pilot before and not a one of them had ever met a German outside of the Reigler family and they were Austrians not Germans. Tom felt as though he were driving in a parade instead of taking an injured man to the clinic.

"My husband will return soon," Mrs. Reigler said. "Bring him and put on the examine table. Come." She motioned to bring the pilot in. A group of men lifted the pilot from the wagon and carried him into the clinic. They laid him out where Mrs. Reigler indicated. She spoke to the pilot in German.

"He says his name is Hans Meyer and he will not tell us any information," she said shaking her head. "I told him my husband is the doctor. He thinks we are going to torture him. Please to hold him while I get his uniform off." Two of the men who had helped carry the pilot in held his arms and torso while Mrs. Reigler carefully got the man's boots off. She took a scissors and cut the sides of the jump suit to reveal the man's legs, which were clearly bent in the wrong places with the breaks. She continued working and trying to get a sheet over the man while he struggled.

"I've telephoned the constable in Galway City," Tom said coming to the door. "He'll be out as soon as he can."

"Our visitor will not be going anywhere soon," Mrs. Reigler said. She got a tray and some water to clean a cut on the pilot's side.

Tom went back outside to try to get the crowd to go back about their business. The news of the German pilot was indeed too good to pass up and the crowd had gotten even bigger while they were waiting for the doctor to get back from the call he was on.

"There's nothing to see," Tom said. "You can all go about your business. Dr. Reigler will be back soon and the constable will be out from the city."

"My sister would never forgive me if I didn't get the news first hand," Mrs. Sheahan informed Tom. Some of the people were arriving with blankets and the lawn in front of the clinic was beginning to look like a country fair. Tom spotted Sean wandering up the lane. He surmised he was probably coming to see what was going on. Tom quickly took his rifle and the pistol from the saddlebags. There was a collective, "Oooo," from the crowd at the sight of the German Lugar. He sent Sean back out to return the hay cart and headed for home to drop off the rifle and put the pistol in his office safe until the constable arrived.

"Tom what's going on?" Rose asked the moment he stepped foot in the house. "It's all over the village that we're being invaded by German paratroopers."

"One pilot with two broken legs is hardly an invasion force," Tom said. "I found him on my way to the north pasture. He's at the clinic. Dr. Reigler is expected back from the house call he was on at anytime now. The constable will be coming out to take care of things."

"A German pilot? I wonder if he speaks French," Rose said. She went to get her hat and coat.

"Where are you going?" Tom said.

"As the Chair of the Ladies Auxiliary I might be of use, and I'm dying to sneak a peek," Rose said.

Mrs. O'Rinn came trotting through from the kitchen pulling on her gloves with her hat already pinned to her head.

"I'll be coming along to lend a hand," Mrs. O'Rinn said.

"Rose, you're turning local on me," Tom said rolling his eyes slightly.

"This is too good to miss," Rose said as she was headed out the door. "I'll be back later."

Tom went through and put the Lugar in his safe. He headed to the kitchen to make a cup of tea since he'd given his morning tea to the pilot. Garret came running down the stairs as Tom passed by with his violin case in his hand.

"I didn't know you were teaching this morning," Tom said.

"I'm not. I'm meeting Lollan, Bryan and Connall in the village. We're going to play for the crowd," Garret answered.

"The injured man is German. Perhaps you should play something he'd recognize," Tom said sardonically.

"Good idea, Da. I'll take along some Wagner sheet music," Garret replied. He grabbed some sheet music from the pile on the shelf by the piano and dashed out the door.

"They're part of the community now," Tom said grinning to himself as he continued on to the kitchen.

-0-

"The only good thing about the army is they provide quarters close to the hospital," Russell said when he'd come home for his two days off. "The bad part is I'm not allowed lodgings this far from the hospital during my ten days on and the hours are much longer than they were before."

"You haven't been sent overseas and that's something," Sybil replied. She was holding Baby Dalaigh and rocking him while Sarah was giving Astrid a riding lesson. They were in the sitting room of the cottage. "We should take Astrid to see your parents. I was thinking I might take her on my own and you could join us your next days off."

"It would be good to get down for a visit," Russell replied. He leaned back in the armchair and closed his eyes. The long shifts were tiring and he wanted to sleep away his days free. At the same time he wanted to make it home to his wife and act like a normal married couple for a few days. "What news of the family?"

"Mummy's last letter was all about a downed German flier Daddy found out in the northern most pasture. They found the plane almost a mile away. No one has any idea what he was doing so far west. The entire village is quite taken with him and everyone wants to have a look. They're feeding him every potato dish known to man. He has two broken legs and a broken arm. They haven't left a constable as a guard since he's so badly banged up there is no possible way he could be a threat to anyone."

"I would gladly send them a few more," Russell said with a sigh.

"The boys staying at Aunt Mary and Uncle Anthony's returned home to their parents since there isn't anything going on in London," Sybil said. "They left Elizabeth a small parting gift."

"Another dead fish?"

"No, they put hard candy in the shower head."

"Oh, that was a dirty trick," Russell said with a chuckle. "I wonder how my Dad is making out now that he's signed up. He's too old to be sent overseas."

"Lydia's last letter said they were going to turn him into a lorry driver," Sybil commented.

"Until he spots any horses they have at the post. He'll be over to see to the them like a shot."

"She's keeping his horse in her back garden," Sybil said with a smile. "Apparently she has to wire the door shut on the shed where they stable him."

"What every woman needs a hundred and ten stone dog that won't mind it's manners," Russell said with an answering smile.

"Speaking of horses, Sarah has gotten three students for riding lessons. They come two days a week," Sybil said.

"How are your classes going?"

"Teaching women to remake old clothes into something fashionable isn't as hard as I thought it would be," Sybil said. She shifted the baby and put him on her shoulder. "I only have one more week of the six classes I volunteered to teach."

"I'm spoiled from all the years of handmade shirts," Russell said.

Sybil slowly lifted the baby away from her shoulder and laid him in the basinet.

"It's hard to believe we've been married two years and no baby yet," Sybil said.

"When you're done your degree," Russell said with a sigh.

"And when you can stay awake long enough to make one," Sybil said as she covered him with a light throw and brushed a kiss across her sleeping husband's lips.

-0-

Rose climbed the stairs at the clinic. It had been almost four weeks since Tom had found the downed flier and all of the ladies of the auxiliary were taking turns sitting with him to see to his needs. The man couldn't get up and he could barely feed himself with one hand. When there was someone staying at the clinic Mrs. Reigler made the meals if they required a special diet. Otherwise family members brought in food. The flier would be there at least another six weeks and everyone in the village was taking turns sending over meals. "Nein, nein, ich mag es nicht Kartoffeln. Ich hasse sie." Rose could hear his voice down the stairs.

"Now you just eat up. Potato soup will help you build up your strength," Mrs. Sheahan said. Her voice was unmistakable.

"Nein." A spoon being pushed into his mouth silenced his protests. Rose came around the corner to see Mrs. Sheahan kneeling on the side of the bed with the man's good hand pinned under her knee. She was holding a bowl and busy shoveling the contents into the man's mouth. He had a grimace on his face as the last of the soup disappeared into his mouth.

"Oh, Mrs. Branson. I lost track of time," Mrs. Sheahan said. "He's so terribly uncooperative. I had to hold his nose to get his lunch down him. I wonder if all German's are this difficult. He's so thin. He needs to eat."

"I'm sure our guest is terribly frustrated not being able to communicate and in pain," Rose said.

"Yes, it's most likely the pain. The poor thing barely wants to eat."

"I'll see to getting him cleaned up," Rose said.

"Oh, look at the time. I best get back and make sure the dinner is on the table at home."

"I'll see you at the Auxiliary meeting tomorrow," Rose said.

"I'll see you then," Mrs. Sheahan said.

The man was regarding Rose with distrust as Mrs. Sheahan left.

"I'd say a face wash is in order and possibly a cup of tea if you behave yourself," Rose said. She went to the washroom and returned with a facecloth, which she handed to him and pointed to his face. He wiped his face and gave her the cloth back. Rose got a comb and moved to comb his hair. He pulled away.

"You are a naughty, uncooperative boy," Rose said. She took ahold of his chin and combed his hair. "I'm certainly glad I'm not the one that has to see to your morning shave. Now I'll get you a cup of tea, but you'll have to wait until the doctor or one of the men come by to use the bedpan."

She took a flask out of the bag she had carried over and poured a cup of tea into a cup and saucer. "Everyone says you don't want to eat," Rose said. "We need to figure out why. The doctor knows but whatever the reason he thinks it is a grand joke and won't tell the rest of us." She reached into the bag and brought out an English – German dictionary. "Now lesson one. You're going to learn to say yes and no."

She looked up the words in the dictionary and pointed to them and had the pilot repeat the words. She thought about a simple way to ask "Why won't you eat?" then pointed to the words in the book. The pilot nodded once he understood. He took the book with his one good hand and flipped through until he found the words hate and potato.

"Why Dr. Reigler you sly devil," Rose said with a smile shaking her head. "So you don't like potatoes and everyone around here has been treating you with their favorite potato dish." She put the cup of tea on a small table she had pushed up to the bed. He reached over and took the cup and drank it.

"More?" Rose asked holding out the flask.

"Yes," he said.

"Yes, please," Rose corrected him. He repeated her words.

"How is the patient?" Dr. Reigler asked as he arrived in the room.

"I've just arrived. I thought a few English lessons might be in order," Rose said. "Mrs. Sheahan fed him lunch and dinner."

"Just don't tire him out," the doctor said. "If you could step out Mrs. Branson. I'll examine him."

"Of course doctor," Rose said. She went out into the hall and closed the door.

The doctor opened the door after ten minutes or so.

"Flight Officer Meyer said to thank you for the book," Dr. Reigler said. "If you have any trouble I'll be at home having my dinner."

"I've kept five sons in line," Rose said. "I think I can look after an injured man for a few hours."

"Don't trust him and be careful," Dr. Reigler warned. "He's a German officer. They're not known for their compassion."

"I'll be careful," Rose said.

She went back into the room and pulled a slate out of her bag and a piece of chalk. She had some words she had looked up earlier written on a piece of paper. She amused herself teaching him a few simple words and phrases until his eyelids started to droop. She put away the cup, saucer and flask and took out a book to read until her replacement arrived later that evening.

An hour or so later Garret stuck his head in the door.

"Hello, Mummy," he said.

"Shh," Rose warned him. "He's sleeping."

"No, he's not. He's watching you," Garret said. "His eyes were open before he heard me come in."

"Where are you off to?" He had his violin case with him.

"We're playing at a party for Connall's Aunt."

"Have a nice time, darling and don't stay too late," Rose said.

"I don't have to go yet. Everyone will meet there when they get off work. I'm working on a new piece. I just finished learning the first movement. I could play it for you."

When Garret learned a new piece his mother was usually his first audience.

"Go ahead," Rose said. "I'd like to hear it since Mr. Cooperative is only pretending to sleep."

"It's a more difficult Mozart. I'll refine it more with my instructor at the music school."

He took out his violin and sheet music and began to play.

"No," suddenly came from the bed. Garret paused.

"Ignore him," Rose said. "He's being difficult as usual."

"No," the pilot said again when Garret went to play. He made a motion like writing.

Rose got out the slate and chalk and took it over to the bed Garret followed her out of curiosity. The man took the chalk and drew lines, then drew some notes. He pointed to one of the notes then reached for the translation dictionary. He flipped through the book and read, "joy".

"One minute," Garret said. He retrieved the sheet music and a pencil and showed them to the man. He took the music made notations and handed it back to Garret. He flipped through the book again. "More…bright…" he struggled with the next word. Garret took the book and looked where he pointed.

"Anticipate? You want me to play the first movement expressing joy and light with anticipation?" Garret looked over the notations the pilot had made then played the first movement again in a way that built towards the next piece.

"Ja…Yes, anticipate, joy," the man said. He pointed to his heart. Then started looking in the dictionary again. "Feel …here."

"What is a musician doing as a pilot?" Rose questioned.

"I have absolutely no idea but he's right about making the piece better," Garret said. "I've got to get going to the party." He played a few bars of a jig.

The pilot laughed and smiled.

Rose kissed Garret on the cheek then took her seat again to wait for her replacement. Mrs. Reigler came up to see if there was anything the pilot needed before the next person arrived for sitting with the man overnight. She frowned when he said something and turned to Rose.

"He says your son will have a great career once he knows passion," Mrs. Reigler said. "Don't ever let him fly an airplane. Musicians have a terrible sense of direction."

"I beg your pardon?" Rose said blinking in shock. "Garret was here and played a piece of Mozart. He's rather young for any passion in his life. Our patient seemed to know a great deal about it."

Mrs. Reigler spoke to him again.

"He was a violinist in the Berlin Symphony before the war," she relayed. "He has quite a bit to say about your son's playing. Too bad he was not so talkative when the police were here. It is a mystery what he was doing so far west."

"The Free State is neutral," Rose reminded her.

"They are not so neutral in Germany when they toss people in jail for nothing," Mrs. Reigler said with a sigh. "Then he could be only doing as he was told as many do. He asks that if your son comes again if I could translate for him."

"I'll let Garret know," Rose replied thoughtfully.

Chapter 36 – A Well Placed Suggestion

Embarkation leave hadn't gone quite as Russell had expected it would. So far he'd made a trip to his lawyer to make sure his affairs were in order and have his sister's allowance put under Sybil's direction. Choosing guardians for Astrid in the event anything happened to the two of them had been a lot harder than they thought it would be. They had weighed out the pros and cons between his parents and Sybil's and finally decided on appointing her parents as first choice and his as second. Astrid's allowance was substantially more than his and Tom's management experience had been the deciding factor in the end. Russell had been reassigned to a medical transport ship. A newer nursing graduate would fill his position at the home-based hospital. The military was trying a new treatment strategy of setting up operating rooms on the ships and performing surgery en route back to England. From what Russell understood they would have little to do going and work fifteen-hour shifts on the way coming back. He was worried but he was trying to put a good face on things for Sybil and especially Astrid.

They'd left Redmond and Sarah alone at the cottage with their son for a few days and made the trip south to visit his parents. Astrid wasn't taking the news of her brother being sent overseas well and was on his lap the minute he sat down. She was a bit big at almost twelve to be on his lap and he was in the process of trying to convince her to sit on his father's lap and give his numb legs a chance to recover.

"Granddad needs a hug, Astrid," Russell said.

"You need one more," she replied stubbornly.

"You've already given me at least twenty today. You could spend a little time with Granddad and let my lap have a rest," Russell tried again.

"I don't get to see you that often," Thomas said. "I need my quota of hugs as well."

"All right then," Astrid said sliding off her brother's knee and looping her arms around Thomas' neck. He pulled her onto his lap awkwardly.

"It seems quiet," Russell said. He stood up to let the blood run back in his legs.

"We're getting the odd service family on leave. The shore isn't overly attractive with barbed wire running everywhere and the pier closed," Thomas said. "There's not a lolly in the shops to keep you and Sybil happy." He hugged Astrid a bit closer.

"The soldiers probably ate them all," Astrid said with her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe they did," Thomas said. "It's so quiet we'll be able to play a card game tonight with so few to see to."

"I wish Bradley and Garret were here," Astrid said.

"You know we can't go and visit at the moment," Sybil reminded her. "The ferry is still running but only at odd times. We don't want to get stranded. The summer when I finish my course, we'll find a fishing boat to take us across and go for a long visit.

"They'll all be so old they'll have forgotten me," Astrid replied gloomily. She was fiddling with a button on Thomas' shirt."

"They won't forget you," Thomas said. "I certainly couldn't forget my new granddaughter."

"You received a letter from Bradley just last week all about the camp out he'd been on and the downed plane on the estate. He wouldn't have written a letter just for you if he was forgetting about you," Sybil pointed out.

Astrid nodded gloomily.

"I thought she'd never settle down," Sybil said that evening when they finally made it to their bedroom and locked the door.

"If wishes could make this war stop, we'd all have wished it away long ago," Russell said.

Sybil put out a hand to stop him when he reached for his pajama bottoms.

"No. I don't want anything between us when we're alone until you leave," she said. "Not those either." She indicated the condoms in a box in the suitcase.

"Sybil, you need to finish school before we start a family," Russell said. "It's important to me you finish."

"I promise I'll finish," Sybil replied. "I told Astrid to go to Nanny or her grandparents if she wakes up through the night. I don't want to be disturbed every night from here out until you leave."

"It sounds lovely," he replied pulling her close and laying his lips on hers.

-0-

"I don't know if I like the idea of Garret going for daily music lessons with a German officer," Tom said.

"Mrs. Reigler is there and one of the ladies from the auxiliary is there every time he goes over," Rose pointed out. "The man has finally started being more cooperative."

"Could it be because you suggested providing a variety in his diet that didn't include potato at every turn?" Tom asked with a chuckle.

"I think it's a big part of it," Rose said with a smile, "and the fact his mind is kept busy with teaching music instead of worrying about what is going to happen to him."

"It all seems like such a waste," Tom said. "I remember the injured men in the last war and the aftermath. From Redmond and Sybil's letters it doesn't sound like things are going any better."

"Redmond mentioned how much the treatments are changing. He's having a hard time keeping up with all the reading. For him to struggle with keeping up with new information must mean it's coming available at a terrific rate."

The front door burst open suddenly and Garret rushed in.

"Da, come quick. Dr. Reigler sent me for you," Garret said breathlessly. "We were in the middle of my music lesson when some men arrived. Dr. Reigler telephoned the constable's office but they're too far away to make it here right away."

"Who are these men?" Tom asked. He was already half way to the door.

"I don't know. They came in a car with a German flag on it," Garret replied.

Tom half walked half jogged to the medical clinic. Out front a chauffeur in a black uniform was standing by a car displaying a German flag and bearing diplomatic plates. He went in to see a very concerned looking Mrs. Reigler wringing her hands. She knocked on her husband's office door and sent Tom in. He entered to see Dr. Reigler behind his desk with two men dressed in suits in the office. One was sitting, the other standing.

"Mr. Branson. Thank you for coming quickly," Dr. Reigler said. "May I introduce Herr Brauer and Herr Gottleib from the German Embassy."

"Gentlemen," Tom said inclining his head. The one standing bowed slightly. The other didn't offer his hand and remained seated.

"Are you an official in the area?" Herr Brauer asked. He was the one seated.

"I'm the Manager of this Estate," Tom said. "We're too far removed from the city to warrant a constable in the local area. Your countryman is here under the doctor's care since the authorities deemed he was too severely injured to move and there is no one in the area who would wish him any harm."

The one man bent forward and whispered something to the other.

"Where is the aircraft now?" Herr Bauer asked.

"Still sitting in the pasture where it crashed," Tom replied. "It's a somewhat secluded area where it came down. You won't be able to move it out of there easily. Other than being a local attraction and people going out for Sunday picnics to take a look no one will bother it. The constables were out and removed the guns and ammunition when it was first discovered."

"We would like to see the aircraft after we speak with our countryman," Herr Bauer said.

"I don't want Flight Officer Meyer unduly upset," Dr. Reigler said firmly. "His injuries are serious. He will be at least another two months possibly more before he is able to get around on crutches. He will require a significant time beyond that to be well enough to walk unaided."

"We are here to check on his well being," Herr Bauer stated.

"You can't drive to the crash site," Tom said. "I'll have to take you by horseback. You'll require suitable riding attire. The terrain is too rough for city wear."

"We have attire with us. This is not the first time we have experienced the more, ehm" he cleared his throat, "rustic aspects of your country," Herr Bauer said.

"Very well then, I'll have my groom arrange mounts for you," Tom said. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen. Dr. Reigler can direct you to my home when you are finished here."

"We will be there shortly," Herr Bauer said dismissively.

Tom glanced at Dr. Reigler who was looking stern before he left.

"When did the police say they'd get here?" Tom asked Mrs. Reigler quietly once he was back in the waiting room and the office door was closed.

"They said they would send someone right out. That was since twenty minutes," Mrs. Reigler said just as quietly.

"They should be here any time now. I'll stall until the authorities arrive," Tom said.

He went back to the house and instructed Sean to saddle all of the horses in the stable.

"Wear the rig up you did when you accompanied Miss Sybil to the horse shows," Tom instructed him.

"Anything else, Sir?" Sean asked.

"Put a riffle holster on my saddle and yours as well. We'll take both rifles," Tom said. "Take your time getting them saddled. We're going to wait for the constable." He headed into the house to let Rose know what was going on while he got changed after he first made a telephone call to the police office to make sure someone had been dispatched.

"There are two German officials at the clinic. They want to go out to the crash site. They're looking for something unless I miss my guess," Tom told her.

"Do you think it's safe?" Rose asked with concern.

"Safe enough, I'm taking Sean with us and I'm going to stall until the constable arrives," Tom said. "They're from the Embassy so I don't think they would do anything to start an incident. What are they doing here now? The pilot's arm is almost healed from what you've said and they haven't bothered to check on him before this."

"I don't like it," Rose said. "I've spent years in diplomatic circles. No one arrives out of the blue on anything legitimate. You always send word ahead. It isn't considered polite."

"That Herr Bauer that is in charge of things is anything but polite," Tom said. "There's another one with him, a Herr Gottlieb but it's obvious Bauer is in charge. Do you know where the pin is for this tie?"

Rose dug around in a box on the bureau until she came out with a tiepin. She did the front of Tom's shirt for him before he put on his vest and riding breeches. He was pulling on his boots when they heard a car door close outside.

"I'll go down. Stay up here and primp your hair, brush your teeth, do anything to make yourself look the dandy," Rose instructed.

"Rose, I don't think you should be on your own with them," Tom protested.

"I handled many a party for my father before I met you," Rose said. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

She was downstairs before the men could knock. She instructed Mrs. O'Rinn to answer the door and show them to the drawing room.

"Get rid of the apron first," Rose told her. "Count to ten after they knock before you open the door. Try not to look flustered or rushed."

Mrs. O'Rinn nodded and hid around the corner in Tom's office while they waited for the knock. Rose went into the drawing room, smoothed her dress and sat down in a perfect Lady like pose after first hiding the open sheet music that was sitting on the piano and pushing the popcorn popper under the skirt of the sofa.

She stayed seated when Mrs. O'Rinn showed the men into the room.

"Herr Bauer and Herr Gottleib to see Mr. Branson, Mrs. Branson," Mrs. O'Rinn announced.

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Rinn. Please bring tea through," Rose replied. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Rose Branson. I do not use my formal title as a rule as you can well understand in the Republican State."

"Lady Rose," Herr Bauer said taking her hand and kissing it. Herr Gottleib did the same.

"I cordially decline your invitation for tea. We are in somewhat of a restriction for time today," Herr Bauer said.

"I must insist, Herr Bauer," Rose replied. "It would be an affront to the hospitality of the Estate if we did not make every effort to make you as comfortable as possible," Rose said. "Please have a seat gentlemen."

The two men looked at each other and then took a seat. They knew when they had been out maneuvered.

"Where are you both from originally?" Rose inquired.

"Hamburg," Herr Bauer replied.

"A delightful city so rich in cultural heritage," Rose said. "I visited there often when I was living in Belgium. I do so hope the city remains intact despite this dreadful conflict and you Herr Gottleib?"

"Bremen," he replied impatiently.

"Another beautiful old city," Rose said calmly.

"May I inquire as to the nature of your residence in Belgium?" Herr Gottleib asked.

"It was many years ago before my marriage," Rose replied. "My father was an English diplomat. I spent most of my childhood in Europe. Unfortunately, I speak French rather than German. It would have been of considerable benefit these last weeks with Officer Meyer laid up only a few doors away. As it is communicating base needs with an injured man has proved a significant challenge for the volunteers in our community."

"The doctor and his wife both speak fluently," Herr Bauer stated.

"Yes, but with the shortage of medical personnel in the area, they are often occupied. We must call on volunteers to take up the mantle of care," Rose said.

Mrs. O'Rinn tapped and brought in the tea tray. She had set out the best china.

"Thank goodness for the trappings of civilized society in these times of shortages, don't you agree, Herr Bauer," Rose said as she poured the tea. Mrs. O'Rinn stood by to offer the tray with the cream and sugar to each man and then a tray of sandwiches with the bread crusts cut off. Rose knew it must have almost killed the woman to use their meager bread supply and toss out the crusts on top of things.

"Yes, it is always surprising to find those of breeding in these bucolic settings," Her Bauer said.

"Many great families call the countryside home," Rose said. "Oh there you are darling. These gentlemen were just reminding me of my days in Belgium."

"Welcome to our home, Herr Bauer, Herr Gottleib," Tom said formally. He noticed both of the men were dressed in expensive riding clothes and sitting as stiff as a pair of boards. He was glad he'd taken the extra care with his appearance. His attire was every bit as fine as theirs.

"Tea, Darling?" Rose asked.

"Please," Tom replied. He perched on the edge of a chair in a way he hadn't done since his early days at the Abbey. He laid his riding gloves over his knee.

"Have you any word on the apprehension of the poachers," Rose inquired of him.

"No, not yet," Tom said not letting on anything was amiss with what Rose had said. He'd received word the previous week the culprits in the area had been apprehended. "My groom and I will be going out armed today, gentlemen. Please don't alarm yourself. You never know when you might run across poachers these days."

"It is not necessary," Her Gottleib said. "We can defend ourselves."

"We wouldn't want to take any risks with your safety," Rose said. "The plebian types that dwell around here simply don't understand the rules of property."

"A common problem in many countries," Herr Bauer replied with a slight incline of his head.

Tom couldn't believe the level of veiled threat Rose was handing out under the guise of diplomatic behavior. Rose and Herr Bauer were knocking the diplomatic double talk back and forth so fast it was like trying to keep an eye on a ping pong game he'd seen played once but with the complexity of a chess game. Tom wanted to breath a sigh of relief when Mrs. O'Rinn came back through and announced the constable from Galway City had arrived but he restrained himself.

The two men thanked Rose formally for the tea before Tom escorted them outside. They greeted the constable and after a brief exchange collected their mounts. Sean was in full livery with the loaded rifles already on Tom and his saddles. The ride out to the crash site took a good hour. The men were not happy when they discovered the compass from the aircraft was missing and looked for another part on the undercarriage that was also missing.

"Is there a problem Herr Bauer?" the constable inquired.

"There are important pieces of the crash investigation missing," Herr Bauer replied.

"Most likely passing Gypsies," Tom said keeping his face placid. "They pass through from time to time and pick up odd things that have been abandoned."

"Undesirables are everywhere," Herr Gottleib said. Tom had to keep from gritting his teeth. He knew the others were doing the same.

The constable didn't blink an eyelash. He knew full well there hadn't been any Gypsies in the area for the last two years and there had never been any problem with theft when they were. Other than the poachers that had been apprehended there was next to no crime on the Estate and the region as a whole had very little. Most people didn't bother to lock their doors.

"Oh yes, quite so," Tom said. He was thinking of the souvenirs from the plane wreck the boys had retrieved from the aircraft after the pilot had suggested it during one of Garret's music lessons. The boys had a working aviation compass, altimeter and an elaborate mechanical box of some kind all proudly displayed on top of the mantle in the day nursery, which was now their games room for when they had friends over.

"Our business is concluded," Herr Bauer said.

"We'll see you back to your driver," the constable stated calmly.

Tom waited until the men were back in their car and headed out of the village before he turned to the constable.

"I best head over to the clinic and find out what went on over there," the constable said. "They were an odd pair."

"Wait here a moment," Tom said. He went upstairs got the box and brought it back down.

"Whatever this is, they were looking for it," Tom said. "I think I'll walk over to the clinic with you and have a word with that pilot."

"I'll be sending this to Dublin," the constable said looking at the metal box with curiosity.

Dr. and Mrs. Reigler met them at the door of the clinic the moment they stepped inside. They went in and shut the door to the doctor's office.

"Are they gone?" Dr. Reigler asked.

"Yes. They didn't find what they were looking for," Tom said.

"Flight Officer Meyer told them his plane ran out of fuel after it was damaged and he crashed when his compass malfunctioned," Dr. Reigler said. "He was injured landing in the dark."

"Where you present when they questioned him?" the constable asked.

"It is an older building. The vents lead to the examination room from his room," Mrs. Reigler said. "They are not medical personnel. There was no breech of confidentiality."

"I am sure those men were intelligence, possibly Gestapo," Dr. Reigler commented.

"That sneaky devil. Compass malfunction indeed," Tom said with a faint chuckle.

"Do you know something Mr. Branson?" the constable inquired.

"Only my boys have a functioning German made compass and altimeter they retrieved as souvenirs after a certain officer suggested it during one of Garret's music lessons when Mrs. Reigler had stepped out to answer the door for a moment. He'd taken the time to write it out from the dictionary my wife had given him."

"So our hero of the Fatherland isn't quite such a hero after all," Dr. Reigler said with a chuckle.

"It would seem not," the constable replied with a faint smile. "I'll just be having a word with him about this box before I get myself back to town."

"I'd be quite happy to translate," Mrs. Reigler said.

"No need Frau Reigler. _Ich spreche fließend Deutsch._ I speak fluent German. Allow me to introduce myself. Agent Kahill, Irish Secret Service." He pulled out his ID and allowed them to examine it. "Now I'll just have a quick word with Flight Officer Meyer. Nothing aggressive or detrimental to your patient I assure you."

"Be our guest," Dr. Reigler said.


	30. Coming Home Part X

Coming Home - Part X – Chapter 37 through 40

Chapter 37 – Sitting on Sacks

"All right you, out with it," Rose demanded. Agent Kahill hadn't had time to question Officer Meyer before Rose was through the door. "Don't you pretend not to understand me! You've been practicing English for weeks now. Why did you have my son bring something that might be dangerous to my house?"

"Rose come back here. Let Agent Kahill do his job," Tom called up the stairs.

"I'm getting some answers," Rose called back down.

Agent Kahill translated what Rose had said.

"My family safe. I lost. Punish family if I not good pilot," Officer Meyer said in English as way of apology. He spoke in German to the Agent.

"He says the box he had your sons take from the plane is not a weapon. It is an experimental piece of equipment, but he doesn't know exactly what it is. There was no danger to your house," Agent Kahill said. Officer Meyer spoke again.

"He thought he was over England headed for the English Channel when he bailed out."

Tom and Dr. Reigler had come to the door.

"He must be a terrible navigator if he made that large a mistake," Tom said.

"Actually it wouldn't be hard if he was flying at a higher altitude with a strong wind," Agent Kahill said. "The ground speed would have been greatly increased or decreased depending on which direction he was flying." He asked a few more questions of the officer. "That concludes my business. Thank you all for your cooperation. I'll get this back to the correct authorities."

"It could still have been dangerous if those men had realized the boys had that box, whatever it was," Rose said regarding the man in the bed with suspicion.

"They didn't, come on now Rose and we'll let the man get some rest," Tom said taking her arm. "They're gone. I doubt they'll be back. His war is over. He knows he protected his family. He can go back to being a musician."

"That was the most trying day I've had in a long time," Rose said as they walked back to their home.

"You handled those two from the Embassy like a seasoned professional," Tom said. "I'm going to have to go to confession to atone for all the lies I told today."

"I don't miss that world one bit," Rose said. "Mummy would have had those two running with their tail between their legs."

"I'm glad I'm on her good side these days," Tom replied.

"Hans Meyer had best mind his manners and no more tricks or he'll find out exactly how much like my mother I can be," Rose said with finality. "I will personally ensure he is presented with potatoes three times a day for the next two months."

"The English don't know what a formidable weapon they lost when we moved to the Free State," Tom said with a smile. "Lady Rose Branson, master of torture techniques without laying a finger on them. The German army would be running for cover."

"I'm sure I could come up with a few ideas," she replied with a smile.

-0-

"Sybil, I'm frightened," Astrid cried hugging her sister-in-law tighter.

"We all are," Sybil said hugging her back. "We're safe here in our shelter and we won't come out until the sirens stop."

The drone of the planes overhead was almost deafening even inside their Anderson shelter in the back garden. The bombs weren't falling here but they could hear the dogfight going on overhead as the British planes attempted to halt the progress of the bombers.

"We'll sit tight and wait those evil monsters out," Nanny Grace said. She was in her nightgown and robe with rollers in her hair and a mesh net over top. "I just hope all my boys at Evans House had sense enough to go in the shelter there."

"Sarah and Baby Dalaigh will have gone into the shelter and the men as well whether they were at the hospital or house," Sybil said. Russell had left two days before and they had planned to get Astrid up to school in another two days once she'd had a bit of time to settle down. "It will all pass over and you'll be able to get to your school soon and see your friends. The planes won't bother a tiny town like Bruton or one like Horsham either."

"Do you think the horses are all right?" Astrid said.

"They're all in the stable with the lights out," Sybil said reassuringly. "They're probably fast asleep."

"As you should be," Nanny Grace said.

"No," Astrid said tightening her arms around Sybil.

"It's all right Astrid. Tomorrow when there are no sirens we'll bring more things out here and move the vegetable boxes out," Sybil said. "We'll make our shelter all cozy and if those nasty planes come back. We'll have our very own club house."

Astrid nodded against her and held on through the long night.

-0-

Sarah arrived back in Horsham the next day shaken up and tired from the long night, but no worse for wear.

"Storing vegetables in the shelter was not a good idea," she said after the women had hugged each other and checked each other over. "We spent the night sitting on top of sacks of potatoes. The bombing was all concentrated in one area. It wasn't near the hospital or the house."

"Still," Sybil replied. "I'm very glad Redmond insisted on putting in shelters."

"The neighbors came over to ours. The men were all at the hospital. I was glad of the company," Sarah said. "It would have been just me with the baby and the housekeeper. The butler went out to fire duty at St. Pauls."

"I should go in to the house in town and get things sorted out. Unless you need me here, Mrs. Beldon," Nanny Grace commented.

"I think Sarah and I can get Astrid to school on our own," Sybil replied. "If you feel the need to go into town, go ahead. We need to make the shelter here a bit more comfortable as well."

"I'm going to go for a nap while the baby is down," Sarah said. "I'll help you with the shelter later this afternoon. There is no question of trying to cross to the Free State now. The radio was reporting the ports were the heaviest hit."

"We're going to have to wait it out," Sybil replied. "It's the only way. It's good to know you and Redmond are both safe."

Sybil worked on moving the garden produce they had already collected that year to the cellar. She was too wound up to sleep even though she was tired. When Astrid woke up they would finish her packing for school. Sybil couldn't help but worry about Russell. She hoped he was already out to sea or had spent the night safely tucked away in a bomb shelter. This was the first time the bombing had come this close and it was unnerving to say the least.

Her garden filled every inch of the cottage grounds. She had left the flowerbeds but every bit of lawn had been converted to rows of vegetables. Other cottages and homes in the area had converted their back gardens to vegetables, but Sybil couldn't see the point in hanging on to the grass. Last year her massive garden had kept them well feed as well as the house in London despite the rationing. She'd even taken bags of vegetables to her mother and father-in-law's home in the late winter before the early vegetables were available. With all the rationing and the wardens watching every sheep, cow and pig even getting supplies down from Downton was next to impossible. Her last trip up she'd stopped by to visit her Uncle Kieran. He'd looked old but he'd still been his usual chipper self and told her all about his misadventures training with the fire brigade. Johnny was with the Home Guard and manning the pillbox defenses set up on some of the highest hills. With the demands on the farms and the lack of skilled tradesmen with every available man going to the army their business was swamped.

The Abbey had seemed distant and removed with the injured recovering there and the rest of the family had all seemed the same as always. The women were involved in their charities and despite being older the uncles still seemed the same. They were as different as night and day like their wives. Uncle Michael and Aunt Edith had taken the evacuee children down to the swimming spot with Sybil and Astrid. Elizabeth had come along to jump in the water as well. Aunt Mary had sat on the shore and never ventured near the water while Aunt Edith rolled up the legs of her shorts and waded in. Uncle Anthony had been at a meeting. Despite the shortages and the rationing, dinner at Aunt Mary's was still a grand affair, while dinner with the rest of the family had been more relaxed with Aunt Edith and Grandmamma keeping an eye on all the children to make sure their table manners were correct. She'd lived in both houses they now occupied but it hadn't felt like home. Home was here with her husband in their cottage to the side of the grounds of the main house in Horsham.

Once she had the vegetables moved, she walked over to ask the gardeners if they had some planks to cover the floor of the shelter. She found both men in the back vegetable garden. Even the training facility needed every morsel of food they could lay their hands on. The men agreed to take care of laying a floor in the shelter that afternoon. Sybil headed back and finally gave in to sleep before everyone woke up and they decided what to do to make the shelter more comfortable.

-0-

"It's been quiet again," Sarah commented ten days later. "They say they're targeting the ports and leaving the cities alone again."

"The lull before the storm?" Sybil questioned. "I'm not going to worry about it. I've got school starting tomorrow, Astrid is back at her school and we've got to finish getting the garden haversted."

"One more year to go on Redmond's residency," Sarah said with a sigh. "He's learning a great deal but at what cost. He's almost always exhausted."

"It will be Davin's last year for his degree. So far the bombers have left Edinburgh alone and targeted Glasgow instead."

"They don't want to destroy their whiskey supply if they managed to invade Scotland," Sarah joked.

"You're terrible," Sybil laughed.

"I'm Irish," Sarah said with a wink and a smile. "We've got the blankets, milk powder and everything else in a bundle by the back door. If the sirens sound again we'll grab it and head out. It's much drier in the shelter now with the planking."

"We'll be more comfortable with the chairs and a bit of a cot to lay on," Sybil said. "They certainly made a mess on the last raid. There are bullet holes all over the side of the bakery and the church in the village."

"We'll make do," Sarah replied.

On the first day of class, Sybil noticed a difference in right away. Some of the women from the last two years had chosen to go to factory jobs or into the Land Army rather than continue their education. Most of the outlandish get ups the women wore that required yards of fabric were gone. They were now replaced with a tighter narrower style and a great many looked to be wearing clothes made from older ones that had been reworked as Sybil's had for years. Otherwise class was normal. They were learning merchandizing and some of the more specialized tailoring techniques that would be worked into their spring collections for a fashion show next spring.

During the second week of class the sirens over the city started to wail and everyone quickly made their way to a group shelter that was set up in part of the London underground. The Red Cross volunteers were handing out tea and blankets. There was fear in the air but also a sense of determination that they would survive and overcome. The women from her course sat in a group with their sketch books coming up with new ideas and working on their last assignment until they gave up and made their blankets into makeshift beds on the cold tiled floors. The next morning the sirens sounded the all clear and they emerged into a city where the air hung heavy with smoke.

"Clean up as best you can ladies, class in two hours," the instructor told the group before they went their separate ways. Sybil accompanied a girl who lived in a flat a few blocks away to get cleaned up and have a bite of breakfast before they headed back to class again.

"I'm going to have to remember to start bringing two lunches incase we wind up in the tunnels again," Sybil joked.

"It was a little more organized this time than last," her friend replied. "Last time we were all on the floor huddled together and scared out of our wits."

"I hope my sister-in-law is doing well with just her and the baby," Sybil said. "I worry about my brother. He's a surgical intern at St. Mary's."

"They mostly leave the hospitals alone from the reports on the radio," Sybil's friend replied. "It's not much, but we'll share what I have for breakfast."

"I'll bring you some veg from home tomorrow," Sybil said.

"That would be lovely."

That afternoon class ended a bit early since everyone was exhausted. It took Sybil longer than normal to get home. The train scheduled had been put out of wack from the bombing but the trains were still running. She was half way through the village when the sirens started to wail again. She ran as fast as she could to the cottage. She noticed Sarah had already grabbed their bundle from by the kitchen door. When she burst through the door of the shelter the two women embraced quickly then closed up the door. A few minutes later there was a knock and the two gardeners came in to join them.

"We could see the planes. There's no time to get home to our own places," one of the gardeners said.

"You're welcome to stop here," Sybil replied.

"Thank you kindly Mam," the one man said. "We do patrols with our group in the mornings looking for downed aircrew."

Sybil nodded.

"How was it last night?" Sarah asked her.

"Dreadful. We slept on blankets on the subway floor," Sybil replied.

"We're snug now with the blankets and chairs and things, but I was still scared out of my wits," Sarah said. "I'm worried about Redmond."

"Nanny Grace would find a way to get a call through if there was anything to report," Sybil replied. "They didn't bomb that section of the city."

"It's still horrible."

Sybil was so tired she took the blankets and rolled pallet and made up the bed in the shelter. She got in and cuddled her infant nephew close. She was asleep in minutes despite the sound of dogfights and aircraft falling out of the sky going on right overhead.

The next day when Sybil went into London for classes she took a rucksack with her packed with a change of clothes, a blanket and an extra lunch incase she got stuck in town again. Nanny Grace had telephoned early in the morning to say everyone at the house was fine and the doctors had all gone in to work. The sirens had started again in the middle of the afternoon and it had been a repeat of two days before. After ten consecutive days of daily bombing raids the instructors had made an announcement. The class would meet on Mondays and Fridays. They would give out the assignments on Monday and review everyone's work on the Friday until the bombing let up. Sybil headed home with relief. The nights with little sleep were putting her on edge. She had just gotten in the door and taken her coat off when the sirens started. Sybil quickly picked up the baby out of his playpen in a corner of the kitchen while Sarah grabbed a pot of soup meant for their dinner off the stove.

"I'm so tired," Sybil said once she sat down. Sarah set the pot of warm soup on their little table.

"We need to make a better bed out here so we can get a decent night's rest," Sybil commented.

"Little Dalaigh sleeps right through it all," Sarah said.

"There hasn't even been any mail since all this started. I would like to hear from the folks. Just to know they're alright."

"You're father-in-law in Eastbourne is with the anti-aircraft gun crew isn't he?" Sarah asked.

"He is. He has a bad hand but he can still load shells and ammunition," Sybil sighed.

"I'm not letting all my work making dinner go to waste," Sarah said. She ladled out two bowls of soup using the dishes they kept on a shelf in the shelter. They had almost finished their meal when they heard the sound of an aircraft either diving or falling and a loud thump. The ground shook and the floorboards felt as though they had bounced at least an inch.

"Whatever it was it was close," Sarah said.

"Very, we'll find out what it was in the morning."

"I'm going to have a look," Sarah said.

"No Sarah, you can't, it's too dangerous," Sybil said. "You're not going out there. You have a baby to think about. I'll take a quick look." She turned off the light inside the shelter and opened the door a crack. She quickly shut the door and sat on the bed.

"What did you see?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing. It will wait until morning," Sybil said. "You lay down. I'll collect up our dishes and join you in a minute." She moved to collect their dishes and put them in a basin under the table.

"Sybil," Sarah said after a bit, "Do you think there is anywhere safe right now?"

"I don't know," Sybil said quietly.

"What did you see?" Sarah asked.

"It will wait till morning," Sybil replied as she curled up on the pallet beside Sarah and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Chapter 38 – A Garden Ornament

"Your son not come now?" Officer Meyer asked Rose. She was over to see to him for the morning. He had the cast off his arm and was to do a series of exercises to help build his strength. Both legs were still in casts up to his thighs and he wasn't allowed up yet. There wasn't any point in getting him into a wheelchair as the clinic was two stories.

"My children have gone back to school," Rose said. "They're busy."

"Why are you mad?" he asked with a frown.

"I'm worried. Your country is bombing London. Two of my children are there." There were no letters and no word. Not a thing was getting through at the moment.

"My family Berlin," he said with a shrug. "Your country bomb."

"My family are in Berlin," Rose corrected without thinking. She pushed the small table over to the bed and set a mirror on it with a bowl of warm water and a set of shaving things.

"You can shave yourself and wash your own face now," she said.

"You are not fright?" he had a bit of grin.

"Frightened. The correct phrase is _Are you frightened?"_

"Are you frightened?"

"For my children yes, of you, no. I'm not afraid of a pilot that can't tell one country from the other."

"From the air it all looks the same. More at night," he said. He worked on shaving off his stubble. "Your country bomb Berlin many times. I don't know if family safe."

"You're not the only one," Rose muttered.

"I teach Garret now better. I have two hand."

"You can teach better now that you have two _hands._"

Officer Meyer smiled.

"You are boss for your husband."

"I'm a boss for you, you cheeky thing," Rose retorted with a frown. "You just mind your tongue or I'll have Mrs. Sheahan over to see to you every morning."

"No, thank you," he said quickly.

Rose got a small grin on her face in spite of herself. He finished shaving and wiped his face.

"Now we need to get you washed up as best we can and change the sheets," Rose said. "You're starting to look grubby."

"What is growby?"

"Untidy, unkept, Not very officer like."

"I am not good officer. I like music better. I get in trouble always."

"You are possibly the most un-officer like officer I've ever met," Rose said. "Take off your shirt."

"It is not polite to be without clothes with a married lady."

"Now that sounds like an officer. I'm here to help you get cleaned up. I'll wash your back and you can do the rest yourself. Then we'll figure out how to change the sheets. I'll be right back."

Rose collected the shaving items and put them away. She took the bowl of water to the washroom to change it and came back with clean. Officer Meyer had his pajama jacket off and the sheet wadded around his waist. Rose washed and dried his back then left him alone to do the rest himself. Rose thought he looked to be around twenty-five years old if that. He didn't seem overly interested in the war except for his family's safety. There hadn't been a peep from the embassy since the two men were there and the authorities weren't overly interested in him either.

"There you can see to yourself now," Rose said. She left a clean pair of pajamas on the night table before she exited the room. She came back ten minutes later and tapped on the door. She went into the room and noticed right away he hadn't put on the clean pajama bottoms.

"What are you playing at not changing your bottoms," she scolded.

His face turned bright red.

"I cannot put on bottom with two legs broken," he said. Rose looked at the two long casts with a wrinkled brow. It was going to be tricky enough getting his bed changed with him barely able to shift from one side of the bed to the other, but with a bare bottom it was going to be even worse. The doctor and his wife had seen to his sponge baths until this point as it was more complicated with three extremities in casts.

"I'll think of something," she said. "Sit up and push yourself as far to the foot of the bed as you can."

He wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"This way," Rose tapped the end of the bed. He slowly pushed himself down since his arm was still weak and the casts were heavy. She pulled the sheet down then put the new one on and changed the pillow. "Now slide yourself the other way while I hold the sheet." There was a lot of squirming and wiggling until he managed to get himself to the head of the bed and leaned against the pillow. Rose got out the clean top sheet and spread it out over the top of the bed so he could hold it up while she pulled the soiled sheets off. Everything was going fairly smoothly until she tried to get the clean bottom sheet out from under him and rolled towards the foot of the bed.

"It's stuck," she said. "Push yourself up." He tried but his arm was too weak to get any height. "It's no good I'm going to have to get help." She glanced out the window to see Lollan and Bryan's mother walking past. Rose opened the window and called her to come and give her a hand. Mrs. O'Daley hadn't been to help out with the pilot before and she came up pleased as punch Mrs. Branson had called on her for help.

"We have a touch of a problem Mrs. O'Daley," Rose said. "I'm changing the sheets but I've managed to get the bottom one stuck. Officer Meyer isn't strong enough to push himself up with the two casts on his legs."

"Well now let's see. I think a big part of your problem is you can't see what you're doing," Mrs. O'Daley said. She took the top sheet and flicked it off the top of the bed in one motion.

"Nien, No," Officer Meyer cried trying to cover himself with his hands.

"What a lot of fuss over nothing," Mrs. O'Daley said. "Mrs. Branson here has five sons and I've six. You haven't got anything we haven't diapered, powdered and tended a hundred times over. Now you just hold onto me. I'll lift while Mrs. Branson pulls."

Mrs. O'Daley reached out, grabbed him under the underarms and lifted him a good six inches off the bed. Rose quickly pulled the bottom sheet down as far as she could and grabbed the top sheet from the floor.

"I think we have it now, Mrs. Daley," Rose said. "Thank you for your help." Officer Meyer snatched the clean sheet from Rose as quickly as he could once Mrs. O'Daley released him and shoved it in his lap in a great ball.

"Such a shy thing. Too bad he's not Irish. He'd be a good match for my Rosie," Mrs. O'Daley said contemplatively.

"He has a terrible sense of direction," Rose replied. "He wouldn't know Northern Ireland from the Free State. Your daughter would be liable to wind up in Scotland or Wales and he wouldn't know the difference."

"Yes, tis a shame," Mrs. O'Daley said. "She's got her eye on one of those race track lot. You know how shifty they are."

"One can never be too careful with a daughter Mrs. O'Daley," Rose agreed.

"I might just send her around to sit with him. You never know," Mrs. O'Daley said. "She might have a change of heart and save me some grief."

"Officer Meyer is a music teacher. Perhaps you should send Lollan and Bryan around. He might give them a few lessons if they took to him."

"I might at that," Mrs. O'Daley replied. "You can expect my lot tonight after chores are done," she informed Officer Meyer before she left.

"I am trained at Frankfurt University. Two degrees. I do not teach children," he said sticking his nose in the air.

"Do you want to teach my children?" Rose asked. She was lifting one leg and rolling the sheet down then switching to the other side of the bed.

"Your youngest son is gift. The older ones plays," he waved his hand for so-so.

"Dylan is also better than average as you well know. His talent is art. My other son, Bradley plays piano and drum. He plans to become a doctor. Everyone knows Garret is exceptional. If you want me to send Garret over with a violin you can borrow to amuse yourself, you'll humor Mrs. O'Daley and at least attempt to teach her sons."

"No," he said stubbornly.

"No teaching the O'Daley children, no violin to amuse yourself and no Garret."

"I teach if you do not have her come for next bath."

"I'll get her daughter instead. She's quite a looker," Rose said with a smile. She had the sheets tucked in and was putting the top cover in place. "What were you doing over Ireland?"

"I told you lost. I was in dogfight doing loops. I went into clouds and got I lost. I told them I musician and they put me pilot. There are stupid heads everywhere."

"It's one way to put it," Rose said with a sigh. "I'll send Garret over when he gets home from school. He plays music with the other two that are coming for lessons. It's something different than what you're used to."

"Good not so boring then."

"Not so boring," Rose said with a faint smile.

"I hope your family is safe," he said as she was getting ready to leave.

"I hope yours is as well," Rose replied before she went out the door.

-0-

Sybil woked up and reached for the flashlight. She shone it on the wind up clock they had started keeping in the bomb shelter. It read three thirty. The sirens were quiet. She wiggled out of the bed she was sharing with Sarah so not to wake her. They definitely needed to come up with a better bed than they had. The two of them repeatedly sharing a narrow single bed was uncomfortable to say the least. She smoothed her dress a bit. _"Who am I smoothing it for?"_ she thought to herself. It was wrinkled to the point where it would have to be washed and pressed and possibly hung over a pot of steaming water to get all of the wrinkles out.

She stepped out of the shelter and closed the door behind her. In the grey light before dawn the scene that greeted her was one that made her stomach twist into a knot. There in her potato patch not five feet from the shelter was the tail section of a German plane sticking out of the ground. The swastika was clearly visible and the cross piece of the tail had come to rest over the top of their bomb shelter. The thought of what would have happened had the plane section fallen a few feet closer made her knees wobble.

Sybil climbed out of the depression where the door to the shelter was and went to inspect the rest of the damage. It had just missed the cottage on the other side but it had clipped the roof and there was a good gouge that was going to have to be repaired before the autumn rains started. Sybil shivered in the cool air and went inside to retrieve her coat. She thought she would check around the cottage to see if there was any more debris. Bits of metal were scattered all over the ground at the front of the cottage. Sybil stepped through the front gate. She stopped and pressed her hand over her mouth. She took off at a fast trot towards the village. She spotted one of the older men from the village in his Home Guard uniform. He was carrying a shotgun. Further down the lane there was another group of Home Guardsmen with three German airmen.

"Mr. Thompson," Sybil called waving to the man.

"Mrs. Beldon, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"There's a man in front of my cottage," she said. "You'll be needing a stretcher to get him to the graveyard."

"We've found the other one lads," Mr. Thompson called to the others.

"There's one other thing," Sybil said. "I have a large piece of aircraft stuck in my garden. Is there anyway you could have it removed."

"The body I can have moved or if you find one of these jokers alive, we can round them up and put them in the pokey until the army come round to collect them. There's not a thing I can do about the bits and pieces. The wheel from the one that came down last night went right through the post office roof. There are pieces all over the village. You'll be on your own until the military arrive."

"If you could see to the dead man right away," Sybil said. "I don't want my sister-in-law to see him when she wakes up."

"Well be by shortly Mrs. Beldon, as soon as we get these ones locked up. It's not like he'll be trying to escape."

Sybil headed back to the cottage. She averted her gaze when she passed the dead man. She made some tea and porridge in the kitchen then went out to get Sarah up and into the house. Sarah gasped and pulled Dalaigh tight to her making him cry when she saw the piece of the plane.

"It's not safe here Sybil," she said. "We're in the country but it's every bit as bad as London, maybe worse."

"It's a fluke," Sybil said reassuringly. "We had a near miss, but we're both fine and so is the baby."

"I'm going back to Ireland. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going home," Sarah said emphatically.

"Sarah the ports are a mess. How are you planning to cross the Irish Sea? You can't walk across."

"I don't know, but I'll find a way," she said with determination.

"Go into the city and see Redmond. Talk it over with him first before you do anything," Sybil said. Sarah nodded her acceptance before she went into the house.

That afternoon after Sarah had taken the train into the city, Sybil got out the wheelbarrow and worked on picking up the smaller bits of metal strewn around the yard. She put them out on a pile at the side of the lane. The military had been around and said the scrappers would collect any metal and the tail section of the aircraft in a few days. While she worked she thought how much she would like to hear from Russell. Mr. Taylor the town postmaster stopped by. He handed Sybil two letters. She was dying to tear them open but managed to smile politely while Mr. Taylor surveyed the tail section sticking up from the ground in her back garden.

"The garden isn't so bad. You could even keep it for an ornament if they didn't need all the bits of metal they can get for the war effort," he said.

"I don't particularly care for it," Sybil said ruefully.

"You're lucky it didn't take out your roof. Mrs. Little's place caught on fire when one of the engines landed on hers," Mr. Taylor commented.

"There's only a small hole. The gardeners will repair it tomorrow. We were fortunate there wasn't more damage," Sybil said.

"We're getting all sorts of downed aircraft in this area. Not too many right in the towns though. They say the towns on the coast are getting the hardest hit. They're keeping the lads in the Home Guard busy rounding them up around these parts," Mr. Taylor said. "I best get on with my rounds and catch a few winks incase they start up again and we have to go out on patrol."

"Until tomorrow," Sybil said with a wave as she watched him continue on his rounds. She tore the first letter from Camilla open and read it quickly. Grandmamma Susan had died. She'd become so distraught when the bombing first started in London she'd had a stroke and hadn't pulled through. Sybil paused. It was surprising news. Grandmamma Susan had always seemed so immovable but underneath Mummy had always said she was a worrier. She'd worried so much she had worried herself into the grave. Camilla said otherwise their lives in Edinburgh were continuing on. Davin was set to graduate that spring and they had decided to go back to the Free State once they could to set up his practice. Camilla had liked it there so much when she lived there, they had decided to make it their home.

The second letter was from Abigail Barrow. Thomas, Russell's adopted father had been injured during one of the raids while manning the guns. He was in hospital but she didn't know for how long. Abigail had wanted to join up as an anti-aircraft gunner but they were only taking women under the age of 39 and she was too old. She was helping with the Red Cross instead. Sybil sat down on a bench in the garden when she read the news. Mr. Barrow had always been part of her life. He was there when she was little and now he was her father-in-law. He wasn't a man everyone took to but he'd always been good to her and he'd been a good father to Russell and grandfather to Astrid. She hoped he pulled through. She worried about Russell but the news of Mr. Barrow's injury was hitting her hard. She took her letters in the house and thought for a bit.

She should go to be with Mrs. Barrow, but her mind kept turning to her brother and his family and wondering how they were making out. She decided to head down to see Mrs. Barrow so she wouldn't be alone. She headed down to speak to the Head Groom and have him check on the house while she was gone. She came back to the cottage and was just about to get her case out when there was a knock at the door.

She opened the door to find Mrs. Taylor standing at the door with a group of four children that looked to be between the ages of five and seven.

"Billeting visit Mrs. Beldon," Mrs. Taylor said. "They're sending them out of the city in droves. Every bed in the village is filled you're the last one."

"Oh my," Sybil said. She looked at the children's faces full of fear and exhaustion. There were tearstains on two of their cheeks. "I have two rooms free, my sister-in-law may be back from London at any time or my Aunt."

"Two girls and the two boys then," Mrs. Taylor said. "They can share a room. There simply isn't anywhere else."

"Come in children," Sybil said. Her heart went out to them. She had no idea how she was going to manage getting into the city for class with four children to see to but she would figure something out.

"Mrs. Taylor would you be able to send a telegram or two for me if I give you some money?" Sybil asked.

"Yes, I could. The telegraph is still working despite the hole in the roof," she said stepping in behind the children. "You all have a seat at the kitchen table while Mrs. Beldon and I have a word." Sybil wrote out her telegrams while Mrs. Taylor left a neat stack of ration books and contact information for the children's parents on the table. Mrs. Taylor counted out the words and let Sybil know how much it would be to send the telegrams.

"I'll be sure and send your messages the minute I'm back to the office," Mrs. Taylor said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor," Sybil replied closing the door behind her.

"Hello children. My name is Mrs. Beldon. Let's get you all upstairs and unpacked," Sybil said as cheerfully as she could. "Then we'll walk down to visit the horses before dinner. Are all of you brothers and sisters?"

She got a "No" as a chorus back.

"Then we'll all have to get to know each other," she said. "Come along."

Chapter 39 – Who's Guests

Nanny Grace took Dalaigh downstairs for a bottle when he woke up from his nap. His parents had been arguing non-stop since his mother arrived in London the day before. Young Mr. Branson was arguing it was too dangerous to travel to Ireland at the moment and young Mrs. Branson was determined to go home to her parents. She had stewed and steamed when he left for work in the afternoon and been in a foul mood all night while they sat in the shelter. The next day she'd finally agreed to wait and speak to his uncle about the crossing before attempting it. The baby was fussing and fretting with his parents upset and it was making for a trying time.

Nanny's charges at the house included five men all residents at the hospital. Four of them were in the military but there simply wasn't anywhere else for them to stay in the city. Young Mr. Branson was medically exempt. Most days the men went in to the hospital the moment the sirens stopped to treat the wounded then came home exhausted, ate, bathed and slept in the shelter before they packed up and did it all over again the next day. Some times it was three days before they made it back to bathe and change. Not a one of them had a day off in the seventeen days since the daily bombing had started. They had given up trying to sleep in the house and had built two sets of bunk beds in the shelter with a narrow space in between where you had to turn sideways to walk. Otherwise they had a nightstand table that held their radio, cups and water jug and a single chair. There wasn't room for anything else.

Three days after Sarah had left Sybil had three of the children signed up for school. She and the youngest boy were outside watching the men cut the aircraft tail into sections before loading it on the lorry. She was wondering how many of her mangled potatoes she was going to be able to save. The gardeners were over putting in bunk beds in the bomb shelter after they finished repairs on the roof. It had been a tense couple of nights while the planes droned overhead and the machine guns rattled. They'd slept three girls on the floor with a pile of quilts while the two boys shared the pallet. Sybil had read them a bedtime story and tried to make the time in the shelter like an adventure but it hadn't stopped the fears and homesickness they were all feeling. She turned suddenly when Sarah and her Aunt Victoria came through the garden gate. Sarah had Dalaigh in her arms and Aunt Victoria was carrying two cases.

"I'm so happy to see you both," Sybil cried. She dashed over and threw her arms around both women at the same time. "I didn't know what I was going to do."

"I've given up on going home for the moment," Sarah said. "I spoke to your uncle finally when he had a minute. They're shooting at anything that moves on the water at the moment. He said between the bombs and the strafing runs I'm better off to take my chances on dry land."

"Sybil whatever is the matter," Victoria said. "Hello, who are you?" There was a little boy peaking around Sybil's skirt.

"Nothing is exactly the matter," Sybil said tearfully. "This is Jimmy, he's the youngest of the evacuee children. We have four staying with us."

"Four?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"Mr. Barrow is in hospital. He was injured while he was on the guns at the coast and Grandmamma Susan died but you probably already knew that," Sybil said in one breath.

"Yes, we were sorry to hear the news. James hasn't had a minute to process it yet," Victoria said.

"It never rains but it pours," Sybil replied tearfully. "I'm pregnant." She burst into tears.

"When?" Sarah asked then caught herself. "That was a silly question we all know when."

"Right before Russell left," Sybil said. "I didn't know how I was going to get to class tomorrow. I'm such a mess."

"You're not a mess, but our potato patch certainly is," Sarah said glancing over and looking ruefully at the mangled ground with damaged potatoes lying all over. "Think of this as an opportunity to design a maternity wardrobe. You'll be able to model it yourself.

"I was going to try and salvage some once they're done," Sybil said.

"Clothes?" Victoria asked.

"No, potatoes," Sybil replied laughing through her tears.

"Never mind the dreary potatoes. They'll keep," Victoria said. "I think I'll go in and unpack and watch the baby. What the two of you need is a good ride in the country to clear your heads. It's a nice day. Go out and enjoy it before those Nazi's ruin it. Stiff upper lip girls, we need to make the best of things."

"Come along Jimmy, you heard Lady Newtonmore," Sybil said drying her tears. "We're going for a ride in the country before the others get home from school."

"I don't know how to ride a horse," he said pulling his finger out of his mouth.

"You can ride with the groom," Sarah said. "It will be a new adventure."

"I'd like an adbenture," Jimmy replied.

"Then we shall have one," Sybil said with a smile.

-0-

"A telegram from your father to say your mother has passed on and one from Sybil to say everyone is still alive," Tom said. "Both of them almost gave me a coronary."

"There's not much coming across the water for mail at the moment," Rose said. "The papers say forty straight days so far of nighttime bombings in London. Coventry has been almost totally flattened and Liverpool isn't doing much better."

"How are things with the patient down the way? I won't call him a prisoner as the only thing that's keeping him cooped up at the moment is the cast that's still on one leg. Yesterday I saw him in his robe trying to get around the garden on crutches. I noticed you haven't been over much."

"No need. The young ladies of the village have discovered him. They're tripping over themselves to sit with him and see to his meals and sponge baths. Although I don't think he needs a sponge bath any longer," Rose said with a smirk.

"Either their enjoying what they see or he is," Tom said with a smile. "There was a letter from the police today thanking us for our help in recovering the item from the airplane. They say it wasn't anything dangerous."

"I wonder what it was," Rose said.

"Not like any of us will ever know," Tom replied. "I just wish Redmond had chosen to study in Dublin instead of London."

"He'll come home someday," Rose said. "The Irish born ones are all educated in England and the English born ones will all be educated in Ireland."

"At the moment Garret could be getting his education in Germany from all the attention he's getting from that character at the clinic."

"You have to admit his violin playing is improving by leaps and bounds," Rose said. "The difference is amazing. Even the Irish music they play with their group of friends has improved. Officer Meyer certainly knows a thing or two about music."

"As long as he's not teaching them any of his Nazi rhetoric," Tom stated.

"The man claims he isn't a Nazi."

"He's not a Nazi and he's an officer in the German Air force?" Tom said dubiously.

"He says they shoot anyone who refuses to fight," Rose said.

"What a bloody country," Tom said before he turned back to his stack of mail.

-0-

"Russell says he's glad the bomb shelter is holding up and that we are safe," Sybil read. She had received a letter from Russell near the beginning of November. "The rations are tasteless, they're busy on the way back from picking up the wounded but it's a bit dull on the way there. He can't say where they are, only that the weather is warm. He also says I need to be sure and elevate my feet." Sybil read the last bit with a smile. "He's such a hen."

"Not as much of one as Redmond," Sarah said. "I can't believe I'm pregnant again, so soon. I don't want to have this one in a bomb shelter."

"We'll try and avoid the drama of last time," Sybil said. "Mrs. Little was a Godsend."

"After fourteen times you would learn the ropes," Sarah said with a slight grimace.

"I would think my brother wouldn't want children so close together."

"I want the children close together and as many as God sends our way."

"Sarah you have to be able to feed and clothe them all," Sybil said.

"We'll be just fine. I always wanted a large family."

"I'm from a family of six. It's not always fun. Mummy always say the eldest three came potty trained or she would have never managed," Sybil commented.

"I don't particularly care for that part," Sarah admitted. "What other news of the family?"

"Mr. Barrow is expecting to go back to serving on the guns soon. Cousin George is champing at the bit to sign up but he still has another year and a half at university. There is no word from Russell's natural father but he only writes sporadically. Astrid will be home at Christmas as usual."

"I know this is Astrid's home but it will mean one more to squash in the shelter when there is a raid. It was almost a relief when your Aunt Victoria went back to London," Sarah said.

"It's more comfortable than the times I've had to stay over in the subway," Sybil said. "It's amazing my school is still standing. They've blown the garment district to bits and there the school stands untouched in the middle of it all. I often wish we were still living at the main house. We could easily fill up every bedroom these days."

"The government would have taken it away by now and you would have had no choice about the grounds," Sarah reminded her.

"That's true," Sybil replied. "Let's walk down to the village and see what we can find to make our evening meal more interesting. I'm determined the children will have a jolly Christmas next month even if we all wind up wearing paper hats and playing pin the tail on the donkey in a bomb shelter."

-0-

"What are Tom and Rose thinking taking in a German officer to live with them," Edith said in shock as she read Rose's letter.

"Let me see that," Mary said. Edith handed her the letter.

"She says the German's don't want him back until he's fully recovered and the authorities don't want him either. There is nowhere for him to go and he can walk now although he still has to use a cane. They're letting him stay with them until the New Year when he finds a place to go or the consulate comes for him."

"Good grief," Michael said. "You'd think the Germans would want any man who can hold a gun."

"Or they've pushed the file somewhere and forgotten they have him," Anthony pointed out. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"No it wouldn't," Michael agreed.

Rose says they're dressing him in some old suits of Tom's. He doesn't even have a uniform since they cut it off him when he was first discovered and taken to the clinic for treatment.

"You're free to go in your birthday suit," Mary said. Everyone laughed.

"I do hope they're being careful," Cora commented.

"It's rural Ireland. What would anyone have to spy on there?" Anthony said. "It's the same as this area. Is the amount of sheep in any one pasture a matter of national security or how many fields of vegetables we have? Our patrols are all about looking for paratroopers and they're too far south to have to worry about that. Frankly I can't see why anyone would want to parachute into Downton."

"Perhaps they heard about the brewery," Mary said with a giggle.

"Mary behave yourself," Edith said with a smile.

"Speaking of behaving, are those two boys behaving now that they're back?" Cora asked.

"Gracious, the three of them are enough to drive a saint to distraction," Mary said. "No sooner were they back than Elizabeth put sand in their under drawers and socks, while they were in the drawer of course. I finally had enough when one side or the other put petroleum jelly on the commode and guess who fell in."

"They weren't counting on Mary deciding on a way to get them back," Anthony said. "She tied one boys wrist to Elizabeth's and their ankles and one on the other side and left them like that from first thing in the morning until bed time, what three days in a row?"

"It was an entire three hours of amusement in the shelter watching the three of them try to maneuver around," Mary said. "They were too afraid of me to untie the fabric strips holding them together."

"I must get going," Michael said. "Spotting duty yet again."

"I have it as well," Anthony said. "We may be too old for combat but there's still a bit of get up and go left in the boys at home."

"We'll see how much get up and go you have when you come home so stiff you can barely move again," Mary said.

"It is a tad cold out there," Michael said.

"Don't forget your flask of soup the housekeeper made you," Edith reminded Michael.

"We're going for war duty not on a picnic," Michael said with disgust as he retrieved the flask of soup sitting on a side table.

"You take soup. What can it hurt?" Edith asked.

"We can't even pretend for five minutes we're still young enough for combat," Anthony complained once they were out of earshot of the women.

"Soup is the trick. Stops you from stiffening up every time," Michael said.

"Thanks I'll keep that in mind," Anthony replied with a grimace at the thought of another cold night spent in a dugout watching for enemy aircraft and paratroopers.

-0-

"Our drawing room is not a meeting room for the local music conservatory," Tom griped. "When he's not holding classes or talking music he's chatting up the local girls."

"Tom he's a young man who is bored. What did you do when you were twenty-five?"

"I worked."

"And?"

"Chased after my first wife when I wasn't reading about politics," Tom said gloomily.

"We're saving quite a bit on music lessons."

"The worst is he's wearing my clothes," Tom grumbled.

"Old clothes that you don't wear anymore. The only other person around here that would have anything suitable is Millicent Donnelly's husband and he's a good six inches shorter than you. What's Officer Meyer supposed to do? He doesn't have a work permit and technically he's still a part of the German military. I don't quite know what to do with him and neither does anyone else."

"Rosie O'Daley has a good idea of what to do with him as do half the girls his age in this village," Tom said with a snort.

"You sound like a dirty old man," Rose scolded. "If I didn't know better I would say you're jealous."

"Just so long as you've still got an eye for me and he doesn't turn his eye on you. I'm perfectly happy," Tom replied.

"You're always first in my eyes," Rose replied clucking him under the chin.

Two women who were senior instructors from the Music Academy in Galway City were over. They had been so impressed with Garret's rapid progress in violin and more recently in piano they had wanted to meet the man responsible.

"You play so well. You should audition for the Dublin Symphony," one of the women said.

"I cannot. I do not have a work permit," Hans Meyer replied. "Here I am no one. There is no military or defense base close. They do not care about me. If I go to Dublin I will be arrested as a spy. I must find a place where I am quiet until the war is finished unless the consulate comes for me. Besides I do not have my violin. It is rare wine compared with water."

"But what will you do?"

"Heal so I can walk without cane first and continue to teach for my meals. It is all I can do. I will work in fields if I have to. I am not prisoner but I am not free either."

"It's a waste."

"War is a waste of effort and people. You are here now, we should play not waste time worrying over future."

"I've brought something along you might appreciate," one of the ladies said. "It isn't played as often as it should be." She opened the case to reveal a violin of high quality.

"We play now," Hans said picking up the instrument reverently.

"Yes, you can play and we'll listen," the other lady said.

"That's it," Tom said an hour later. "There's not a thing getting done in this house." He'd come out of his office to find Mrs. O'Rinn with the door to the kitchen open standing listening to the music coming from the drawing room. Sean was with her and his wife was sitting at the kitchen table. They were all staring off into space mesmerized. Rose was sitting in a chair in the morning area humming along while reading a book. The boys weren't back from school yet. Tom glanced out the front windows of the house to see a group of at least six young women standing in the lane stretching their necks trying to see inside. He went to the front door.

"Would you girls like to come in and have a front row seat?" he said.

"Why thank you kindly Mr. Branson," Rosie O'Daley replied. "We would at that." They all trotted in the door and piled their coats and scarves into his arms before they headed through to the drawing room. Tom dumped the pile on a chair in the entrance and went back into his office to console himself with a box of chocolates he kept in the bottom drawer for when Rose wasn't looking. Before he could pull out the drawer, the front door opened and the boys came in from school.

"Sounds like something is going on," Bradley said the second they were in the door.

"Miss Campbell and Miss MacCabe are over from the conservatory," Tom said. His office door was near the front entrance.

"This is too good an opportunity to miss," Garret said. The two youngest boys had their coats off and were gone to the drawing room like a shot. "Da could you ask Mrs. O'Rinn to make us a hot drink," Dylan said. He was into the drawing room before his father had a chance to respond.

"Errr," Tom growled. He pulled the box of chocolates from the bottom drawer and was just about to bite into his favorite chocolate covered toffee when Rose snatched it out of his hand.

"You need to behave and watch your diet," she informed him. "I'll take these and offer them to our guests."

"Rose they're not _our_ guests," Tom complained.

"They would be if you stopped being such an old grouch and came through to join everyone," Rose said. "Since you're not joining in you can make the tea."

"I'll order the tea and be right in," Tom said irritably.

"Only if you smile and behave yourself," Rose said. "Which one of these is a toffee?"

"I give up," Tom said. He picked up a toffee and held it for her to bite then quickly snuck the second half.

"I'll get Mrs. O'Rinn back to work and be right in," he said.

"Now you're being the man I love," Rose said. "I wonder if any of them know how to play a tango."

Tom hurried off to order the tea with a smile on his face. A house full of young people had it's advantages.

Chapter 40 – Feeling the Squeeze

Sybil returned home from a long two days of classes in late November. She was very glad Sarah had decided to stay in England. She would have never managed the evacuee children and going to school on her own. The nightly bombing had lasted for fifty-four consecutive days. Now the bombing raids were sporadic. Some days there were none and others the sirens barely stopped for forty-eight hours. They had started class yesterday only to move to the shelter within twenty minutes. Class had continued with them sitting in a group on blankets in the shelter. Most of the women now brought a bag to class with a blanket and a few things to make the stay in the shelter more comfortable along with their gas mask, which went everywhere. Her collection for this year would be a maternity line. She had wanted to work on a men's and women's hunting sport collection, but it would have to wait until her final term or possibly to when the war was over.

Redmond stood up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table as soon as Sybil came in. He had a tired, serious expression on his face, which Sybil had come to expect from him in the last three months.

"We weren't expecting you to come down this weekend," Sybil said going to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm surprised they let you off long enough to make the trip."

"Exhausted doctors and nurses who are too tired to see straight don't do anyone any good," he replied. Redmond hugged his sister close for a moment before he released her. "I don't know where Sarah is."

"The pram is gone. She's probably walked Jimmy and Dalaigh down to collect the others from the village school. The two girls are six and the boy is seven. They're not really old enough to go back and forth on their own and it's the far end of the village."

"I didn't put the meal on. I didn't know what you were planning."

"I'll check if Sarah started anything. I was stuck overnight with the raid," Sybil replied. "How is your work?"

"Tiring as usual. There are so many who don't make it through the raids. The ones who last long enough to get to surgery sometimes die before they can get in, others there is no point in operating. We know they're not going to make it. We save about as many as we loose."

"It's not getting any easier is it?" Sybil said.

"That part never does. I've decided on a specialty beyond general surgery. Sarah isn't going to like it. It means more time in London."

"Oh Redmond, you promised her you would go back to Ireland," Sybil said.

"I can't leave. Not when there is so much to do and learn. Sarah remembers her life in Ireland as happy. That's not how I remember mine. I'm happy here. England is really my home even if I was born there."

"Redmond. You promised and you know it is not such a bad place. I enjoyed the two years I lived there with Mummy and Da. Mummy is settling in and becoming part of the community. You will too."

"One day maybe but not now. I want to do a further specialty in reconstructive surgery. It's a pioneering field. There used to be no hope for those that were burned or disfigured. There are all sorts of new techniques coming up. It's exciting. I hope Sarah can see my side of things."

"You have two children to think about or you will soon," Sybil reminded him.

"I know," Redmond said. "I love them to bits, but England hasn't treated me all that badly. We had a good time growing up here."

"Where ever the two of you finally settle there will be people who need a doctor," Sybil said.

"It is endless," Redmond agreed. He tapped his fingers on the table. Sybil was getting out some potatoes and was about to go out to the hen house near the stable to collect the eggs.

"I've got something to tell you. I was going to wait until Sarah got back, but maybe we should tell her together."

"What is it?" Sybil asked setting her basket down on the table and taking a seat. Redmond took Sybil's hand in his.

"Aunt Victoria was out at one of her charities when the last raid started. The shelter she was in took a direct hit. She didn't make it," Redmond said.

"Oh Redmond, No," Sybil said squeezing her brother's hand.

"I spend all damn day telling people their loved ones didn't make it. It doesn't make it any easier when it's your own family."

"What is Uncle James going to do?"

"I don't know. What are any of us going to do? She's gone and we can't change it."

"She was like a second mother to us both."

"I'm going to miss her a great deal," her brother said. "She would say stiff upper lip and no time to mope."

Sybil stood and hugged her brother before they headed outside to collect the eggs. There was no time to mope and the time to grieve would come and go like it did for so many families touched by this war. They had been lucky. There were over thirty thousand dead in London from the bombing so far and this was the first in their family. Their luck had just run out.

-0-

Rose was struggling with the grief of her sister-in-law's death and having a German officer under her roof at the same time wasn't helping. She knew logically in her head Hans Meyer had nothing to do with it. He was a young man who had been drafted into the war like so many others when all he really wanted to do was to get on with his own life. The war had made strange bedfellows of them all. There was a great deal of dissention among people over the government's position on the German embassy remaining open in the Free State. Some were all for it and thought it might lead to Irish reunification if England was defeated, others thought the Free State should be backing England as they were still members of the Common Wealth and still others hated the Germans for the reports of attacks on Irish merchant ships and blamed them for the shortage of absolutely everything in the shops. Rose's head told her they were all caught up in something that was bigger than them, but her heart couldn't help but blame the man who sat across from her at every meal for not speaking out against those who had started this war in the first place.

The Ladies Auxiliary had thought of having a musical evening to raise funds and have Hans play at it then quickly changed their minds. There was more than one of the leading families in the area who had sons that had gone to England to volunteer when the war first broke out. Hans Meyer was a bit of a character and a good musician but underneath it all he was still a German officer.

Tom was outside checking on his pheasants when Hans came out. He was still using a cane and leaned on it heavily. The one leg had been injured worse than the other and was taking a long time to heal.

"They are nice birds with a good aspect," Hans Meyer commented.

"Common enough in some parts, not in others," Tom said. "They keep the table well stocked which is what I keep them for. I need to trade the male to get a fresh blood line."

"I did not come out to talk about birds," Hans said.

"I didn't expect you did," Tom replied. He worked on filling the feeder from a barrel by the side of the shed.

"Your wife is angry with me. I should leave but I do not have a place to go."

"She was close to her brother's wife. She'll get over it. It doesn't concern you really."

"I am imposing on your hospitality."

"Do you want to go back to the war?" Tom asked him slowly.

"No, not in particular," Hans said. "It is a waste of time. One side shoots the other for what? There will be nothing left when they are done. Already many are dead."

"You don't think the consulate will send you back to fight?"

"How would they do that? Borders are closed. They are cut off. They would not summon U-boat for one man. I am not a spy or important. I am how you might say, liable."

"Liability," Tom said.

"Liability. I am liability to you too."

"You're saving me a pack in music lessons. My youngest goes through as much in a month as the others do in six."

"That is nothing for me. Barely inconvenient," Hans replied. He looked off at the hills. "What do you think I should do? You know this place."

"I think you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," Tom said.

Hans Meyer looked at him with a rueful expression. He had clearly not understood what Tom said.

"Look, years ago I got called up for the Great War, I didn't want to go and my heart kept me out of it. Something like your leg is doing right now. I wasn't doing exactly what I wanted to do but I wasn't getting shot at either and I didn't have to kill anybody. What I'm trying to say is count your blessings. You're out of it for now and if you can stay out of it, do it. I don't particularly want you shooting at anyone in my family and from the sounds of it you don't want to do that either. Don't worry about my wife. This is her first time loosing someone close. She'll pull out of it eventually. She's tougher than she looks."

"I am still imposing."

"If they don't come around to collect you, I'll find you a job on the farm once your leg is healed enough. I can't put you with another family on the estate. They're already stretching to make do as it is with all the shortages. Ireland needs all the food we can produce with your lot shooting at ships they have no business attacking."

"When you are in air force, you do as you are told," Hans said.

"Did it ever occur to you to say no," Tom said disdainfully.

"It would have got me shot. In my country anyone who says no goes to jail. You never see them again."

"Then count your blessings you're here, mind your manners and don't go getting one of the local girls pregnant?"

He got a puzzled look.

"With child," Tom made a gesture like a round stomach.

"Ah yes, I see. No German babies."

"No German babies," Tom emphasized as he closed the door on the pen.

-0-

"Sybil, I feel so guilty," Sarah said. It was a few days before Christmas and they were expecting Astrid home with Nanny Grace at any minute. "I was actually glad when your Aunt Victoria decided to go back to London once the bombing had slowed down. I wanted more room. We were so tightly packed in the house and the shelter. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. I adored her."

"You can't feel guilty for wanting more space. I'm feeling the squeeze too. We've all had enough of the bombing and the rationing and want things back to normal, but it isn't going to happen at least not right away," Sybil said. "You've heard the radio reports. This mess isn't going to end anytime soon. I want to go over to the main house and throw the lot of them out and move us all into our own bedrooms but that is not what I'm going to do."

"Have you told Astrid about Victoria?"

"No, I will when she arrives," Sybil said. "I hope it doesn't set her off. You want to talk about tight. I just hope the Jerries decide to stay in France for Christmas and give us a few days. Six children and three adults is going to be beyond tight if we have to go to the shelter."

"I was thinking today about the near miss with the downed aircraft we had. It seems like if it's your time to go it's your time. That plane could have killed us both but it didn't," Sarah said thoughtfully.

"Look at us, both pregnant and looking gloomy. It's Christmas and we need to put a good face on things. What did Aunt Victoria used to say about these times?"

"Stiff upper lip girls, it's time to enjoy life while you can," they both said together and then laughed.

"Astrid will be in with me and Nanny has a cot in the sewing room. We'll make do," Sybil said.

Sybil was surprised Christmas with Astrid home went better than she had expected. Astrid seemed to take the news of Victoria passing well. She hugged Sybil then set to work amusing the younger children. Pin the tail on the donkey seemed to be a favorite game over the holidays. Astrid arranged a ride for the younger ones with just her and the groom around the outskirts of the village. The children were all excited and happy drawing pictures and hanging up streamers and Christmas decorations that had been brought over from the main house during the move. The hit of the season was when Astrid got out her "Doctor Kit" and showed each of them how to use the stethoscope to listen to each other's heart. Sybil had her reflexes tested so many times she wondered if her knees would be black and blue when she went back to class in January. The younger children were the best medicine they could have ever given Astrid.

"I think I'm too big for a Nanny now," Astrid informed Sybil on Boxing Day.

"I had a nanny, well a housekeeper/nanny when I was your age," Sybil said. "Nanny Grace will soon be nanny here when I have a little boy or girl. We still need her and you still need a nanny. She sees to your clothes and gets you to and from school."

"It is nice to have someone to take care of you isn't it?" Astrid said with a smile.

"It is," Sybil replied.

"I'm going to ask Nanny to go visit Mr. Stokes with me at the main house," Astrid said. "I'm going to get some of my dolls for the little girls to play with from the attic."

"That's a very nice idea," Sybil replied.

An hour later Astrid and Nanny were back with the gardeners carrying a rocking horse and each person carrying a box of toys.

"Astrid, where are you planning to put all that, we don't have room," Sybil said in alarm.

"Everyone can keep the toy boxes under their beds," Astrid said in a matter of fact manner. "Rocky can go in the drawing room beside the piano."

Jimmy had gotten up from where he was drawing a picture and was staring at the rocking horse with huge eyes.

"Very well, direct the men where you want everything so they can get on with their day," Sybil said. Sarah looked at her and smiled.

"May we go see too?" Penny one of the evacuee girls asked.

"Put your crayons back in the box first," Sarah said. "You may finish your pictures to send to you family later."

The four children had the table cleaned up in record time and were off to see what treasures Astrid had brought them.

"She's a bit of a fairy godmother and pied piper rolled into one," Sybil said.

"A bit like your two younger brothers?" Sarah asked.

"Just a bit," Sybil said. "I think I'm going to go and have a look through those boxes myself."

"Dalaigh and I will join you," Sarah said. "We can be six and have Christmas all over again with everyone else."

"Only I wasn't this round when I was six," Sybil said with a smile and patting her stomach.


	31. Coming Home Part XI

Coming Home – Part XI – Chapter 41 –through 44

This is one of those you need to read all the way to the end.

Chapter 41 – A Journey

Fat pelting drops of rain were pounding the windows of Tom and Rose's home at Eagle Cairn the second week of January 1941. It seemed as though the calendar had turned to the New Year and Mother Nature's resolve was to send as much rain as possible. The roads were a slew of mud making getting around difficult.

"The roads are hard to travel except to those women that keep coming to visit," Tom griped.

"You just wish you had half a dozen women who came over constantly to dote on your every word," Rose teased him. "What did you expect? You told the man to make the most of things and that is what he's doing. He's quite a nice looking young man when it comes down to it. He draws the girls like bees to honey."

"Don't you find it odd the authorities aren't paying any attention to him? Especially after the Germans bombed Dublin and some of the other towns. We had that letter when he was still in laid up and then nothing," Tom said.

"I'm a diplomats daughter. I don't find anything officials do odd. The bombing wasn't extensive. They didn't do much of a job of it. They only hit two houses. I wonder if they even know what or who they're bombing," Rose replied looking up from the mending she was doing.

"Hmm," Tom said thoughtfully.

"What are you working on?"

"Same thing as usual, crops for next year. The country needs wheat and lots of it, but then we need root vegetables, meat and wool too. It's all a big balancing act to get it all planted and then harvested on time."

"I wish things were calmer. I would like to go to England and see Sybil's cottage and her garden and be there for the birth," Rose said with a sigh.

"You want to be there to see the next two grandchildren when they're born," Tom said.

"You would like to be there too," Rose said. "Admit it."

"I'd like to see all three older ones back home and safe," Tom said leaning back in his chair and capping his pen. "I've had enough for now. Let's go through for a cup of tea."

They headed through to the kitchen to make some tea. It was the kind of day that made you want to do nothing more than find a hot drink and curl up with a book in front of the fire. The sound of Hans playing the violin was drifting down the hall as it often did these days. Today none of the village girls were over and it was a wonder, Tom thought. They were all still quite taken with the young man they had living with them but he didn't seem to have any particular preference and flirted with the lot of them and the music teachers from Galway City as well. Having someone in the house that was almost the same age as their oldest son made Tom wish even more Redmond, Davin and Sybil were living close where he knew they were safe.

Tom and Rose took their tea through to a small corner near one of the fireplaces that was their favorite spot to sit. It was a quiet nook out of the hustle and bustle of the comings and going that were a daily part of their household. A sudden knock at the door made Tom jump slightly. They didn't bother to go through as they could hear Mrs. O'Rinn heading for the door.

"I wonder who it is," Rose said.

"Who ever it is had enough pluck to brave the rain and the mud," Tom said.

Tom's ears perked up when he heard the faint sounds of German being spoken in the drawing room. Mrs. O'Rinn came back through to fetch him and Rose.

"You best come quick," Mrs. O'Rinn said.

They headed out to find Agent Kahill with another man in the drawing room.

"I am to go to internment," Hans said when he saw Rose and Tom. "They have remembered about me at last."

"Mr. and Mrs. Branson, we're here to escort Flight Officer Meyer to Carragh," Agent Kahill said.

"You had best get packed," Rose said to Hans. The other constable rolled his eyes.

"Prisoners don't pack a bag Mrs. Branson," the man said.

"When you've left them in the community for seven months they do," Rose informed him. "Mrs. O'Rinn could you run up and pack Officer Meyer's bag?"

"Certainly Mrs. Branson," she replied.

"Now gentlemen, may I offer you a cup of tea?"

"This isn't a social call, Mrs. Branson," Agent Kahill said.

"What's the sudden rush?" Tom asked. "You might as well have a seat while the housekeeper packs Flight Officer Meyer's things. Hans would you mind playing us a tune while we're waiting?" Tom spotted the look on the men's faces. "Where's he going to run? He wouldn't get far in all this mud."

"Mr. and Mrs. Branson we're on a tight schedule," Agent Kahill said.

"You picked an odd day to be in a rush," Rose said. "It must have taken you twice as long as normal to get out here on a day like this."

Hans nodded to Tom solemnly. He moved to take up the violin that was on loan from the music conservatory. The one officer put his hand on his pistol.

"It is violin only," Hans said quietly. He played the piece he was currently teaching Garret. Mrs. O'Rinn came downstairs and set down a small suitcase. She dabbed her eyes with her hanky while she listened. Hans finished the piece and put the violin back in it's case.

"I wish you happiness," he said to Tom and Rose. "Tell Garret to practice on this one. It is better than that box he plays."

"We'll tell him," Rose replied. She stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek after a quick embrace.

Tom shook his hand.

"Take care of yourself and drop us a line when you get to the place they're sending you," Tom said.

"I will. Thank you for giving me a home," Hans said. The one constable moved to put handcuffs on him.

"Is that really necessary?" Rose asked.

"It's procedure," Agent Kahill said.

"It's cold out he needs his coat," Tom said. "We've spent months getting Flight Officer Meyer well again. The last thing he needs is to get sick from the cold."

"Very well," the constable said. "We'll wait with the cuffs until we get him to the train.

Hans winked at Rose before he left with the constables. Mrs. O'Rinn blew her nose loudly as she headed back to her duties.

"I never thought I'd say it but I miss the arrogant devil already," Tom said.

"Cheeky to the last," Rose added. "He'll probably be the only officer there without a uniform."

"I thought for a moment you might send a violin along with him."

"If he writes, I might just send him one," Rose replied taking Tom's hand. "Let's go back to our tea and fire. You might read to me a bit."

"Anything in particular?" Tom asked.

"Nothing about war and nothing gloomy," Rose replied. "I feel I might burst into tears at any moment."

-0-

"I can't believe I've been attending classes. Look at me! I look like a giant pumpkin with arms and legs," Sybil complained. The baby was due in two weeks and Easter was fast approaching. "I've brought home the assignments for the next month. I can't cope with the travel to school anymore."

"I don't look much better," Sarah said. "As a matter of fact I feel terrible. I don't remember being this tired with Dalaigh. I'm only due three weeks later than you."

"At least they're letting us sleep inside a little," Sybil said. "Neither of us can get into the top bunk in the shelter anymore."

"It will all be over soon enough," Sarah said. "I'm going to get some water for everyone. We've almost got the potatoes in which is something."

"Peas are the thing to get in early," Sybil said. "They don't like the heat."

The vegetable garden was amusing the children. They were all from the city and found digging, planting and covering a great adventure. Sybil was thankful there were still older men on the estate who were available to help them with the spading and manure spreading. If it had been just her and Sarah with Redmond's occasional visit when he was off, she didn't know how they would have gotten the garden in. When she looked across the grounds to the main house, her thoughts couldn't help but go back to a year ago when Dunkirk had fallen and the grounds had been turned into a massive tent hospital to care for the wounded. The night of Dalaigh's birth was one she wouldn't soon forget. Right now she was trying to put a brave face on things but she wanted her husband home and her parents and brothers around her more than anything.

Daddy had written a long letter urging her to take it easy before the birth and make sure she went to the doctor every few days. Sybil could faintly remember when her younger brothers were born and all the fussing and clucking her father had done over Mummy during every pregnancy. His letter had said not to take any chances and he and Mummy would come when they could. Sybil knew her own mother had died in childbirth and the way her father fretted over every pregnancy in the family she knew it still bothered him a great deal.

Sybil went to sit on an old chair they had brought out to the garden with a pillow on it for her to rest. She watched as the youngest two children followed along behind the gardener as he dug the holes. They placed a piece of seed potato in every hole while the two older children were coming down the row with a hoe each, scratching dirt into the hole to cover the seed. The children were fascinated with the process of planting vegetables and couldn't believe the seed they were putting in the ground would make the type of garden they had helped harvest the previous autumn. Sarah came back outside and called everyone over to have a glass of water and a short break.

"Won't the worms eat all the potato seeds?" Jimmy asked.

"No, the seed will send out shoots and make new potatoes. We'll have fresh potatoes to eat in six weeks or so," Sybil said. "They're just small ones like that." She held out her hand and made a circle with her finger and thumb.

"And you'll have to beat her too them if you want the smallest ones," a voice said from behind her.

"Daddy!" Sybil exclaimed in surprise. She turned on her chair to see her father standing there. "How ever did you get here?"

"I came across on a barge when it was quiet," Tom said. Sybil pushed herself to her feet and embraced her father as best she could. "Mummy couldn't stand my fretting one minute longer so she told me to go find a way across. The bossy little thing is going to running things while I'm away. The tenant farmers are running for cover."

"I'm so glad you're here," Sybil said. "I should scold you for risking the crossing but I can't. I'm too happy to see you."

"Mr. Branson, welcome," Sarah said. She embraced her father-in-law.

"Who are all these?" Tom asked.

"Jimmy, Jenny, Penny and Bobby," Sybil said indicating each of the children in turn.

"We're planting potatoes and peas," Jimmy said. "I get to put them in the ground."

"You'll put them in and then be pulling them out before you know it," Tom replied. The little boy nodded his head.

Sarah motioned her father-in-law over to the pram where they had Dalaigh down for his afternoon nap while they were outside.

"He's a grand boy," Tom said gazing at his grandson indulgently. "You can tell he's a Branson right away."

"He's inherited Redmond's serious face and Sarah's love of horses," Sybil commented.

"He's the apple of his father's eye," Sarah said with a smile. "I'll finish the garden with the children, why don't you go in and catch up with your father."

Sybil nodded happily and took her father by the arm.

"You'll find a few changes since you were here last," Sybil said.

"You look just the same," Tom said.

"Daddy, I look like I swallowed a ball. I don't look the same," Sybil said.

"You'll always look like a little girl to me," he replied with a smile.

-0-

Tom awoke with a start the second night of his visit. Sirens were wailing over the village and the sound of explosions could be heard in the distance.

"Daddy, hurry up and come down," Sybil called from the staircase. "Don't bother to turn on any lights. Just come."

Tom shook his head to clear it and rolled out of bed. He couldn't find his robe or his slippers so he pulled a blanket around himself and headed down the stairs.

"You've got to learn to be quicker than that," Sybil said to him. She was waiting by the back door. Tom was feeling alarmed and disoriented by the sound of planes passing overhead.

"It's our side going out to intercept," Sybil said pointing to the sky while she hurried her father to the shelter. "The fighting hasn't started yet." He turned to help her get down the step into the dugout. Sybil hurried him inside the door and shut it tight, then hung a blackout curtain over it. Sarah clicked on a small light.

"You've got to get out here faster, Mr. Branson," Sarah scolded.

"So I've been told," Tom replied. He glanced around the shelter. Two children were in the top bunk already asleep. A third one with their head at the opposite end was also in the top bunk asleep. Penny was in the bottom bunk and Dalaigh was in a large wooden box wrapped in a quilt near the head of the bunks. The drone of the planes was getting louder and the sound of planes diving and swooping in dogfights could be heard. The sound of the machine guns high overhead could be made out as well adding to the din and making Tom feel as though he were in a can being pelted by hail.

"I'm afraid it's you and I on a pallet on the floor," Sybil said to her father. She was already undoing the straps holding the pallet in it's roll.

"Let me do that," Tom said. He had to bight his tongue not to scold her for doing too much this late in her pregnancy. Sarah slid into the bottom bunk with Penny who rolled away from her in her sleep. Sybil had a bundle of blankets and a pillow ready the moment her father rolled out the pallet. She sat down on the pallet and motioned for her father to put out the light. Tom lay on his side facing his daughter's back. He put out a hand and rubbed her lower back the way he had done with both of his wives when they were late in their pregnancies. Sybil sighed while he rubbed her back.

"Goodnight Daddy," she said with a sigh while she drifted off to sleep.

Tom lay awake for a long time listening to the racket going on overhead. What had his daughter and son's world come to that they accepted an air raid where someone could drop a bomb on you at any moment and sleep through the entire ordeal? The children, Sybil and Sarah were so practiced they could do the entire routine in moments. He wanted to snatch Sybil and Sarah the second he could and run back to Ireland with them where they would be safe away from the conflict. It wasn't possible. In this mess they were doing what they had to and taking care of four children that belonged to strangers to boot. His trip across had been rough with delays and waiting until the reports of German ships and planes in the area came in the coast was clear. At that they'd made a run as fast as they could across. The barge had been carrying produce and meat for the English market. The goods in Ireland were bringing a good price at the moment but the trips across were still a high risk. The last minute before the barge had pulled out a lorry had come with the mail run. They had loaded the sacks of mail in what had seemed a blink with all hands on the dock loading the sacks as fast as they could before the barge slipped it's moorings and a tug pushed them out to sea. The train had been nothing but delays and rerouting as well. It had taken him two and a half days to arrive when their last trip over had taken one.

Tom felt himself cringing when it sounded like a plane came particularly close to the ground. Rose had wanted to come but stayed home to be with the boys and make sure they went to school and their activities. He was glad now she wasn't here to witness this. She and their three sons were safe in their country home where a downed pilot was a rarity not a daily occurrence. While he lay there he heard a whistling sound and then a bang that sounded different than the rest of the noise that was going on. Whatever it was the others didn't wake up. They didn't even turn over in their sleep. He closed his eyes and pressed a corner of the blanket over his ear to block out the noise and try and get a few hours rest.

Chapter 42 – Which Way to Turn

"Would you mind walking the children to school, Daddy?" Sybil asked the next morning after the bombing raid. "My back is a tad stiff after the pallet last night and Sarah wanted to take a bath."

"That's fine," Tom said tiredly. After what he'd experienced last night he was blurry eyed and in slight disbelief at how Sarah and Sybil got back to business as usual taking care of the house and children. A Home Guardsman asked to see his papers as he walked the children through the village. He pulled his travel pass out of his pocket then continued on with the group of children. As they neared the village school he could hear a great deal of cheering. They rounded the corner to see a large crater where the school used to be.

"No more school!" Bobby cried excitedly. "Hurrah!"

"We can play dolls," the two little girls said joining hands and dancing on the spot.

"Back we go until we find out where the school is going to be set up," Tom said. He didn't share the children's excitement at the sight of the destruction. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

On the way back through the village there was a lorry stopped in front of the constable's office. German prisoners were being brought out of the building and being loaded into the back with two armed guards watching them. One of the older men he recognized as the gardener from the day before was standing back in his Home Guardsman uniform with a shotgun over his arm. Tom wondered if it had one the games keepers used back in the day. It looked to be so old the barrel would shatter if the trigger were ever pulled.

"We don't have school today, Mr. Booth," Jenny informed him as they came along side.

"They did a right fair job of blowing it to bits," Mr. Booth replied. "Yee wait here a might until those Gerries are loaded and gone afore yee pass by."

"Do you get much destruction around these parts?" Tom asked him.

"Fair bit of downed planes. We're in the flight path you know. They come up from the south. Yee could 'ear the guns on the coast last night. Yee can 'ear 'em on a clear night."

"We had a plane down where I live. I didn't damage anything. It came down in a pasture."

"We've had a fair amount catch alight from it all. Mrs. Little's house burned to the ground, it did. Mrs. Beldon was just darn lucky the one at her cottage didn't land a few feet closer to the shelter last year. They're loaded and gone now." He nodded to the departing lorry. "I best get finished me rounds and back to me job."

Tom nodded to the man as he went about his business. Sybil was going to have a bit of explaining to do as to why she hadn't written about a plane coming down in her yard and for that matter Redmond as well for not mentioning it.

"We're back and the school is no more," Tom said as he came into the cottage. Sybil was sitting in a chair in the sitting room. The tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Bad news always comes at once," she said. "Oh Daddy." She got up and put her arms around her father and sobbed.

"Russell?" he asked.

"No, Mr. Barrow. He was killed last night when a plane crashed into the gun he was manning. Mrs. Barrow sent a telegram this morning," Sybil sobbed out against him.

Tom couldn't say anything. He stood and held his daughter while she cried. Dalaigh crawled over and grabbed his pant leg and tried to pull himself up.

"Where there is death there is life," he said finally. "I learned that long ago." He bent over and scooped the baby up on his arm. Sybil pushed the tears off her cheeks with her wrist.

"I'm always such a mess," she said. "All those years of formal training and look at me now."

"You look like you aught. A young woman with a lot to bear who is about to have a baby," Tom said.

"It's a nice day and the children are off school. Maybe you could take them for a short ride? They enjoy it so."

"Or maybe you should put your feet up and Sarah as well, and let your Da see to the meals and the little one for a change," Tom said. "I'm learning this last while to let the employees do more. We'll send the children down and have the grooms take them out. You went to the stable when you were a lot younger than they are on your own and it didn't hurt you one bit."

"No, it didn't," Sybil agreed. "Redmond and Nanny are supposed to arrive this evening. I don't know where we're going to put Nanny. You're in her regular spot."

"It's a big place we'll make do," Tom said. "When I was young a cottage this size could have easily held a family of a dozen or more."

"We'll have a dozen when the babies both arrive," Sybil said. She went back to sit down while her father went off to the kitchen to see to the morning dishes and send the children down to speak to the groom with a note from the house about taking them for a ride.

-0-

Tom couldn't help but wonder if his clucking as an expectant father was as annoying as Redmond's. The second his son had arrived he'd started fussing at both his sister and his wife about how they were doing too much and should rest more. He'd brought his medical bag with him and was checking their blood pressure twice a day. Tom had spotted Sybil hiding in a closet when her brother was looking for her to take her temperature.

In the time since he'd seen his eldest son, Redmond's face had lost that baby softness. There was a serious haunted look that never completely left his eyes even when he was playing with his son. Tom couldn't imagine what horrors his son had seen as a doctor since the bombing in London had started and he didn't think he wanted to know.

The skies had been quiet the last three days. Sybil and Sarah were both resting and Nanny Grace had taken over with the children. The elementary school was set up at the parish hall and she had taken Jimmy and Dalaigh in his pram for an afternoon walk in the fresh air before she went by to retrieve the others from their school day. Tom and Redmond were puttering around the kitchen preparing the vegetables for the evening meal.

"Daddy," Sybil called down from the bedroom. "Get the cart. I need to go to the clinic."

Redmond wiped his hands and headed up the stairs. Tom was just reaching for his jacket when Redmond came back and told him not to bother.

"I'm perfectly capable of delivering Sybil's baby, myself," Redmond said. "She doesn't have to bother with the clinic.

"Don't you think it would be better with everything available at the hospital?" Tom asked.

"Da, babies are born all the time without that much fuss," Redmond replied.

"You're a fine one to talk," Tom said. They both headed up the stairs to see how Sybil was doing.

"I want to go to the clinic," she said when Redmond told her he would do the delivery. "I don't want my brother looking at my bare bottom."

"Sybil, I've seen so many women's bare bottoms, I can't tell one from the other anymore," Redmond said. Sarah had gotten up and come into Sybil's room.

"I like that," she said swatting her husband.

"That's different," he said. "I mean in a clinical sense. I don't think of the medical side of things in a personal way."

"Someone go down and start the hot water," Redmond said. "I've got everything we need."

"It's not your choice," Sybil argued.

"I really think," Tom managed to get out before the sirens started to wail.

"I am not having my baby in a shelter," Sybil stated emphatically.

"Sarah you go to the shelter. Da you go with her," Redmond said. "Sybil and I will stay here."

"Dalaigh!" Sarah cried in alarm.

"Nanny Grace has enough sense to get them all back as fast as she can or go into the closest shelter," Redmond said.

"Hurry up and go," Sybil said.

Sarah grabbed Tom by the arm and started pulling him towards the stairs.

"I'm not leaving her," he said.

"You've got to look for Nanny and the children," Sarah said. She was starting to panic.

Tom raced down the stairs with Sarah waddling down behind him. He ran out the front door to see the four evacuee children running down the lane. Nanny was behind them pushing the pram as fast as she could. Tom opened the gate and ran towards her. He scooped Dalaigh out of the pram and grabbed Nanny Grace by the hand. He pulled her as fast as he could back to the yard. He jumped down into the dugout and passed the baby into Sarah's waiting arms. He reached up and grabbed Nanny Grace by the waist and lifted her down just as the first German plane flew over in a low pass.

"Blighters! Bold as brass arrogant little shyts," he cursed at the plane. "Why don't they leave us alone?"

"I would say there is someone on the other side saying exactly the same about our boys," Nanny said imperiously. She was busy straightening her clothing. "Now children. Everyone has his or her homework. Time to get it done."

"It's not as bad as it was last year, Mr. Branson," Sarah said trying to reassure him.

Tom reached over and took Dalaigh from her. Dalaigh cooed and cawed and waved a spoon at Tom Sarah had given him from their collection on the shelf.

"Someday, you'll come home and not have to put up with this nonsense," Tom said to his grandson. Dalaigh stuffed the spoon into his mouth and chewed on it then kicked his legs in glee.

"It's too dangerous to make the crossing," Sarah said. "We'll move back to Ireland when it's safe to make the trip and Redmond is done his studies."

"Not until our Daddys' come home from war," Penny said. "Someone has to take care of us."

"No, not until all of your families have come to collect you," Sarah agreed.

Tom had thought he was worried before when his wives had given birth to his children, but it was nothing compared to this. He didn't know whether to worry about the safety of the group in the shelter, Sybil and the delivery or his two children being in a house that could be strafed, bombed or have a piece of falling aircraft land on it at any moment. He wanted to dash into the house and be with his daughter but at the same time he didn't want to endanger his grandson and daughter-in-law by opening the door. By mid-evening the raid was over and they all headed back in the house to make dinner. Tom was up the stairs with Sarah right behind him as soon as they went in.

"What do you mean don't push? I want this thing out. Why are you here anyway! I want my regular doctor. I don't even think you're a real doctor. You're just pretending the same way as when we were little. I hate you!"

"Sybil, stay calm and breathe," Redmond replied. "You're not fully dilated. You have to wait to push."

"I don't want tooooo!," Sybil wailed as she went into the next contraction.

"I'll go back down and get something for Dalaigh to eat," Sarah said.

Tom tapped on the door. He opened it a crack to see Sybil sitting on the bed with her brother behind her supporting her back.

"How are things going?" Tom asked.

"Great, wonderful. Now my father is going to see my bare bottom as well as my brother," Sybil gasped. "Why don't you invite the gardener and the groom in too?"

"Completely normal, Da," Redmond said. "Could you boil some water in a clean pan? I'll need my scissors boiled for no less than ten minutes. Don't touch them. Lift them out of the pan with this forceps." Redmond handed the items to his father. "While you're at it, boil some string too. I've only got sutures with me. They'll do in a pinch but string is better."

"Shut up and rub my back," Sybil gripped. "Ooooh."

"I'll get right on it, son," Tom said. He backed out of the room and was downstairs to put the items on to boil like a shot.

"How are things upstairs, Mr. Branson?" Sarah asked. She was feeding the baby some cold peas that were left from their canning from the previous year.

"Redmond says normal. She's madder than a banshee at absolutely everyone," Tom replied. He checked over the vegetables he and Redmond had been working on earlier, changed the water and got two pots onto the stove.

"I was exactly the same way last time," Sarah said. "I hope this one goes quicker and easier."

"My wife would be happy as a clam I'm sticking to my diet at the moment. Almost no meat or butter would make her happy as can be," Tom said.

"We need you to be around a good while longer," Sarah replied.

"Sarah can you come up? Bring the pot with the scissors and the string if they're boiled," Redmond called down the stairs.

Nanny moved to take over with the baby.

"Here we go," Sarah said.

The children were all setting the table and looking frightened by the sounds coming down the stairs.

"It's how babies come into this world," Nanny Grace said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Pretty soon we'll hear the sound of a new baby crying," Tom said. "Then it will be all over." He finished cooking off five pork chops and cut them in half to stretch their weekly meat ration. Nanny took the pot upstairs once it had boiled the required ten minutes. The fresh vegetables from last season weren't the best quality at this time of year and he'd had to pick through to get two pots worth onto the stove. He dug around in the cupboard and came out with a jar of beet pickles to round out their meal.

"Here we go. We'll get the food on the table and say grace before we eat," Tom said. He was trying to keep the children's spirits up during the wait. His hands were shaking so bad he almost dropped the bowl of carrot coins.

They were just about to say grace when Sarah came down the stairs.

"We have a baby girl," she said. "Sybil is worn out."

"We didn't hear a cry," Tom said.

"She only gave a little cry," Sarah said. "She has a sweet disposition from the start."

"May we go and see the baby?" Jenny asked.

"After we've said grace and you've all finished your meals you may have a quick peek," Tom said.

They said grace then Tom got up to go upstairs.

"Why don't you have to finish your dinner Mr. Branson?" Bobby asked.

"Because rules don't apply to Granddads," he said with a smile.

He went to Sybil's room to see her lying back on the pillows. The baby was wrapped in a towel beside her.

"My little girl has a little girl," Tom said. He kissed his daughter on the cheek and gazed at his granddaughter. Her wisp of dark hair was starting to dry and stood up straight in the air. "How are you?"

"Tired," Sybil said. "Nothing could make me leave this bed at the moment."

"She's a beauty, like her mother and her mother before her," Tom said.

"Daddy it's too early to tell," Sybil said with a smile. "She is very precious though."

Redmond was off to the side not saying much.

"We should let Sybil get some rest," Redmond said. He packed his things back into his bag and put the instruments that needed cleaning in the pot to take them back down to the kitchen to boil again.

"What's the matter son?" Tom asked him once they were out in the hall and the door to the bedroom was closed.

"The baby's heart isn't as strong as it should be," Redmond said with a sigh. "She inherited the family heart murmur. I'm a surgeon, not a pediatrician. The murmur is bad enough I can hear it clearly. I don't know if it's life threatening. It's definitely enough it is going to cause the baby to have problems down the road. Sybil will have to take her to a specialist."

"What kind of problems?" Tom asked. His face had gone ashen.

"She probably won't have as much energy as other children or be able to run very far. As she grows her heart could strengthen to the point it's barely noticeable like Dylan or it might not. I don't know enough about infant heart conditions to make a firm diagnosis. I wish I could tell you more."

"Dylan cried constantly when he was a baby," Tom said. He had to hold onto the wall to steady himself.

"It's probably what strengthened his heart and lungs so no one ever noticed there was a problem," Redmond said. He put his hand on his father's shoulder. "Dylan has always preferred to sit and draw rather than run behind everyone else. It probably has a lot to do with his heart. The baby may do the same thing. It's only the first hour."

"This is supposed to be a joyous occasion," Tom said.

"It is Da. You have a beautiful granddaughter and Sybil has come through as right as rain," Redmond said. "I'm just tired. Did you save me any dinner or did my son eat my share."

"I've suddenly lost my appetite," Tom replied.

"Life goes on, Da," Redmond replied tiredly.

-0-

Tom held his week old granddaughter on the train back from London. Sybil was in shock after visiting the specialist her brother had found for the baby. Sybil hadn't believed there was anything wrong with the baby and taken her to the local doctor the next day. He had said exactly the same thing as Redmond. The baby's heart was weak with a pronounced murmur. A specialist in pediatrics, specifically heart problems would be able to tell them more.

"How am I going to write and tell Russell he has a new daughter and that she probably won't live past her fifth birthday," Sybil said quietly while they watched the houses rush past the train as they headed for the country.

"While she lives there is hope," Tom said. He looked down at the sleeping infant. She was a perfect baby to look at and as pretty as a picture with fair skin, dark wisps of hair and large blue eyes when she opened them to the world.

"Hope, I think I'll call her Hope," Sybil said.

"It's a good name," Tom replied. "The specialist said to give her a normal life and let nature take it's course. There is nothing you can do except that."

"I'm glad you're here Daddy. I don't know how I would go through this on my own."

"You're not alone, Sarah is here and Redmond. You've a house full of people who care about you and the baby."

"You're right. I need to celebrate her life while she has one," Sybil said with a sad smile. "I hope Sarah isn't in labor with the pair of us away for the day."

"If she is, Nanny will have sent for the doctor," Tom said. "She'll be fine."

"At least we made it to London and back with no raids," Sybil said.

"They're probably leaving England alone and busy bothering someone else," Tom replied with a grin. He didn't know how prophetic his words were.

That evening they turned on the radio after dinner. Belfast had been bombed heavily the night before. Tom sat in shock for a bit while the news continued on.

"What is this damn war coming to," he said finally.

"It's them or us," Nanny Grace said after a few minutes. "There won't be any cease fire this time it's down to surrender or push on until we win."

Chapter 43 – The North and South

"What a fine time to send my husband to England to visit," Rose muttered on the way to the parish hall. The village clinic was expecting a busload of patients from the hospital in Galway City. They were part of the sick and injured that had been sent South from Belfast. The reports from Belfast so far weren't good. The children hadn't been evacuated and there was not enough left of the city to take care of the injured. People here didn't think of Northern Ireland as a separate country. Many had family across the border and underneath the political division they were one people with a common heritage. The border had been opened to allow the injured to get help in the south.

The Ladies Auxiliary was setting up at the parish hall to coordinate volunteers from the village and the surrounding area to provide meals for the arriving patients. Mrs. Reigler was joining them to work on menus and decide what could realistically be provided from the stores people had on hand. It was the end of April. Being a farming community they had more than many in the cities but at the same time supplies this late in the spring were limited before the new vegetables were up. There was already quite a crowd of local ladies at the hall when Rose arrived. They all wanted something to do to help out. Mrs. Reigler hadn't arrived yet and there was a fair bit of confusion with the village priest going from group to group attempting to calm everyone.

"Ladies, please," Rose said raising her hand for attention. She waited until the room quieted. "Please put out chairs for everyone facing the blackboard. Once a few more volunteers arrive and Mrs. Reigler we will get ourselves organized."

Rose had already sent Sean to help out with putting up extra beds at their little clinic. There were a great many jobs that needed doing rattling around in her head. It wasn't going to help anyone if they all went around like a bunch of chickens with no heads. Their community was more than capable of helping out as long as they were organized.

In another twenty minutes more women from the closest farms had arrived and Mrs. Reigler came through the door with a notebook in her hand. Rose took a seat at a table that had been set up to the side of the blackboard. Mrs. Reigler and the ladies from the Auxiliary that were there joined her. The priest got up and said a prayer before they got started.

"I think it is best if Mrs. Reigler gives us a list of jobs where she needs help," Rose said. "We can make a schedule for the first week. Mrs. Reigler."

"We will need a group of four right away to welcome the patients and help get them to the beds. The bus will arrive in a half hour," Mrs. Reigler said.

Mrs. Donnelly was at the chalkboard and wrote down names from hands that went up.

"Cleaning and washing laundry every day," Mrs. Reigler read from her list. "Help bathing, changing beds and maybe eating. We will need someone to sit and watch patients overnight and evenings and the village will need to provide meals."

"We can fill in today and tomorrow first," Mrs. Donnelly commented, "and then work on the rest of the week. We haven't much time."

"I will volunteer the kitchen at my home for the food preparation area," Rose said. "Ladies on meals you may prepare the food there as it is only a few doors and will stay warm while the meals are delivered."

The jobs started to fill in. Mrs. Reigler had brought a two-day menu and stood while she explained what foods to avoid. "We do not want dried beans," she said. "Gas pain does not help anyone recover." There were a few titters from the group of women. "I must return to the clinic with the welcoming group now."

"We'll do a menu for the rest of the week and you or your husband can adjust it later," Mrs. Donnelly said.

"Yes, very good," Mrs. Reigler replied. She and the group of four women were out the door quickly and headed back to the clinic.

An hour later more women had arrived and they were organized into shifts and work groups for the first week. Father O'Shea volunteered the parish hall as a center to organize the volunteers.

"There is one other thing we need to discuss," Rose said. "Our small clinic was never set up to accommodate anything like this. Our resources are going to be stretched thin supplying bandages and medications and whatever else is needed. We need to discuss canvasing for donations."

"Don't worry about that, my lot will canvas the farms and Mrs. Donnelly's group will do the shops and the big houses," Mrs. Sheahan said.

"We all have our assignments ladies," Rose said. "Efforts and supplies coordinated through the parish hall. Let's get to it." In her mind she was wondering how Mrs. O'Rinn was going to cope with a group of volunteers invading the kitchen at the house three times a day. Rose had an idea she would enjoy the opportunity to lord it over the other ladies of the village and turn into a general. Rose headed over to the house to check with Mrs. O'Rinn and let her know to expect the ladies shortly who had volunteered for clinic meals for the first day. She arrived to find two of them already there who had left the meeting early to collect the supplies they needed and get a start on the day's meals. Mrs. O'Rinn was in her glory and was busy washing up some old crockery from the attic from the days of a house full of servants to use for the clinic.

"We have the dinner well under control already," Mrs. O'Rinn said. "You've not a thing to worry about."

Rose thanked the ladies then went through to her husband's office for a moment. With Tom in England managing the mail and anything that needed to be passed on to the supervisors or tenants fell to her. Tom was planning to be back in time to see to the wool sales. There was a large stack of mail sitting on the desk Sean must have picked up on his way back from the clinic. There was nothing that couldn't keep.

Rose headed back to the parish hall. The bus with the injured redirected from Galway hospital was outside the clinic and the women were busy helping them all inside. _"Best not to get in the way,"_ Rose thought to herself. The boy who delivered telegrams came to a stop beside her on his bicycle.

"Telegram, Mrs. Branson," he said. She signed for the telegram and gave him a coin as a tip.

Rose opened the telegram. "A girl for Sarah and Redmond as well," she said out loud. "You had best be heading home soon Tom Branson."

-0-

"It feels almost as if we were back home going to a society event," Sarah commented. It was the afternoon of the fashion show for Sybil's class. Sybil had returned to class when Hope was three weeks old despite protests from Sarah that she should be taking it easier with the baby to see to. Sybil's father had headed back to Ireland a week after Sarah had her baby. Sybil had decided not to share the news of the severity of Hope's heart condition with the extended family. She wanted Hope to live as normal a life as possible. She didn't want her to be treated any different than any other child. If the worst did happen her life would be happy and full with no regrets.

It was now almost the end of May. Sarah had come into town for the afternoon to watch the fashion show. The students from the third and fourth year classes would be showing their designs. In Sybil's level each student had two selections from their designs made up and ready to show. The fourth year students all had four pieces each. There were representatives there from the leading London design houses and there was a great deal of excitement in the group gathered to see the show despite the piles of rubble that littered the fashion district.

"We're almost like society women with the children home with Nanny and another girl in from the village to help out for the day," Sybil said with a smile. "I almost feel naughty. There are Aunt May and Aunt Edith. I've saved you all seats."

Sybil went to greet her two aunts that had come down for the show for the day. They would all travel back to the cottage that evening so Mary and Edith could meet the new arrivals. There were quite a few society women at the show looking for unique designs they could add to their wardrobes. Just because there was a war on didn't mean they didn't want to look their best.

Sybil headed backstage with the other students once her guests were seated to check on her two models. The models had pillows tied to their stomachs with fabric ties around them. It had taken Sybil quite a bit of scrounging and scrimping on other projects to come up with two maternity outfits. Her showing today was a semi formal dress and a jacket and skirt set with matching hat. She checked the jewelry and the set of the clothes before she went to join the other students in the line up.

As the show progressed the students strained to hear the audience's reaction to the different outfits. Some received polite claps, other's received exclaims of delight and other's louder applause. At the end of the show there was a final walk through where each student went out accompanied by her models. There were no male students in the school and hadn't been since the war started.

"Lovely showing," Mary said when Sybil went over to join them. "It almost makes one think there isn't a war on."

"You're designs are simply lovely," Edith added. "I can see the influence of all those years you spent going through our old formal gowns in the attics."

"Yours were the best in the show," Sarah said.

"You're biased," Sybil replied with a smile.

"I have good taste," Sarah said with a toss of her hair. She smiled widely.

One of the instructors came to retrieve Sybil to meet a representative from a fashion house in London that specialized in maternity wear. The man was interested in Sybil's designs and wanted to speak with her further about them. He handed her a card and asked her to make a follow up appointment. Another representative spoke to her and said they would be interested in seeing her other work as the didn't carry maternity clothing but her work showed promise for the type of clientele they catered to. The afternoon was going well until the sirens started up. Sybil quickly rejoined her Aunts and Sarah and headed for the shelter.

"The one time Sybil didn't bring her bag of supplies we wind up with a raid," Sarah said. As soon as they got into the shelter and found a place to sit, Sybil excused herself to go to the powder room. Sarah was sitting with her Mary and Edith discussing the merits of various designs and which ones had been to their taste. Suddenly they heard a whistling and a loud bang. The shelter filled with dust blown in from the entrance and the lights went out. There were screams and shouts from those near the entrance. Sarah, Mary and Edith reached out and felt for each other's hands to ensure each other they were still intact.

"Sybil," Sarah said with a cough. "We've got to find Sybil."

"Wait until there is light," Mary said into her sleeve. The women dug around in their handbags to find handkerchiefs to cover their nose and mouth. Flashlights were coming on and making odd shafts of light through the settling dust. A voice came over a megaphone for everyone to remain calm and stay where they were until they could get the emergency lights working. Lights came on further down the tunnel and the shelter workers started moving people further down the tunnel away from the shattered entrance.

"I'm not going without Sybil," Sarah said.

"Sarah you've got to come this way. They know what they're doing," Mary said.

"Mary is right. She'll be in this chaos somewhere. We'll find her once we get to a clear place," Edith said.

Sarah went with the crowd reluctantly. There were people with open wounds others were helping down the tunnel, she turned back to look where they had come from when the section of tunnel they had just vacated collapsed. Sarah turned and moved as fast as she could with the throng down the tunnel. She felt hands grab her arms. She threw her arms around her Mary and held her tight.

-0-

Tom dismounted at the parish hall and told Trix to stay by the door. He went inside to find Rose. It was May 22, 1941 almost six weeks since the attack on Belfast. Half the beds at the clinic were now empty. Rose had gone over that afternoon to make sure the duty chart was filled for the next week and they were organized. The people that were left were mostly waiting for family members to arrive and collect them. Some that had already left had family in the Free State and had gone with them to stay for their recovery. Eagle Cairn was a charming community he thought. Class divided them as it had done for generations but when it came time to pull together they could all get by their differences and get a great deal accomplished.

He found Rose going over the menu and discussing with one of the other women the supplies they would need for the week.

"Tom, I wasn't expecting you," Rose said.

"I thought I'd stop by and see if there was anything you ladies needed," Tom replied.

"A fleet of washer women to make sure the linens all get a thorough wash and are completely dry and ironed before they are put away," Rose responded. "Otherwise things are slowly winding down."

"That I can't help you with," Tom said.

"I think we'll divide up the linens amongst us and have our housekeepers each do one or two sets," Millicent said. "It will be easier to take care of in small batches and we know they all do a good job."

"That sounds like a good idea," Rose said. "I'm done here. I'll walk home with you Tom."

Tom collected his horse and they walked through the village together with his dog trotting along beside.

"Are you glad to be almost done?" Tom asked.

"I'm a little tired after all these weeks, but I'm happy we could help out with the evacuees from Belfast," Rose replied. "I feel like I'm doing my bit, if only a little."

"I'm not sorry in the least the Free State decided to stay neutral," Tom said. "The raids I went through when I was with Sybil and the ones on the return trip were enough to last me a lifetime."

"Four days coming back was rather long," Rose replied with a sigh. "I do hope Davin and Camilla will be coming over soon and make the crossing without any problems."

"He should be done his exams in another week," Tom said. "I wish Sybil and Sarah and Redmond would pack up and come home but they're all determined to see things through and the crossing is no walk in the park."

"They have the optimism of youth on their side," Rose said. "There was another letter from Hans. He says he is the unofficial translator among the prisoners since they have English pilots mixed with the German in the camp. They have them working on a farm."

"He's probably playing that cheap fiddle you sent him instead of working," Tom said with a crooked grin.

"Most likely," Rose said. "He did say he was "_very respectfully grateful_ _the Branson family were not inhabitants of Belfast."_

"He's still got that second hand dictionary you gave him by the sounds of things," Tom said. "I haven't heard a thing about the distant cousins that were living there. I wonder what's happened with them."

"We might hear through the Dublin bunch," Rose replied. "They're probably still getting themselves sorted out."

They arrived home. Tom handed his mount off to Sean and went to check the mail. There was a letter from Sybil in the batch that had arrived in the afternoon post dated a week previously. She said Baby Hope was doing well and Claire, Redmond and Sarah's daughter was thriving as well. The rest of her letter was about her upcoming fashion show and to say she had heard from Russell. She was hoping he would make it home on leave to see his new daughter.

Tom took the rest of the stack of post and sorted it out. He was reviewing the stack of bills that had just arrived when Mrs. O'Rinn came to the door of the office with a telegram. Tom took it and absently put it on the desk with the rest of the correspondence. It wasn't unusual for him to receive telegrams dealing with different parts of the business operation of the estate. He finished what he was doing and reached for the telegram. He felt his heart skip a beat. He slowly put the telegram on his desk and put his face in his hands. This wasn't supposed to be how it worked. Children survived their parents and their children survived them. He slowly got up from his desk and went to find Rose.

Chapter 44 – A Decision

Redmond sat staring into space. He'd been given a week off from the hospital. He had another three months to finish his residency. A surgeon with shaking hands and in deep greif was of no use to the hospital or the patients. Guilt and grief washed over him in alternating waves._ "Why hadn't he listened and gone back to Ireland?" _he told himself over and over.

Dalaigh crawled through followed by Nanny Grace who was carrying Baby Claire. She laid the four-week-old infant into her father's arms and left him with his family. Dalaigh was busy tapping some wooden blocks together on the floor. Redmond gazed into the baby's face that bore such a strong resemblance to his wife. His only comfort was that his beloved Sarah had died in Mary's arms. Sarah had hung back looking for Sybil when a piece of debris had pierced her chest and pressed against her heart. She hadn't felt a thing and died within minutes. Sybil had been clear of the debris on the opposite side of collapse. Sarah hadn't done what she'd scolded him so many times for. She hadn't put her own safety first.

"The priest is here," Sybil said as she came through and touched her brother's shoulder. He nodded his acceptance but didn't move.

"I want my wife's body sent to Ireland, to Galway City for burial," Redmond said. Once the priest had been shown in and they were all seated.

"You know at the present time that is not realistic," the priest replied. "The travel time is too greatly increased. You would need a permit. The bodies of the departed are buried as quickly as possible."

"She's Irish. I promised her I would take her home. I want her to go home," Redmond repeated obstinately.

"It won't be easy but it can be done," the priest said. "I will see what I can make for arrangements."

"Redmond, you can't mean to make the crossing," Sybil said. "It won't be safe for the children."

"I promised her Sybil. The priest will make arrangements and I'll get more time off from the hospital if I have to."

"You can't make the crossing on your own with two small children," Sybil said. "At least let me send Nanny Grace with you or leave Claire here with me. I have enough milk for two babies. I'm over producing at the moment."

"I won't leave my daughter," he replied vaguely. "I'm never leaving my children again."

"Redmond, you're not making sense. You've got to finish your training. How do you propose to do that with two small children and what are you going to feed Baby Claire? Let me send Nanny Grace with you to Ireland if nothing else."

"You can't manage on your own with all these children," Redmond replied. "Astrid will be home from school soon."

"I know it's too early to discuss things, but this war has made me think of the practical side. I'm going to ask Mrs. Barrow to come and live with me. The Inn isn't open with all the fortifications on the coast. Nanny Grace can go to London and live with you and take care of the children as long as it is quiet. Astrid really doesn't need a nanny anymore. Leave Claire with me just until she's weaned."

"Sybil I've taken advantage of your hospitality long enough," Redmond replied with a sigh.

"Nanny will be in London anyway managing the house. She's like a shepherd without a flock when she doesn't have children to take care of."

"Mrs. Beldon, Baby Rose is awake and needs feeding," Nanny said coming to the door.

"I was just telling my brother, you would be the perfect choice to stay with him in London and take care of his two children," Sybil said.

"If that is your wish Mr. Branson, I would be happy to," Nanny Grace said solemnly.

Redmond nodded his acceptance without really listening.

"Dalaigh, come with Nanny," Nanny Grace said. Dalaigh pushed himself up to stand unsteadily. He grasped her fingers and toddled off with her. Redmond got up and laid his daughter in her pram. He pulled the cover over her and pushed the pram out into the yard. It was a beautiful spring day with the birds singing in the trees and flowers and trees in bloom everywhere. He stood absently and pushed the buggy back and forth in a rocking motion under the shade of a tree.

Mary came out of the house and stood beside him.

"Have the arrangements been made?" she asked.

"The priest was here. I'm taking her back to Ireland," Redmond said. He didn't add which I should have done in the first place, but it hung in the air unsaid.

"You know I lost my first husband and your father lost his first wife," Mary said quietly. "They died a year apart."

"I know George's father died and Sybil's mother," Redmond replied.

"You have children to live for the same as we did. There's a good bit you probably don't know about my sister's death," she paused and took a breath. "Tom had gotten into some trouble in Ireland. The pair of them did really. She fled Ireland late in her pregnancy. Afterwards when there were complications with the birth and she died, Tom blamed himself. He didn't start to come out of things fully and forgive himself until after he married Rose."

Mary waited to let her words sink in.

"The complications were probably there whether she had traveled or not," Redmond said.

"And my husband's car accident? Should I have not told him to go so the rest of the family could come and see George? I blamed myself as well."

"It was an accident," Redmond said. "You had no way to know."

"She was safe Redmond, as safe as the rest of us. The debris that killed Sarah couldn't have been predicted. Edith and I were only a few feet away. If I had caught her arm sooner and pulled her out of the way, if we had gone further down the tunnel and not let her turn back, if Sybil hadn't gone to the ladies room and we hadn't got separated. Where does it end? One day you will look at all this quite differently."

"She's gone, Cousin Mary and I'm…" he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Alone," Mary filled in for him. She stood holding him while he cried under the tree in the garden. A young person loosing their spouse early was something she hadn't thought she would see again in her family. Fate had dealt a trump card yet again. While Redmond grieved for his wife she couldn't help but think of the early days when she had lost Matthew and the despair she had felt at facing the future without him.

When his tears had slowed and he had gotten himself together Mary looked at him solemnly.

"You were always Granny's favorite. She would be proud of you and what you've accomplished. Use what she taught you. It will serve you well," Mary said. "I've got to get back to Downton tonight before Elizabeth and those two other little hellions collapse the house around Anthony's ears."

"Which one is the worst?" Redmond inquired.

"Truthfully, I am," Mary said with a small sad smile. "I tied all of their big toes to the bedposts with wool the night before I came down to London. They're so busy trying to figure out who the culprit is they haven't time to pull any stunts on each other."

"I'm hoping my daughter inherited her mother's temperament," Redmond said.

"There is a future to look forward to," Mary replied squeezing his hands before she went back into the house to pack.

Redmond turned and looked at his daughter.

"There is a future, but one I don't know how I will face without your mother," he said to the sleeping baby.

-0-

It was a solemn occasion when Tom, Rose and their three youngest sons joined Sarah's parents at the train station in Galway City. There wasn't much to say as they waited for the train to pull in. The train arrived on time for a change and the passengers began to disembark. They looked up and down the line of coaches for any sign of Redmond. Finally the door to one of the coaches opened and a pram appeared with Sybil pushing it. She turned back once she had the brake on to help unload a second pram from the car. Redmond followed her with his son on his hip. The families headed down the platform to greet them.

"Sybil why did you risk coming? We weren't expecting you," Rose said after she had greeted her son and daughter.

"Redmond didn't want to leave Baby Claire. We didn't think he would be able to get milk on the way over and its been quiet this last few days. It's as though someone turned a switch and the bombing suddenly stopped. Mrs. Barrow and Nanny Grace are at the cottage with the evacuee children. It's only for a few days. Everyone is well looked after."

"Which one is which?" Sarah's father asked looking at the two babies.

"That's Hope and this is Claire, your granddaughter," Redmond said indicating which baby was his daughter. Dalaigh had made strange with everyone except Tom. Tom reached out and took Dalaigh from his son. Sarah's mother was looking at Claire with tears in her eyes.

"She's very like her mother," she said.

"I hate to hurry everyone but we're to go straight to the church," Rose reminded them. The undertaker had come to let them know the casket had been loaded. The arrangements had been made so they would go straight from the train to the church and then the graveyard. Dylan pushed Hope's pram and Bradley took over with Claire's while they walked behind the hearst. Sybil had her arm around Garret. Sarah had been well known in Galway and many people came to their doors to watch the procession pass. There was a crowd gathered at the church for the service. Sybil recognized some of the girls from their school class and others from their riding group in the crowd.

Claire started to fret before they headed to the graveyard. Sybil took her to the ladies cloakroom to see to her. By the time she finished with one the other was fussing. Her mother came into the cloakroom with Hope in her arms.

"You must be exhausted," Rose said.

"Less than you might think," Sybil replied. "I've got too much milk and I have Nanny Grace and Mrs. Barrow to help out. Redmond is in a bad way. He was worse before Uncle James came down to Horsham to see him just before we left."

"What plans has he made?" Rose asked quietly.

"Nanny Grace and his children will move to London with him once Claire is weaned and if it stays quiet," Sybil replied thoughtfully. "It's hard to think about grief and loss when you're nursing. A baby is so full of promise."

"They are," Rose agreed. She was rocking Claire. "Sarah's parents want Redmond to stay with them. They don't want to miss a second with her children while they're here. We brought milk in from the farm."

"I don't think Redmond will move back to Ireland," Sybil said. "He agreed for Sarah but England is really his home now and mine as well. He might as well live at the London house. I never go there. Uncle James would have him and the children back in a second as well if he wanted to live with him. I think Uncle is lonely without Aunt Victoria and all the children are away at school."

"I don't know what I would do without your father," Rose said quietly.

"Yes, you do, Mummy," Sybil said with a sad smile. "You would take over as manager and put the entire estate on it's ear."

"I'm not as strong as people think I am," Rose said.

"Yes you are, you're stronger," Sybil replied. "You're a lot like Grandpapa Shrimpy and Uncle James only in a prettier package."

"I would like to see them both," Rose said with a sigh.

They went out to join the others at the graveside once the babies were taken care of and dozing off again.

"I'm sorry, I really want to spend my two nights here with my parents and brothers," Redmond said when the family told him he was staying with Sarah's parents.

"Why don't you pack a bag and come out to Eagle Cairn?" Tom suggested. "We've more than enough room and plenty of supplies."

"We don't want to impose," Sarah's mother said.

"We all want to spend time with the children. We can do it together," Rose said.

They agreed to head out to the estate after they had gone home to pack their bags for the two nights Redmond and Sybil would be there.

-0-

"I wouldn't leave Sybil with her grandparents when she was an infant," Tom said during a family discussion. "I can understand how Redmond feels." Sarah's parents were urging Redmond to leave his children with them until he was finished his training.

"It's so much safer here," Sarah's mother said. "You don't know when they're going to start up the bombing again or something worse.

"The area of the city I live in hasn't been damaged," Redmond replied. "They're my children and I won't be separated from them. My sister came with me because I didn't want to leave them even if just for a few days. I've lost my wife and a good chunk of my friends, I won't loose my children too."

"You've admitted you work long hours, with little time off. Won't you consider leaving them here just until you've finished your training in August," Sarah's father coaxed.

"I won't be a stranger to my own children," Redmond said. His back went a trifle stiffer. Tom couldn't help but think how much he looked like old Lady Grantham in that moment. "They are my children and they will be raised as English children as I was. Sarah wanted to move back to Ireland and I would have done it for her sake, but England is my home. It is the place where I grew up. This country is not mine and never will be."

"That's a hard line to take son," Tom said with a slight frown.

"Davin doesn't remember what our lives where here. We may not have been treated well in England if you hadn't taken us but you did. I remember my mother dying without adequate medical care and I remember sleeping on a pallet on the floor and being fed table scraps. I found a home in England with a family and a good education. I know Sybil will be there for my children if anything ever happens as will Uncle James. The family at Downton wouldn't see them on the street or living in a hovel either. They will be raised in England and that is my final word."

"If you feel that strongly Redmond, then that is my final word as well," Rose commented. Tom glanced at his wife. The aristocratic upbringing was showing through on the pair of them and Sybil and the other boys were all looking as stiff as their brother. _"All we'd need about now is for Davin and Rose's father to show up and they'd be like an immovable British wall,"_ Tom thought.

"When the war is over there is no reason you can't all come over and visit," Sybil said. "You may come whenever you like. There is more than enough room at Evans House where Redmond resides or Hadley Hall once the military moves out."

"I will be bringing the children back to visit from time to time as well," Redmond said. "No one has to think they will never see them or that I would ever keep them from you."

"They're your children. You must do what you think is best," Sarah's father said with disappointment.

"They could shift the bombing at any time and this area could wind up being just as dangerous as London has been in the last year," Redmond said with some of the stiffness going out of his spine. "Or they could decide to invade. You never know. Germany has already taken Italy and Greece and Italy was their ally. Neutrality won't protect anyone if they decide to invade. The children will be at Horsham with Sybil until the baby is off the breast, then they will move to London and live with me and their Nanny."

"If you change your mind," Sarah's mother said. "We'll come for them at a moments notice."

"Thank you for the offer," Redmond replied. "But there is no need."

Tom waited until everyone had gone to bed to approach his son. Redmond had been sleepless the night before. Tonight he found him sitting in his and Rose's favorite nook off the hallway holding the one of the babies and rocking her.

"Care for a cup of tea?" Tom asked him.

"I'm surprised you have any," Redmond said. "It's as scarce as hen's teeth back home."

"Fresh blackberry leaves that have been dried," Tom replied. "It's not too far off if you mix raspberry leaves in with it and a little red clover."

"All right, Da I'll join you," Redmond replied.

"I'll be right back," Tom said.

He returned with tea in two china mugs and set them down on a small table between them.

"How are you holding up?" Tom asked him.

"I'm doing what I have to," Redmond replied.

"I know it's hard to believe right now, but it does get better," Tom said. "It takes a long time but it will."

"Cousin Mary said about the same thing," Redmond responded.

"She a sweet babe," Tom said. He reached for the baby.

"It's Hope," Redmond said as he passed the baby to his father. "She was fussing so I brought her down. I've told so many people to look for the life when all around us there is so much death. There wasn't time in the last year to grieve for the dead. There still isn't really."

"Life does go on son," Tom said.

"Sarah wanted to come back to Ireland on her own and I wouldn't let her," Redmond said quietly. "I logically know her death is no one's fault, but I can't help blaming myself."

"That will pass too," Tom said. He rocked Hope and looked into her face. "The guilt takes longer than the grief. I loved Sybil's mother so much I thought my heart had been torn out and buried right along with her. I held on to the life around me and one day it just happened, the most maddening woman I had ever met walked into my life and there I was feeling and living again when all there had been was despair."

"My heart is telling me one thing and my head is telling me something else," Redmond said.

"I've never known you not to be able to think things through and make a decision that is right for you," Tom said. "This one is settled. I'll take her back up."

"You aren't mad because I want to live in London are you?" Redmond asked his father.

"No, I'm not. I can understand your reasons. I can't say I'm not disappointed though," Tom said getting to his feet. "You have to live your own life son and do what you think is best."

"The best for my children is to see their father on a regular basis over the next few months and then move in with me when the time is right," Redmond replied.

"Then that's what they'll do," Tom said.


	32. Coming Home Part XII

Coming Home – Part XII – Chapter 45 through 48

_Took me a bit on the research this time. Life at Carragh really was different and pretty much as how I am describing it. Nocton Hall was a medical hospital in WWII and later became an American military hospital during the first Gulf War. It is now closed._

Chapter 45 – Family Visits

Matthew Beldon stopped the lorry he was driving outside of his daughter-in-law's cottage in Horsham. He'd had to do some very fast talking to get on an equipment transfer to Portsmouth. Driving a lorry in the army hadn't been all that interesting so far. The track in Newmarket had been taken over by the RAF as soon as the war had started. The horses had moved out and the aircraft had moved in. His world hadn't changed all that much. He slept at the barracks and rather than take care of horses, he fueled lorries, washed lorries and drove them back and forth to pick up and drop off supplies. When he had time off he headed home to see his wife rather than hang around the barracks where gambling was rampant.

When Matthew had first signed up they had sent him down to Hastings for training then to a camp near Birmingham for driver training. He was too old to go overseas so he was assigned to driving lorries this way and that, the occasional troop truck and once in a while he was appointed to chauffeur some high ranking officer. He laughed to himself the first time he'd been assigned to act as a chauffeur. He'd gotten a long speech from the ranking non-commissioned officer about how to act around dignitaries. After all his years working for the aristocracy he could have told them a few things about wearing livery and dealing with the upper crust. His time in prison had taught him to keep his mouth shut, do his work and not draw attention to himself. He had a fairly simple straightforward job and driving supplies had its advantages when cartons happened to fall off the truck at the supply depot or were loaded half full. He knew exactly who was taking what and wasn't averse to supplying his wife with a few extra cans of meat now and then.

"Here, Beldon, you can't be old enough to have a daughter-in-law," his co-driver said. "You're younger than I am and my son is just eighteen."

"Simms. I told you we're stopping to see my daughter-in-law," Matthew said. "If you want this lorry to overheat and give you an hour at that bawdy house you're always going on about, you'll keep your mouth shut. Go around and get that case of canned milk. You can carry it to the door and if you're polite I may introduce you."

"Piss off Beldon," Private Simms said.

Matthew laughed as he got out of the lorry. The other man went around to get the milk. He put the tins into a brown paper bag before he carried them to the door. There was no sense advertising.

Matthew went to the door and knocked. He could here laughter on the other side of the door. The door opened to reveal Astrid.

"Mr. Beldon," she said with a smile. "We didn't know you were coming. How very nice to see you." She put her arms around waist and hugged him. He hugged her back awkwardly.

"I happened to be passing by and took the chance Sybil and the baby would be home," he replied. "How are you Lady Astrid?"

"Busy keeping the evacuee children occupied," Astrid replied. "I was just about to collect the children to take everyone down to the stable for a ride. Can you stay long enough to come with us?"

"I'm afraid not. It's just a quick call. I was hoping to see my granddaughter," he said smiling at her.

"Sybil is out back with Mrs. Barrow and Hope of course. You can come through," Astrid said. "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"Lady Astrid Carlton, Private Simms. Milady to the likes of you," Matthew said.

"I would prefer Lady Astrid," she replied. "Come this way." Matthew gestured for the other man to put the bag of milk on the table.

"Sybil we have visitors," Astrid said.

"Mr. Beldon," Sybil said in surprise getting up from her weeding. "How nice of you to stop by."

"Corporal now. We brought you some milk, in tins," Matthew said nervously. "It's in the kitchen."

"How wonderful. I have six children here to care for at the moment," Sybil replied. She went over and kissed her father-in-law on the cheek. "You remember Mrs. Barrow?"

"How do you do, Mam?" Matthew said.

"Quite well, thank you," Abigail replied. "I'll get some drinks."

Private Sims was hanging back. These women, at least the young girl and the daughter-in-law were obviously of the upper class with their refined accents and manners.

"Who is this with you?" Sybil inquired. She had pulled off her gloves and taken off her apron. Matthew didn't know how she managed to look so serene and put together when tending a garden.

"Private Simms. You can't move a lorry an inch without two men in the cab," Matthew said. "How's Hope?"

"How do you do, Private Sims," Sybil said with a smile. "Come and see Hope for yourself." She lead him over to a blanket where Hope was lying in the shade waving her hands at the butterflies that were dancing around a patch of Sweet Williams that were left overs from the original flower beds. Sybil picked her up and handed her to Matthew.

"Say hello to Granddad," Sybil cooed to the baby.

"Aren't you the pretty one," Matthew said looking at his granddaughter. Her fingers latched onto one of his and tried to stuff it in her mouth. "She's going to be a tall like her father," he said. "Any word from Russell?"

"He should be due for leave soon," Sybil said. "Come and have a seat for a moment."

Matthew took a seat with the baby. Astrid sat beside him hanging on his arm and looking at the baby with him. Private Simms stood back uncertainly.

"Have your brother's children gone?" Matthew asked. Sybil wrote to them regularly and he knew her sister-in-law had died.

"Yes, he took them up to London last week and the nanny," Sybil replied. "It's difficult without Sarah. The children all miss her a great deal except the babies. They're very resilient."

"I was sorry to hear about her passing. I only met her the once at your wedding but she seemed a nice girl."

"We're down to seven here now," Sybil said. "Our time would have been easier at the main house, but Russell insisted it be an officer's training center then wound up being in one of the first groups."

"Your son's an officer?" Simms questioned.

"He is and what do you make of it?" Matthew retorted.

"Nothing," Private Simms said.

Matthew was back to gazing at the baby and kissing her fingers.

"How are Lydia and Storm?" Sybil inquired.

"Lydia is the same, teaching school and tending her garden," Matthew said. "She pastured Storm on the green during the worst of the bombing. He's wild as can be these days. It's going to take me forever to train him to behave himself again. The Gerries blew high street to bits back in January. I'll get him back home again before the winter as long as they don't transfer me. Lydia will never catch him on her own."

"We still have Sarah's hunters," Astrid said. "Sybil is keeping them for when Dalaigh and Claire get big enough to ride."

"You'll have to ride them in the meantime and keep them in shape," Matthew said to her indulgently.

"I won a ribbon in riding at school last winter," Astrid told him. "Would you like to see my report card?" She was quite taken with her report card from the end of term and showed it to everyone who came over.

"Now I would at that," Matthew said. "Be quick now we have to get going soon."

"She seems happier," Matthew commented.

"She is," Sybil replied. "She is in charge of amusing the evacuee children. Not a one of their parents has asked for them to return home yet. One of the boys lost his father in the fighting, but he was so young when he went away he doesn't remember him. They're all over visiting Mr. Booth at the main house at the moment. It drives the sentries mad, but that is too bad. They can just lump it."

"You never did color inside the lines," Mrs. Barrow commented. She set down a tray and handed each of the men a concoction that resembled iced tea. Astrid raced out of the house with her report card and waved it front of Matthew's face.

"My goodness, excellent in Equestrian arts," he read. "Just like your mother. She could jump anything with style and land as though she were sipping tea at a garden party." He read over the rest of Astrid's report and commented on the areas where she'd done well. He quickly downed the ice tea.

"We've got to get going," Matthew said. "We've a fairly tight schedule." He handed the baby back to Sybil. "She's a cute one."

"Come back soon, so we can go for a ride," Astrid said.

"I'll come one day when I have leave if you're home and it's all right with your sister-in-law," Matthew said.

"It's all right isn't it Sybil?" Astrid said.

"Yes, you may stop in whenever you like, Corporal Beldon. Astrid won't be going back to Bruton until the end of August," Sybil said. "It was very nice to meet you Private Simms."

"Like wise Mrs. Beldon," he said.

They were back in the lorry and out of the village before Simms finally spoke.

"How old is your son anyway? That girl had to be what twenty, twenty-one?"

"He's twenty-three and an officer if you must know," Matthew said. "He's in the medical core. Which way to that bawdy house of yours? I'll give you twenty minutes."

"From a garden party with the local gentry to a bawdy house. You're a strange git," Simms said.

Matthew took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I'm not going to a bawdy house, you are. I've a beautiful wife waiting for me on my next days off and I'll thank you not to talk about my daughter-in-law."

"Touchy, touchy," Simms said. "There's the place up there. You don't know what you're missing."

"I know exactly what I'm missing," Matthew said. "A deals, a deal. Twenty minutes or I start blowing the hooter."

"Don't get you're knickers in a knot," Simms said. He was out of the lorry and back in under three minutes. He had a sour expression on his face.

"That was fast," Matthew said.

"They raised their prices. They said it was due to rationing and the prices in the shops going up," Simms growled.

"Did you think they were waiting to hand it to you on a silver platter," Matthew said with a laugh at the other man's expense while he put the lorry into gear and headed north.

"Oh sod off," Simms said.

-0-

George Crawley set his jaw stubbornly as he defied his mother. Mary was looking at him with a steely gaze and equally determined.

"I want to sign up now," he said. "I'm over eighteen. You can't stop me."

"You are Lord Grantham. As such you must finish university. You don't have an heir. It is your responsibility to get married and have children and attend university. I'm not going to allow you to throw your life away."

"What use is my studying business to anybody? I'm not even all that good at it," George shot back.

"One day you will run this estate," his mother said. "I will not allow you to destroy our heritage."

"Think about this George," Anthony said weighing in on the argument. "You would not be an officer at this point. They're offering you flight training. If you don't make it through they'll transfer you to an enlisted man. You must join as an officer and they only way to do that is if you finish your education."

"What's the difference if I'm an officer or not. I want to do my bit," George shot back.

"There's a huge difference," his step-father said. "Don't try telling me everything has changed since the last war. Not everything has changed and the difference between ranks hasn't changed a bit. If you've learned anything from me, you should have learned to use your rank and position to advantage. This time I must insist with your mother. Go back to university and finish your last two years. If you want to join up after that, I will support you."

"Anthony!" Mary exclaimed.

"I can't in good conscientious stop a young man from serving," Anthony said addressing his wife. "I can however point out the merits of finishing school. It's the right thing to do."

"I'll agree to that," George said.

George headed upstairs to start his packing for his return to university.

"You know," Anthony said thoughtfully. "I thought it was foolish and a waste of funds to send Elizabeth to school when she was younger, but now I must admit she's better at academics than both of her brother's combined. She'll be the one who runs both estates one day."

"At least Edward is only fourteen," Mary commented. "He's much too young to get any ideas about signing up."

"They all seem to be growing up so fast," Anthony said. "Didn't Rose say Dylan is off to university in Dublin this year?"

"He is," Mary said. "Shrimpy has moved down to London with Cousin James and Davin and his wife are back in Ireland. They're all growing up and moving on with their lives."

"It certainly isn't what we thought it would be years ago," Anthony remarked.

"There isn't a one of our friends daughters who are finished school who aren't involved in the war effort somehow," Mary commented. "The old ways are falling by the way side one after the other these days. I ran into Lady Helmsly the other day. She told me her granddaughter has joined the Women's Land Army. She's busy working as a recruiter and organizing where the women will be placed."

"The young people want something different," Anthony replied. "You can feel it. They want some of the old but they want new as well. The young ladies these days all drive. They wouldn't think of having a chauffeur take them anywhere."

"I feel like were an old pair of fossils that have outlived our usefulness," Mary said.

"I like that! Spotting duty isn't useless, neither is fundraising for hospitals and evacuee funds. Someone has to keep those three rascals in line as well."

"Four while Edward's home for the summer," Mary reminded him.

"Perhaps we should send Elizabeth to boarding school," Anthony said thoughtfully.

"And unleash a tornado on an unsuspecting nation?" Mary quipped.

"A British secret weapon in a very attractive package," Anthony replied with a wink.

-0-

Abigail Barrow was busy folding and ironing the laundry she had just brought in from the line. It was quiet times like this she missed her husband. Sybil had decided to return to school for her last term. After all the confusion of last year and Sarah's death the fashion house that was interested in Sybil's maternity designs had bought two from her portfolio. She was making a bit of a name for herself at the school and Abigail couldn't have been prouder of her. At the moment Hope was down for a nap and the rest of the children were at school for the day.

Life without Thomas had been almost unbearable at first. Their relationship had been one of small gestures to reassure and let the other know they were there and in their thoughts. Living through the raids on the coast hadn't been easy but Thomas had felt he was contributing in a way that was important, and defending their country. He'd come back from every raid bone tired. She'd rubbed his back and washed his clothes while he slept, then sent him off to do it all again day after day. She'd taken on a job in the Red Cross, manning an air raid shelter not far from the Inn. All last winter their nights had become days and their days nights as the raids tore across the country.

The part she was finding hardest was the sleeping alone. She'd become so used to his presence she found herself reaching out in her sleep to touch him and then waking when he wasn't there. There hadn't been a point in staying at the Inn on her own and when Sybil had asked her to come and live with her and help with the children she'd been only too glad to pull up roots and come. Abigail hadn't any idea of what she was going to do with the Inn, but it didn't bare thinking about at the moment with the town in a shambles from bomb strikes and downed planes.

The children didn't give her time to give into her grief. There was always a scraped knee, sore finger or tear that needed seeing to. Sybil went along with it all as though a house full of other people's children was the most natural thing in the world. Jimmy's father had died in the war and his mother hadn't asked for him back. The two girls mother's were afraid the bombing would start again and Bobby seldom heard from the Aunt who he had been living with in London. Abigail laughed a bit as she ironed a shirt that belonged to one of the boys. Sybil was raising them as she had been raised. The boys never went to school without a tie, vest and jacket looking like proper little gentlemen. Abigail wondered that the other children hadn't teased them but they had never mentioned a thing. Regular music lessons were another thing on the agenda with Sybil and she had each of the children practicing from some of Astrid's old music books at the upright piano in a corner of the sitting room every night.

Abigail had the shirts on hangers and the rest of the laundry folded in the basket ready to go upstairs to be put away. She turned when she heard the sound of someone opening the kitchen door.

"Oh Russell," she breathed. "I wondered what anyone was doing home so early. You gave me a start."

"Hello Mum," Russell said hugging her tight. "I've six days leave. I couldn't wait to get back. The place looks the same."

"There's been a great many changes since you were here last," Abigail said. She looked into her son's face. He looked tired and worn. "There's someone you'll want to meet upstairs having her nap. Go on up and see you're little one then have a rest yourself before Sybil gets home."

"In a minute. How are things without Dad?"

"I'm here with Sybil and this house full to take care of. I'm busy with five children. They don't give me a minute to feel sorry for myself."

Russell picked up the basket of laundry and headed for the stairs.

"You don't have to do that," his mother scolded.

"I always have carried the laundry for you. I'm not going to change now," he said smiling at her.

They went in quietly to stand by the crib.

"She sleeps a great deal," his mother said. "More than Redmond's little one we had here before he took them back to London with them."

"She's saving up her energy to grow," Russell said quietly while he stood and watched his daughter sleep.

Chapter 46 – Family Connections

"Eagle Cairn is the same yet different," Camilla said during a visit with Rose. She had found a part time position in Galway City leaving four days a week free. Davin had found a post with a vet practice to the north of the city where the owner was nearing retirement. He'd brought Davin on with the idea of slowly easing his way out of work and into his retirement. It suited them well as they had a shared house with the owner and his housekeeper sister who wouldn't allow a muddy boot in the door. The peculiarities of the diet Davin and Camilla followed had made the woman throw her hands in the air at first but otherwise they were settling well and Camilla had quite a bit of free time on her hands.

"There are quite a few changes," Rose replied. "The clinic has emptied out again after the casualties from Belfast were here. It all seems so quiet now with Dylan gone to school in Dublin."

"It won't be long and you'll find a way to fill the house up," Camilla said with a smile.

"You know Tom and I have never been without children. We've been married almost twenty years. I might like to try a year or two on our own," Rose said with a return smile.

"I didn't come just for a visit today although I love to catch up with you. I'm planning to stop by and see what I can come up with for specialty yarns from my old suppliers. I'm hoping to get back into my knitting now that I'm back. I had quite a few sweater sales over the years in Scotland."

"I'll be your first customer," Rose said. "That sweater you made Tom years ago is absolutely natty and he refuses to give it up."

"Sybil wrote she's taking knit pattern making as an elective this term. She's planning to put knitwear into her line for this year. We're going to write back and forth and I'll probably knit up some of her ideas with some homespun. There are some beautiful wools in this area that are not sold in the shops."

"You'll give up on bookkeeping and wind up being the most sought after knitter in the country if your work winds up in the shops in London," Rose said. "Mind you the ladies here will only be too happy to have a client for their wool back. They can sell every bit from the farms for a good price these days, but they still prefer to keep the old ways going."

"As long as they don't catch on that I can turn around and sell the finished work in London for twenty times the cost of materials if Sybil's designs catch on," Camilla said with her dimples showing.

"How was Edinburgh really?" Rose asked her.

"Quiet. We spent quite a few nights sitting in air raid shelters but nothing really happened. The planes flew over and back but there wasn't a thing going on. People are still afraid for an invasion by sea though. Davin is as happy as a clam to be here in Ireland. The country life suites him to a T. He's already had me out trout fishing twice."

"He didn't over do things did he, while you were there?"

"No, I wouldn't let him row after he got sick. He did play cricket in the spring and summer but that's all. He watches his diet, gets regular exercise and bundles up. I think the milder climate will be good for him. How are Bradley and Garret doing without all the older brothers and sister to bother them?"

"Bradley is restless with school this year without Dylan around. He wants to finish early the way Redmond and Davin did," Rose said with a sigh. "Garret couldn't care less about anything but music as always. He's talking about auditioning for the music program at Trinity College as soon as he turns sixteen. He's already contacted them about it. As long as he has two formal references in music, they'll allow him to audition which could mean him leaving school early as well."

"Davin being sick for a year put him in his own age group," Camilla commented thoughtfully. "He was still the only married man on his course. We got a few odd looks when I went along to some of the pub nights with his classmates. He was still the handsomest, smartest one there."

Rose smiled at Camilla's statement. After all the years and everything they had been through Camilla was still dead gone on her son. He could have graduated at the bottom of his class instead of with top honors and Camilla's opinion wouldn't change a bit.

"I think I'll have Sean saddle a pair of mares for us now that we're done our luncheon," Rose said. "I fancy a bit of a ride today if you don't mind me coming along to your stops with you."

"I don't mind at all," Camilla replied with a smile. "I'd be glad of the company."

-0-

"Redmond telephoned, he's coming down later today," Sybil said. She had been up to feed Hope and come back to bed to curl against her husband. "He says he wants to talk something over with us."

"Whatever it is the two of you can decide without me," Russell said. He was feeling a trifle disjointed from the comings and goings around the cottage. Sybil seemed so independent and in control of things around the place he was at a bit of a loose end. To top it off he was dog-tired. The floor felt like it was pitching back and forth and he found it hard to sleep through the sounds of four children and a baby in the house. In the last two days every time he'd tried to catch a few hours extra sleep someone had been playing piano or a game out in the garden while they picked vegetables and helped with the putting up for winter. Sybil had been raised with a house full of brothers and cousins off and on. To her it was everyday life, to him it was all the little sounds he wasn't used to.

The last trip had been difficult. The medical personnel usually got together and played cards and music and danced a bit on the way going when it was quiet. Some of the doctors and female nurses were paired up. This run they had spent most of their time with life vests and helmets on sitting on the floor of the inside cabin not too far from the lifeboats while the alerts were going on. Once they'd picked up the casualties it hadn't been much better. The ships were set up with operating rooms to treat the casualties without them having to wait until they got back to England. They had worked with lifejackets at the ready right outside the door incase they had to make for the lifeboats at any second. It had been a hellish trip and he wasn't looking forward to the next. Being a hospital ship hadn't saved the HMHS Maid of Kent or the Paris the previous year when they had been bombed by German aircraft. At the moment he was wondering why he hadn't packed Sybil and Astrid and the entire family and moved the lot to Dublin the moment they had gotten married. He was all for doing his bit, but his nerves were frayed and he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to take medical transport duty.

"Don't be silly," Sybil said laying her head on his chest. "I need you and so does everyone else. I wonder if Redmond's bringing Nanny and the children with him. Last spring the place was so packed the boys had to sleep in the shelter. Luckily it was nice weather."

Russell had been about to snap at her for complaining about the tight conditions and then bit his tongue. It wasn't Sybil's fault he couldn't sleep and she had no idea how tight the quarters were on board ship especially when they were returning with a group of injured. So far being back they couldn't keep their hands off each other. His mother had taken the baby in the pram to pick up the children from school. They'd been on each other so fast Sybil had to sew three buttons back on his shirt. He'd been surprised by the changes in her body after having a baby and his eyes had opened wide when he'd discovered she still had milk and lots of it. That part of their life hadn't changed one bit. While they were together was the only time where he the places he had been and what he had seen were completely blotted out of his consciousness.

"We should try and get to see Astrid if we can while you're here," Sybil said. "You won't believe how much better she is. She's happy helping with the younger children and she was in heaven when your father came down for the day with Lydia. She took him out riding with her."

"I hope you kept a good eye on him," Russell said with a sigh.

"He's not so bad these days. He's rather funny really and Astrid adores him. He keeps bringing canned milk for Hope. He showed up with Lydia carrying two cases. One full of canned milk the other with two damaged parachutes for me to use for my school projects. Apparently they were in a plane that got shot up. I cut around the bullet holes. I have all the silk I could possibly need for the entire year."

"I'm going to apply for a transfer," Russell said suddenly. "I've had enough of the ship, work too really. I'm kind of kicking myself for not becoming a man of leisure when I inherited."

"You'd be miserable in five minutes," Sybil said.

"Don't make judgments for me," he snapped.

"Russell what's wrong. You're not yourself," Sybil asked with a worried expression.

"I'm tired. I'm not sleeping very well and I get sea sick a lot."

"They can't mean to keep you at sea if you're sick all the time," Sybil said worriedly. "I do wish you were closer to home. At least in England or Scotland somewhere so we would get to see you more often. I'll walk to the pharmacy and get you a sleeping potion in a bit. You can stay in bed and try to rest."

"They don't give a damn if you're sick or not as long as you're well enough to knock them out and wake them up on demand."

"I'm going to get dressed and get you a sleeping powder as soon as the shops open," Sybil said with concern.

"I've got to get up your brother will be here soon," Russell said moodily.

"You can get up in your dressing gown when he gets here," Sybil said. "A man of leisure can stay in bed and wear a smoking jacket in the middle of the afternoon," she teased.

He got a slow smile on his face and chuckled a bit.

"You could stay in bed and console me with a drink of warm milk," he said.

"No! If Redmond brings Claire down with him, I'll feed her. I've kept Hope on the breast longer because I thought it would be good for her and we can't always get enough milk. My chest may look huge but I'm not a Jersey cow."

"Mummy cow," Russell teased her grabbing her around the waist when she went to get up. "Mummy cow, stay in bed and feed me!"

"Noooo!" Sybil squealed kicking her feet.

"It's Saturday. Saturday is for kissing so you can go to church tomorrow and pray about it," he coaxed.

"Well when you put it that way," Sybil replied. "I'll stay in bed with you if you promise to be in a better mood when Redmond gets here."

"I'll consider it," Russell said moving to kiss her.

"Consider it quickly," Sybil replied kissing him back. "Hope will be awake again soon."

-0-

"Are you sleeping all right?" Redmond asked Russell after he'd been at the house for about half an hour. He'd noticed right off Russell seemed to have trouble focusing on what was going on around the house.

"I'm sleeping," Russell replied.

"No, he's not," Sybil interrupted. "I'm going to go to the pharmacy and get something for him. I was going to go this morning but I got distracted and he's motion sick."

"Hmm," Redmond said.

"Don't you turn your diagnostic eye on me," Russell said irritably. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Abigail said sticking her head around the corner. "Bobby, run up and get Astrid's doctor bag."

"I know right where it is," Bobby said.

"I buy my sister a toy and now you're going to use it on me," Russell grumbled.

"Stop pouting or I'll paddle your bottom," Sybil informed him.

"Is that a promise?" Russell asked.

"Stop being such a nasty boy," Sybil scolded him with a smile.

"So you're going to make the move to East Grinstead," Russell said to distract Redmond.

"That's where I've gotten a spot. It's a new surgical group being set up at Queen Victoria Hospital burn unit. I'll be working with the latest techniques and theories and helping to come up with new ideas. The concept is to give burn victims the chance to reintegrate into society rather than being institutionalized. It's exciting really."

"How are you planning to manage the children on your own?" Russell asked.

Bobby came back down the stairs with the bag and gave it to Redmond.

"You were supposed to tell him you couldn't find it," Russell said to Bobby.

"He gives lollies and you don't," Bobby informed Russell.

"I learned a few of your late father's tricks," Redmond said. "I was going to ask Nanny Grace to come down to work for me taking care of the children as long as the two of you don't have any protests with her leaving your employment." Redmond dug around in Astrid's bag looking for the right instrument he wanted. "Gods this bag is a mess," he complained.

"It's toy not the real thing," Russell griped suddenly turning grumpy.

"You bought your sister the real thing minus a scalpel as a toy," Redmond reminded him. "Now sit there and be quiet."

"Nanny can move with you if she likes or she can stay and manage the house in town," Sybil said.

"Found them," Redmond said. He pulled out some instruments and went to check Russell's ear.

"That thing is dirty," Russell complained pulling away.

"It's a quick look and you're not going to die from it," Redmond said. He looked in Russell's ear then checked the other one. "Interesting. No wonder you're seasick. The house rocking a little is it?"

"Just a bit," Russell replied.

"You won't be going back to sea in four days. I'll be having a word with your MO," Redmond said. He tilted Russell's head back and looked at him a bit more. "Now, I won't be using one of Astrid's tongue depressors. They may actually be dirty enough to make you sick. I'll use a spoon instead."

"No you won't," Russell replied.

"Oh yes I will," Redmond retorted.

"Holy Christ, it's a wonder you can stand up straight," Redmond said a few minutes later while peering down Russell's throat. "You have the worst inner ear infection I've ever seen. You must have had it for quite some time."

"I've been sick to my stomach off and on the last four months," Russell said miserably once Redmond let go of him.

"I'll make a call in a bit and have you landed," Redmond said. "You'll have to go to the infirmary and have a military doctor's signature and get a prescription. I'll give you one to help you sleep as well. They can do that next door."

Claire was awake from her nap and starting to squawk for her bottle. Sybil headed upstairs to collect her and brought her down once her nappy was changed. Sybil spread a shawl over her shoulder and tucked the baby underneath. Russell was in slight shock that his wife was going about the business of feeding her brother's child so casually.

"Russell don't look at me like that. I fed two babies for over a month," Sybil said. "I had to come up with a simple system that let me get on with things or go crazy."

"It saves on milk," Redmond commented. "Some of the hospitals in London collect the breast milk from the mother's who have too much and use it for the other patients."

"It doesn't sound overly appetizing," Russell replied.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Redmond said. "Now to get back to the move. You don't have a problem if I ask Nanny Grace to come with me and the children to East Grinstead?"

"Go ahead. The butler can run the house in London. He knows his business," Sybil replied.

"There's only two of the lads that need a spot for the next year still there. The other two finished their terms and were transferred," Redmond said.

"That's fine. The butler can take care of them," Russell said tiredly.

"Go up and get dressed. We can walk over next door and get you sorted out," Redmond said.

Dalaigh came toddling through from the kitchen and held up a raw green bean to show his father.

"Bean," he said.

"Bean," Redmond repeated and bit the end off. His son looked at the bean in surprise then shoved it in his father's mouth. Redmond laughed and picked up his son. "Are you a bean eater Dalaigh?"

Dalaigh shook his head no, then laughed and pressed his face against his father.

"You're a grand boy, my lad," Redmond said in exactly the same way his father would.

"And his father can have the job of burping his sister," Sybil said. "I hear Hope stirring as well."

"Pass her over," Redmond replied. He put the baby on his shoulder and patted her back, after he set his son down. Dalaigh took off as fast as his legs would carry him back to the kitchen to see what the other children were doing. There was no time for Redmond to dwell on anything personal in his world, with two children to see to and patients lined up out the door. Russell returned from upstairs dressed in his uniform. Redmond got the baby settled in the kitchen playpen and accompanied his brother-in-law out the door. His mind was already turning over the family connections and how he was going to maneuver Russell into a better posting.

Chapter 47 – Past Acquaintances

A new batch of orderlies was about to arrive at RAF Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire. Russell wondered what family strings Redmond had pulled to get him reassigned here and at the same time he thought it was probably best if he didn't know. He was on dry land and back in England part way between London and Downton. The hospital had seven hundred and forty beds and there was more than enough to keep an anesthesia nurse busy. He was now the rank of Captain, which came with the added responsibility of being in charge of the surgical and recovery room nurses and orderlies. He had a sergeant who saw to the schedules, the men's quarters and anything else required. Russell had the responsibility for patient care, his subordinate officers and how procedures were carried out.

Russell finished checking the charts for the men in recovery and making his rounds before he headed out of the ward to the nursing office. He shared an office with four other nurses. The major who was the head nurse also had her office in the same area. She was a seasoned warhorse from the Great War and ran the hospital with a firm hand. Dirty wards and neglected patients were not words in her vocabulary and she held every member of staff to the same level of standard as she did herself. The Americans had entered the war a month ago and they were starting to get the odd American flyer through and one or two of their doctors. Their medical training was slightly different and there were some adjustments to different surgical layouts and procedures for the American staff.

Russell collected his paperwork from the basket in the main office and went to his desk. He went through a supply requisition and the daily bulletin before he came to a list of new orderlies and their assignments.

"Swilly," Russell said aloud as he read the list. At the top of the list of new arrivals the name Gerald Bothwell leaped almost off the page at him. It had to be his old roommate from his first year of nursing studies who had been kicked out of nursing for being too lazy to do his laundry and hadn't put in the effort to keep up. Russell noted with relief he had been assigned to another ward. He signed off the papers then headed to the locker room to change out of his scrubs and into a uniform. He had ten minutes before he was to meet the sergeant and address the new arrivals.

Russell headed out to see the new orderlies. He spotted Bothwell off to the side slouched against the side of a building when he thought no one was looking. His uniform looked a little less pressed than the others and his boots just a touch less shiny. He hadn't changed one bit, Russell thought. The sergeant formed the men into ranks when he saw Russell off to the side. Russell walked forward and accepted the salute from the sergeant before he turned to address the men.

"Welcome to RAF Nocton Hall. We are the support facility for the 81st General Army Hospital as well as three airfields," he said. "Our head nurse, Major Cassidy expects a high standard from every nurse and orderly at this facility as do I. For those of you serving directly under my command you will find I will accept no less than your best effort for every patient you come in contact with. You will find the other ward nurses and doctors at this facility expect the same." Russell glanced towards Bothwell and noticed a smirk on his face. He walked over to him and looked him directly in the eye. "Did you have a remark Private?"

The sergeant was standing to the side and looked angry.

"No Sir," Bothwell replied sarcastically.

Russell returned to speaking to the group.

"Tardiness for your shift will not be tolerated nor will personal slovenliness." He had never mentioned that before when addressing the new arrivals but this time he threw it in for good measure. "Carry out your duties well and you will have no problems. Shirk your duties and you will regret it," Russell said. "Those of you on surgical duty are under my command. You will have a briefing in exactly one hour on recovery ward B. Sergeant carry on."

Russell headed off to his quarters to write a few letters and get a few hours sleep before his next shift. Bothwell had best behave himself, Russell thought or he would find himself working in the hospital laundry very, very quickly if he had anything to do with it.

-0-

Tom was rather dreading dinner that night. Both Garret and Bradley were determined to finish school early and head off to university the next summer and neither of them would listen to his opinion. Tom felt it had been a mistake to allow Redmond and Davin to go to university early. Redmond had managed better than Davin living with family. He'd been a boy attending a different school but his life hadn't changed that much. It had been harder for Davin being younger than the others and he'd pushed himself too hard too hard trying to keep up to the older boys and wound up sick. Tom couldn't see what the rush was. Why couldn't the boys just relax and enjoy being boys.

Tom went to join the family as they brought the meal in and set the covered dishes on the table in the dining room. Mrs. O'Rinn was off tonight and Rose had done the cooking with Bradley's help.

"I have a note from my mathematics instructor for you to sign, Da," Bradley said while they were eating.

"About?" Tom inquired.

"He sent a copy of the letter going to the admissions for the medical schools I want to apply to. He wanted you to read it," Bradley replied.

"I don't see what the rush is," Tom said. "You've only one more year of grade school. What's the difference if you go to medical school this year or next?"

"Grade school is boring, Da," Bradley replied.

"I don't think going to school one year later would hurt," Tom said. "You're still a boy, you'd be starting university at seventeen."

"Redmond started at sixteen," Bradley replied calmly.

"He lived with Uncle James. It is quite a different thing when you live with a close relative," Rose commented. "You would be in a dormitory without anyone to take care of you and that goes for you too Garret."

"What if I said I wanted to go to school in London to the same school as Redmond," Bradley said slowly. "I could live with Uncle James and Grandpapa Shrimpy."

"You're not going to England," Tom said quickly.

"Why not? I'm English," Bradley said seriously.

"It's too dangerous," Tom replied.

"They haven't had one bomb since last May," Bradley said. "I've started the admissions application for London as well as Dublin. If I have a choice I'd like to go to London."

"What's wrong with Dublin?" Tom asked quickly.

"Nothing. I just thought I would like to go to the same school as Redmond and live with my uncle and Grandfather. I don't fancy being on my own that much," Bradley replied.

"We'll discuss it if and when you are offered a seat," Rose said calmly.

"Redmond did go to university when he was sixteen but it was hard on him. You both know what happened with Davin. Being bored won't kill you, but over doing it can," Tom pointed out.

"Lollan and Connall are finishing school this year. They're going to work. You can't say I'm too young when my friends are all going to be leaving home," Garret said.

"You're school friends aren't," Rose said.

"You've got your entire life ahead of you to study and work," Tom said. "I don't see why you want to go off to Dublin at sixteen. Neither of you are even at your birthdays yet."

"Da, I've out distanced the teachers here," Garret said with exasperation. "I had Hans to teach me last winter for a while. Afterwards," Garret shrugged. "I know the difference of learning from someone who is really good, maybe great even. I can teach the music program at school better than the instructor."

"You're getting full of yourself," Tom scolded.

"The instructor goes for tea and leaves the class to Garret most days," Bradley said. "I've seen him do it."

"I think we should have a word with the head master if that is going on," Rose said.

"I don't mind but there isn't anything I'm learning there, at least nothing that pertains to the career I want," Garret said. "I want to learn the things I can't at the music academy or at school. I want to be able to play music with people who understand what it feels like to have a desire to play and write music, not a bunch of kids whose parents are making them take lessons or they think it's an easy credit for graduation."

"I understand you feel frustrated," Tom said. "I don't know that being on your own in a dormitory is the best thing either. You may wind up feeling more isolated."

"I won't be isolated," Garret said. "They'll be practices all the time. I'll probably be busy almost every single evening."

"And if you're not busy?" Tom said. "What are you going to do with yourself? Young men go to pubs and they chase women. You barely shave once every two weeks."

"Perhaps we're worrying too much over something that hasn't happened yet," Rose said. "Neither of you has been accepted. If you're not accepted this time around will you both wait until you're eighteen to go to university?"

The boys both nodded.

"Very well then, end of discussion," Rose said.

-0-

"Is there some reason you don't want Private Bothwell on your ward, Captain Beldon?" Major Cassidy asked.

Russell felt his cheeks flushing pink under the woman's stern gaze.

"I have a past acquaintance with Private Bothwell," Russell replied. "High standards are imperative on the surgical ward as you know, Major. I don't know that Private Bothwell is up to the task."

"Then it will be your duty to see that he is," Major Cassidy stated. "He will do his rotation through surgical. I'm not changing the rotation just to suit a personal preference. We can't all have the best and the brightest all the time. You must take those who are not the best and bring them up to acceptable standards when they are below."

"Yes, Mam," Russell replied.

He went back to the ward in time for the next surgery to begin scrubbing in. He spotted his watch sergeant seated at the desk going over the charts of the men in surgical recovery. Three of the beds were occupied at the moment. The sergeant was good at his job and kept a close watch on the patients. Russell thought he would have made a good nurse or even a doctor had the man come from a family that would have encouraged him to continue his education beyond grade school.

"Sergeant," Russell said. "Has there been a barrack inspection recently for the enlisted men?"

The Sergeant looked at Russell questioningly. Barrack inspections with hospital duty were rare. They worked long often difficult hours especially when a new batch of casualties arrived and the shifts could extend to twenty hours to see to the worst of the injuries. In the medical profession it was rare for quarters to be dirty. Most of the people involved were aware of the hazards of living in poor conditions and kept their area neat and tidy if not perfect.

"Not for the last three weeks, Sir," the Sergeant replied.

"Let the other NCO's know, I'd like a surprise barrack inspection first thing tomorrow morning before morning shift. I'll review the night shift tomorrow evening after my shift is done."

"Very good, Sir, was there anything else?"

"That's all, Sergeant. I've got to get in and scrub."

"Yes Sir," the Sergeant replied.

Russell headed into the locker room. As an antitheist he did have to scrub his hands and arms to prevent contaminating the operating theatre. He went to retrieve a clean set of scrubs and found the pile empty. He headed back to find the Sergeant.

"Sergeant why are there no clean scrubs? The surgical team will be here any minute."

"I don't know Sir, I'll take care of it right away," the Sergeant replied.

A few minutes later one of the orderlies Russell didn't recognize showed up with a clean stack of scrubs. The doctors were waiting as well by this time.

"Check there are clean masks and gowns as well in the scrub room," Russell instructed the private. "While you're at it inquire at the women's locker room if they have sufficient clean laundry."

"Yes, Sir," the private said before he went off to do Russell's bidding.

"We never run out unless it's back to back surgeries for two or three days," one of the doctors commented while he changed.

"I'll look into it after we're through in surgery," Russell responded.

Russell was in his spot waiting for the patient to be brought in while the surgeons discussed the procedure. Today would be a particularly long procedure and he would have to take extra precautions with having the man out for so long. The sound of dragging boot heels distracted him from his last minute equipment check as two orderlies wheeled the patient in. It set Russell's teeth on edge but he didn't have time to comment as the team focused on the patient and the procedure of getting him on the operating table and under anesthesia got underway.

"Bloody lazy sot," Russell overheard the senior NCO's grumbling after morning inspection. During inspection Russell stood back as officer in charge and let the sergeants do the actual inspection. He only checked the odd thing or made small comments as they went down the rows of bunks. Russell's suspicions had been confirmed. He had instructed the NCO's to specifically check the socks and shirts in the lockers on a hunch. Gerald Bothwell's clothing had been filthy. He'd folded it neatly and even pressed his dirty shirts. Once the sergeant had picked up on the dirty clothes they had done a thorough inspection of his space. Dirty sheets, soiled towels and a whole host of other infractions had been picked up where the other men had an odd dirty towel or shoes that weren't shone but nothing of any particular note.

Now that Bothwell's short comings had been revealed Russell was more than happy to let the Sergeants deal with it although that kind of laziness put more work on the men who already had more than enough work on their plates.

"Sergeant, I think some time in the hospital laundry in addition to regular duties is in order. I also want all duties assigned to Private Bothwell double checked," Russell said.

"Yes, Sir. Will there be anything else," the senior sergeant asked him.

"Carry on. Notify me when disciplinary action is completed," Russell said. Bothwell may have gotten away with his dirty little tricks of pushing his work onto others on other wards, but he wasn't going to get away with it on Russell's.

-0-

Bradley had two letters waiting for him on the sideboard when he came home from school in late spring 1942. His parents weren't happy about him applying for medical school a year early, but it was all a moot point now, he thought. He was finished all his course work for the final year of grade school and only had one examination left to go. He'd gone to Dublin for an interview with the university there. He'd had an interview with a team of representatives from the school in London who had come over to interview the Irish applicants. He thought his odds might actually be better in England as here in Ireland he was a foreign student due to his nationality and there were few seats for foreign students in the university in Dublin. His marks were high at school. He didn't think he was at the same level as Davin or Redmond who seemed to be able to practically inhale a book and remember it by rote, but he'd never had any trouble learning quickly and pulling top marks at school. He had been amusing himself with the drama club, chess club and earning badges at boy scouts the last few years, but as soon as Dylan had left for university the drama club had held a lot less appeal. He'd had to admit the actual schoolwork was too easy. Once he'd decided on a course of study it had seemed like a waste of time to idle another year away at grade school. The moment of truth was here. He took the two envelopes to the dining room table and laid them out side by side.

"Well?" Garret asked as soon as he spotted the envelopes. He was headed through to practice piano.

"I don't think I can open them," Bradley said. "I'm too nervous."

"I'll do it," Garret said indifferently.

"Open the one from London first," Bradley said. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Garret tore the envelope open, unfolded the letter and laid it on the table.

"Well?" his brother said.

"I opened it. I didn't read it," Garret said laughing at him. Bradley promptly punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow," Garret said holding his arm.

"Wait until your letter is here," Bradley said.

"What are you two doing?" Rose asked as she entered the dining room.

"Opening my letters," Bradley said.

"I wish you would have waited for Daddy," Rose commented.

"I want to know one way or the other," Bradley said.

"He's too chicken to open them," Garret said. He tore the other letter open and put it with the first one.

Bradley picked up the letter from London and started to read.

"Yay!" he cried. He did a little dance.

"Good news I take it?" Rose said with a smile.

"I'm in," Bradley said. He accepted a hug from his mother.

"Well done," she praised him. "Now check the other one."

"It has been decided the university will not be offering seats to foreign students for this term. Please consider reapplication for next term," Bradley read aloud. "I didn't get in. There's no question now. I'm going to study in England."

"It's still a big step, but Daddy and I are proud of you," Rose said. "You'll have to talk to Davin when you see him next about scholarship applications. He did very well with all of that."

"They say in the letter they will be sending a package with information on scholarship application once I send acceptance and down payment," Bradley read. "I can hardly wait to tell all my friends. I'm going to write to Sybil and Redmond and Astrid right away."

"Don't forget to tell Daddy and send your acceptance letter," Rose said with a smile.

"I won't," Bradley said as he headed for the stairs. "I've got to get my letters written right away."

"Just don't be in too much of a rush to grow up," Rose said softly as her son disappeared up the stairs.

Chapter 48 – The Artistic Heart

Sybil went into her final show with a great deal of trepidation. A year ago the same event had ended in tragedy. The only thing that had kept her going was her promise to her husband to finish her degree and her desire to see her education through to the end. She had decided to look to high fashion rather than ready to wear as many of her classmates did. Markets were changing but there was still a niche market for the wealthy although the lavish impractical dresses she had remade many times from her aunts' discards were no longer the norm. There was still a strong following for those who wanted to look chic with a practical edge.

Her portfolio this year was a country sport line featuring textiles from the British Isles. Her collection included knitwear in every look and Camilla had knit up the pieces for Sybil's four outfits after many letters back and forth with yarn samples, drawings and suggestions for knit patterns. The knit pieces were all of fine specialty yarns. One outfit Sybil was especially pleased with had a blouse made from parachute silk she had dyed mauve then added an oatmeal colored knit sweater jacket with leather belt, wool skirt and a pair of leather boots that reached two inches below the knee. She'd topped it off with a knit hat in matching wool to the sweater jacket. The effect was stunning and said I look good but do my bit at the same time. She had two female and two male pieces in the show and had talked the two doctors staying at Evans House into being her models. Her collection had one male and one female riding outfit and the man's country sport look was accented with a fishing creel and rod, so the poor man modeling the outfit had something to hold onto. She'd handed the other man a riding crop at the last minutes so he had something to twist in his hands while he tried to keep a smile on his face. Russell had come home on a week's leave and proudly watched his wife's creations on display when the crowd had ooh and awed when they came out. He had to bite back a laugh at the look of alarm on the two doctors' faces at being put on display in front of such a large female audience with only a few older men mixed through the crowd.

Sybil had received three discreetly handed over business cards and now had to make a decision as to what she was going to do with her education. Every last one of her model designs had sold to people in the crowd within minutes.

"Happy to be done?" Russell asked as he accompanied her upstairs to her workstation to pack it up for the last time.

"Insanely happy," Sybil replied. "We're down to two evacuee children and I'm looking forward to not having to commute back and forth everyday and spend some consistent time with Hope."

"I can't understand the boys' families not wanting them back yet," Russell commented. "It's been a year since the last of the bombs in London. I couldn't imagine not wanting our daughter home with us."

"Bobby was with his aunt. She's never seemed overly interested in him. He's no bother really. He loves the garden and growing things. He's forever off pestering Mr. Booth. Mr. Booth told him the Germans would never win as long as the English could garden. He said the secret to a healthy garden was chicken manure. Bobby took over tending the chickens and he won't let your mother or I anywhere near the garden at the cottage to pull a weed. He says he's not old enough to fight so he's doing his bit pulling weeds."

"Weeding his way to victory at nine," Russell said. He couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't think Jimmy's mother is very well off," Sybil said thoughtfully. "I wouldn't be surprised if she can't afford to feed him. Your mother adores the pair of them. I've really never had the least bit of trouble with either of them and they share a room. I don't mind them being there. I certainly wouldn't want to be separated from Hope."

"I can understand why Redmond wouldn't leave his children with Sarah's parents," Russell said. "Leaving you and Hope never gets any easier."

As soon as Sybil was packed up Russell took her bag and they headed for the train. The train station was busy today with American service men mixed in the crowd. These days it seemed they saw as many American as British soldiers everywhere they went.

"Camilla is going to be so excited when I send her a check for her knit pieces," Sybil commented with a happy expression.

"Whatever you decide to do with your education, I want you to be happy but I don't want Hope to suffer from it," Russell commented.

"Neither do I," Sybil said thoughtfully. "I can't see doing nothing with it, but at the same time I can't see working full time in London for one of the fashion houses. I'll figure something out, but I don't want to think about that at the moment. I want to enjoy my time with you for this week and the summer with our daughter."

"Her time is precious," Russell said.

"It is," Sybil agreed. "I named her Hope for a reason. I don't want to dwell on what might come. I want her to live and be happy."

"It's what she's doing," Russell said a bit sadly. He stroked a hand down his wife's back. "Speaking of living life to the fullest, whatever is Garret going to do with himself on his own in Dublin this winter?"

"Play music, play music and maybe play a little more music," Sybil replied with a chuckle. It's Bradley I'm more worried about. He'll be living in a house with a dying man. Grandpapa Shrimpy isn't doing well. He's still got his finger in politics to a certain extent. Every bit of bad news about the war effort wears him down a little bit more. You can see it."

"I was surprised he didn't come for your final showing," Russell said.

"He's not well enough to go out much these days," Sybil said. "Bradley being there might give him something positive to think about over the winter. The three cousins are home for the summer from boarding school. It's perked him up already."

"Astrid seems so independent taking the train home on her own," Russell said thoughtfully.

"Hardly on her own," Sybil said with a smile. "She's coming home with her friend and her nanny, who were passing through. Thirteen is a bit young to be taking the train completely on your own with a transfer. I'm sure she'll have her report card under your nose the moment she walks in the door."

"It's a vast improvement from when I first sent her to school and she used to hide it," Russell commented.

He couldn't wait to get home to their daughter, his mother and the two little boys waiting for them. His sister would be home the next day as well. For this week he would take in every minute with each of them and keep the radio turned off. He didn't want to know how many casualties there were or if the war was going well or poorly for their side. For a few days in the summer of 1942 he was going to allow himself to be a wealthy landowner who sat back and spoiled his family rotten.

-0-

Hans Meyer sat back in the English class given by the local schoolteacher for the German officers staying at Carragh and half listened to the lesson going on. The Irish government referred to them as restricted guests of the Sovereign Free State. They weren't exactly prisoners but they weren't completely free to do as they pleased either. The British and Canadians were on one side of the camp, the Germans on the other. He shared a room with another officer and other than having to be back in time for curfew was pretty well free to follow his own pursuits as long as a guard followed him around when he was off the premises. The German Embassy had been paying the full bill for horse back riding, wages, English lessons and a whole range of activities for the German officers, but they were running short of cash and some of the men had decided to take on farm labor to cover their living expenses. It wasn't so bad being out of the war in the Free State. He had absolutely no stomach for it in the first place. He played piano and the inexpensive violin Rose had sent him that made him cringe but was better than nothing at the bar on the German side of the camp. More recently he had taken a job for the summer at one of the local farms and caught the bus with a group from the camp to his job five days a week. Now they were allowed to have contact with the locals he was hoping to find one or two music students and get back to his own profession over the winter.

Life at the camp was easy enough but he missed living with Tom and Rose. No one at Eagle Cairn had bothered him with politics. He'd played music, chased girls, had daily English lessons with Rose and Garret had been a dream to instruct. He thought of them almost as though they were part of his family. Here the two sides of the camp bickered back and forth with the Irish having an entirely different view of things trying to keep the German and British from annoying each other too much. He wasn't a Nazi and never had been. He'd been busy studying at the university in Frankfurt while all the nonsense was going on. It had bothered him when musician after musician left the country as things got worse, but in his insulated world of orchestras and rehearsals he'd gone about his business and kept his head down.

His sister on the other hand had joined the Hitler youth and was actively involved in the party. She had written once through the Red Cross after he was interned to say his father had died in service to their country and his mother of a heart attack soon after. She informed him it was his duty to escape and he was a disgrace to the family for allowing himself to be captured. So much for a family to go home to in Germany, he had thought when he read the letter. He would like his violin but it had most likely been blown to bits in an air raid or sold by his sister. She wasn't the sentimental type.

Escape from Carragh was a matter of pride. No one tried to escape by simply walking away. It would not have been honorable. The only way to escape was to dig a tunnel or climb the fence. He thought it was a waste of time for German officers to attempt escape since there really wasn't a way back to German territory from here. It seemed all a pointless game to him. His legs had healed but his one leg was still not completely back to normal and ached something fierce whenever it had a mind to.

He found the English lessons rather dull after the practice he'd had with Rose. He could here a hideous sound coming from across the hall that he surmised was supposed to be a local music group attempting their lessons. It was making his teeth hurt as if someone had scratched their nails on the chalkboard. Hans stood up suddenly while one of the men was attempting to conjugate a verb.

"Lieutenant Meyer is there a problem," the instructor inquired.

"I beg your pardon, Miss O'Hare," Hans said with a slight bow. "I would like to excuse myself, with your kind permission."

"Certainly, Lieutenant" Miss O'Hare replied with a flutter of her eyelashes. The man was drop dead gorgeous with fair skin, blue eyes and brown hair. His chiseled features made her think of a hero in a Jane Austen novel.

Hans went across the hall and tapped at the door. A young woman who looked somewhat exasperated opened the door.

"May I help you?" she inquired.

"Permit me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Meyer from the camp here in Carragh. I am here to offer my services."

"I beg your pardon?" the woman inquired.

"I heard the lesson and thought I may be of assistance," he said.

Just then a particularly loud screech of strings made them both cringe.

"If you can get Lochlain Harshaw to make a sound that doesn't put my teeth on edge be my guest," she said standing back and motioning Hans into the room. He entered to see a group of six children with an assortment of tin whistles, violins and a bohdran. They were sitting in a circle.

"Good afternoon, children. My name is … Mr. Meyer," Hans introduced himself. He was wearing civilian clothes since they were all he had and internees were not allowed to wear uniforms off the base. There was no sense frightening the children. "I am a musician and instructor. Please you could play the piece you are working on for me?" The children all stared at him in fright.

"Come now, class. One, two, three," the instructor counted.

After ten seconds of the screeching racket Hans held up his hand for them to stop.

"Instruments down, please," he said. "If you would be so kind Mr. Harshaw?" He held out his hand for the boy's violin and bow. He adjusted the tuning then played the first bars of a jig. It was one he had worked on refining with Garret's group of friends and he surmised it was something like what they were attempting to play.

"First you must get the timing," he said. He then continued writing out the notes on the blackboard and had the children clap out the tune. He continued with the lesson having each group of instruments in turn work on the first few bars until they had their piece. "If you please, Miss?"

"Mac Eian," she replied.

"Count the time, please, Miss Mac Eian. Now together children." He had them play the bit together he had taught them. It actually sounded like a jig although not a refined one with talented musicians as he had worked on with Garret's group. He looked over to see a group of the children's parents standing by the door.

"Saints be praised, they can play," one of the mother's said.

"Everyone practice what you've learned today. Same time next week," Miss Mac Eian said with relief as she dismissed the class.

She turned to Hans once the children were gone.

"How do you know our music?" she asked him.

"I was injured and recovered in the County of Galway for sometime. I gave music lessons to some local boys. Some were very fine musicians. I had not taught children before. My benefactor told me I am on the high horse."

"They told you to get off your high horse?" Miss Mac Eian asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, that was what she said. Did I say this wrong?" Hans replied thoughtfully.

"Just a bit," Miss Mac Eian said. "Are you a trained musician?"

"Yes, I am," Hans said smiling back at her. "If you have a violin available, I would cordially offer my services to play for you."

Miss Mac Eian gasped slightly at the formality of his speech.

"There's only the piano here," she said. "Perhaps you would care to accompany me to my parents' home for tea. My brother has a violin. I'm not really an instructor. The lady who used to teach here in the village died of old age. There was no one to take over and my mother pressed me into service. I play the piano a bit."

"I would be very happy to accept your kind invitation," Hans said. "I will have to bring the guard. It is a formality only." Girls fell at his feet left and right. He hadn't the heart to tell the ones he'd met so far in Ireland he preferred a girl who would be comfortable in the academic music circles he had associated with before the war and would most likely again once the war was over. There were some very pretty girls in Ireland, but not a one yet had been able to carry on a conversation that held his interest for more than ten minutes. At the moment his wheels were turning as to how he could set himself up as a music instructor rather than a farm laborer and possibly find connections with the music community in Dublin. He was not allowed to travel beyond the three closest villages. Miss Mac Eian was quite a pretty girl and had caught his eye right away.

"Are you engaged as a teacher?" he asked her hopefully.

"Goodness no, I work at the local pub. My Da owns the place. Here we are. My family lives in the rooms upstairs," Miss Mac Eian replied.

"Perhaps my guard would be permitted to wait in the public house, while I discuss the need for music lessons in the village with you and your parents?" Hans asked with a sense of disappointment.

"Of course. I'll have my Da draw you a pint on the house," she said to the guard.

"Thank you kindly," the guard replied smacking his lips in anticipation. He disappeared into the public room in a blink.

Hans sighed while he waited for Miss Mac Eian. What he wouldn't give to go back to Eagle Cairn to serve out his internment and live with people who could talk about art, music and literature and didn't think Goethe was a type of cheese or a German breed of goat.


	33. Coming Home Part XIII

Coming Home – Part XIII – Chapter 49 through 52

Chapter 49 – The Empty Nest

"_The children are definitely growing up," _Tom thought towards the end of the summer of 1942. Dylan was home for the summer working on the estate farm and Garret was spending the summer teaching music in the city. Bradley had taken a job working with his older brother at the veterinary practice and gone to stay with Davin and Camilla for the summer. He would come home to scrounge up a box or two of groceries, visit with his friends and then head back. Bradley was becoming independent to a fault. They were still worried about him studying in London. York had been heavily bombed in April. Luckily none of the family had been injured, but it pressed home the fact there was still a war going on and civilians dying every day on both sides. Tom found it all rather disconcerting. The two youngest boys had grown up almost overnight and Bradley had his own mind about almost everything. Tom was feeling rather at a loose end.

Things in Ireland were still difficult with the lack of imported goods. The Atlantic convoys were being hit heavily and the Irish ships were barely getting through. The previous summer the country had a record high wheat harvest and yet there still wasn't enough wheat to meet the demand. It looked as though this year would be a good year for crops again and at least on the face of things the farms were doing better than they had in years. There was still a great deal of unemployment and cars were few and far between. In the years they had been at Eagle Cairn Tom felt he'd made a positive difference. Problems remained, but the things he had managed to bring into existence were benefiting the community. There were still those who stuck to the traditional crops and refused to even consider trying newer farming implements that speeded up planting or harvest and there always would be.

He had planted fruit trees a few years back on the estate. It had been Rose's idea to plant an orchard and then attempt to attract new business to the area to do with fruit. It was an idea that the locals were finding hard to accept with ten years before there would be any kind of return on the investment. There were many in the area that ate potatoes two times a day or more, usually boiled or mashed. They might add a few peas and the odd carrot here and there with beef or mutton. They couldn't see the need for varying the crops. It was how it was for generations and it would be how it would be for a many more. Many didn't think girls needed to go to school beyond the first few grades despite the fact there was a public school system where they could attend without charge to their parents and children were legally not to leave school before the age of sixteen. It was a far cry from when Tom was a boy when children were apprenticed out as young as six. The laws had changed but the attitudes hadn't. It was no different than the trouble Edith and Rose had convincing Mary to send her daughter to school. Boys were seen as the breadwinners and girls should be happy with their lot in life as wives and mothers.

Rose had decided to take on a teaching position full time at their village school this fall when one of the teachers had gotten pregnant and decided to stay home with her new baby. They were planning a trip to Dublin next week to put Bradley on the ferry for England, check on Garret and Dylan's accommodations for the winter and perhaps stop by and visit some of the cousins. They were also toying with the idea of taking a detour to see Hans at Carragh in County Kildare. He still wrote regularly. His last letter was to say he now had a small music class on Saturdays with some local children and one of the locals was helping him set up children's music classes for the fall. The camp commandant and his commanding officer had given permission for him to teach. He was missing the people he had met in the music community from Galway City and there was not much of one where he was now. It seemed a bit of an odd social visit to stop in to see someone who was interned but at the same time Hans was allowed out with a guard three hours a day and they could visit at a hotel or restaurant without any difficulty.

Tom got home that afternoon and told Sean to leave his horse saddled for a bit in case he went out again. It was a warm day and the dust was stuck to his skin making him itch. He found Rose out in the garden cutting flowers into a basket. She had a selection of cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and green onions for their dinner in her basket as well.

"Hello, darling," she said when she spotted him. "Mrs. O'Rinn is off today. I told Sean he could have the rest of the day once you're back."

"I was thinking we could go for a swim," Tom said. "We haven't been in a while and it's still early."

"That sounds lovely," Rose said. "I'll put these things away and get changed."

"I'll tell Sean to saddle your horse then let him off for the afternoon," Tom said. "It's warm enough it's giving me a slight head ache."

"Get a drink of water and cool down. You're not ill are you?" Rose asked with concern.

"No just too much sun and dust today. A swim will cool me off," Tom replied. He let Sean know they were heading out and gave him the rest of the afternoon once he had Rose's horse saddled. It wasn't long and they were headed for the swimming spot where the local girls usually went. It was still too early in the day for the girls to be free from their chores and using the spot. If it was occupied they would head on to a further place.

"This was a lovely idea," Rose said when they got to the swimming hole and found it empty. "It almost makes me long for the days when the children were small and we taught them all to swim."

"I was thinking of the day I taught you to swim," Tom said with a slight grin.

"I remember that," Rose said with her cheeks pink. "It was one of your many dares. I was being daring going into the water and even more so without a swimming costume. It seems ridiculous now how restricted my life was back then. What does cooling off in the water hurt?"

"I remember exactly what we did when we came out of the water that day," Tom said with a grin. "I dare you to go swimming in the buff."

"Tom, we're too old for that sort of nonsense," Rose said laughing in return. She untied her towel and the blanket she had brought along from the saddle.

"I dare you," Tom said again with a smile. He had his shirt, trousers and shoes off and was standing there in his swim trunks.

"While you're fully dressed I think not," Rose replied.

The next thing she knew he had tossed his swim trunks onto his towel and jumped into the water. Her husband was fifty-two years old and still a very fine looking man. Thanks to the diet he was following and an active life he hadn't developed the softness around the middle most men did at his age. There was the odd grey hair here and there and the lines around his eyes and mouth were a touch deeper these days, but an odd glance or caress from him could send her pulse racing in a second.

Rose quickly tossed off the rest of her clothing and her swimsuit then joined Tom in the water. The cool water on her skin felt wonderful after the heat of the summer's day.

"Still have a headache?" she asked Tom when he surfaced after ducking down to tickle her foot.

"Gone. There's nothing like a swim with a beautiful naked mermaid to drive away a headache," he teased her.

"Good," Rose said before she pushed him under.

-0-

Dylan was walking home from his summer job. In two days the family would be heading to Dublin to see Bradley off to England. Dylan had enjoyed the freedom of living in a dorm last winter and attending school. He'd joined the drama society at the university as a way to make friends. After the last few years of boys' school it had been rather a treat to be in a coed environment and not have to play a girl for a change. There wasn't a girl on his course, but there were in the drama society and he had made friends and dated here and there in Dublin when he wasn't busy with his studies. He missed his younger brothers quite a bit when he had first gone to Dublin but as he'd made friends things had gotten better.

Today he was passing by his old hiding spot where he used to watch the girls swim in the buff. He smiled when he thought of the lecture his father had given him about running off when he'd gotten caught. Da had never mentioned a thing about gawking at the girls. He'd only gotten after him about not staying to face the music. Mummy had quite a bit to say about privacy. The way the farm girls tittered when he took his shirt off while he was working around the farm every summer since he'd moved here, he knew darn well the girls had done a fair bit of spying of their own.

He veered onto the path towards the swimming hole. Spying was for kids. He didn't doubt his youngest brother had probably checked out his old hiding spot more than once this last while. This time he was more interested in shucking off his clothes and cooling off for a few minutes if no one else was about. He didn't hear anyone in the water and stepped around the corner of an outcrop of rock. He quickly stepped back and headed home as fast as his legs would carry him. There were some things you just shouldn't see and that included Mrs. Sheahan who had to be sixty if she were a day floating on her back in the middle of the pond naked as the day she was born.

-0-

Sybil hurried home from the train a few days before Christmas 1942. She had been up to London for the day to drop off her sketches and work with the team at the design house where she worked part time. It wasn't the ideal post as she still had to go into the city three days a week but it had been the best compromise she could come up with to keep her finger in the fashion world and still spend plenty of time at home with Hope. She had been offered a position as a buyer, which would have meant a great deal of travel and very little time at home. She had more than enough funds to start her own line but again it would have meant working almost non-stop five or six days a week. Her priority was her daughter and the home she had in Horsham with her mother-in-law and the two little boys who lived with them.

This year for Christmas Astrid would make the trip home and Sybil's two brothers would be there as well. Bradley was coming for a week. Grandpapa Shrimpy had died two months before and Uncle James planned to work straight through the holidays. His children would be staying at school. Redmond would come for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the children and Nanny Grace. His home was only twenty miles away. They would take the bus over then back Boxing Day morning. It didn't run Christmas Day and Redmond couldn't afford to be away from the hospital for more than a few days. The only reason he was getting the days off as it were was because he had a young family on his own.

As Sybil approached the cottage she could hear the sound of someone playing Christmas carols on the piano. It definitely wasn't one of the younger boys as the sound was too fluid.

"Bradley, you're ahead of schedule," Sybil said with a smile as she stepped in the door.

"I finished my exams and couldn't see the point in rattling around in that big house on my own," Bradley said standing to greet his sister. Hope was in the middle of the floor. She had pushed herself up onto her feet and had been dancing to the tune Bradley had been playing. She looked at her mother with a smile and pointed to the piano then jiggled herself a bit.

"I think your audience wants you to keep playing," Sybil said with a smile.

"Get your flute and we'll amuse her together," Bradley said.

"I'm a bit rusty," Sybil replied.

"Then get practicing." He smiled and went back to playing the piano. He played Ring around Rosey. Sybil took her daughter's hands and played the child's game with her a few times until she went to get freshened up from the trip home from London.

That evening once the children were all settled and Abigail had headed up for a bath after they listened to the wireless, Sybil curled up in an armchair by the fire. Bradley was sitting by the hearth adjusting the logs so they would burn down. Sybil had always been closest to Davin. Dylan, Bradley and Garret had been close in age and always occupied in their own pursuits when they were younger. She had been more baby sitter and teacher to them than companion. Now that Bradley was older and living in London they were getting to know each other better.

"How are things at school?" she asked him.

"Not bad. It certainly isn't as dull as grade school," he said with a grin. "Still like boys school though, not a girl in sight."

Sybil smiled.

"It's quite a bit more work than I thought it would be," Bradley said more seriously. "I have to work to stay up at the top. I don't sail through like Davin and of course every time I walk down the hall there is our exalted brother's picture hanging on the wall, Dean's list five years running and highest ranked student in the history of the program. It's what I get for picking the same medical school as Redmond," He rolled his eyes a bit and got a crooked grin.

"Any new friends?" Sybil asked.

"A few," Bradley said. "There's so much work at the moment, there isn't all that much time to socialize. Class, study, eat, sleep and get up again the next day to do it all over again. I go out one night a week to help with the cub scouts and that is the extent of my London social life at the moment. Uncle James is chained to work so he's not socializing much. I haven't used my tuxedo once."

"Remember to take time to have fun. All work and no play makes Bradley a dull boy," Sybil teased him.

"I've got ten days to get up to all sorts of mischief. When I'm not doing my assigned reading for the holidays," he said with a wink. "The only thing that bothers me in England is all the questions I get as to why I'm not in the service." Bradley sighed a bit. "I'm not even eighteen yet and I'm at uni. I get stopped at the underground at least once a day to check my papers and every old lady I run into asks me the same question. I have two very good reasons not to be in the service."

"And our father would flip," Sybil reminded him.

"Hopefully by the time I'm finished school it will all be said and done and it will just be the mopping up."

"I'll be glad when Russell is home for good," Sybil commented. "I think the pair of us will sit back and rest on his allowance for six months and not do a thing."

"Sounds rather dull," Bradley teased her.

"After these last few years, I could use dull," Sybil replied.

By the end of the Christmas season Sybil had a new appreciation for the worries and things her parents had said in the past about four of their children going to university early. Her younger brother was still a boy in many ways living in a man's world. When Redmond and Davin had headed off to university she had thought her parents were fretting for nothing. They had both seemed so worldly to her. Now as an adult looking at Bradley who was five years younger than her, she understood their side of things. Redmond had understood the strain of what Bradley was going through better than anyone and they had taken a long walk on Christmas afternoon for a heart to heart about the realities of medical school.

Sybil's biggest surprise had been the way Bradley reacted to Astrid. The two of them had always been friends. Sybil had always thought it was Garret Astrid was attracted to the most, now she wasn't so sure. Astrid and Bradley had been exchanging letters regularly over the years. She was blossoming into a young woman. When she arrived home and embraced Sybil's brother to place a kiss on his cheek his face had flushed pink. The pair of them had been almost inseparable over the holidays. They hadn't been able to get up to anything with two little boys following at their heels and a flock of toddlers. Sybil had smiled as she watched the two of them together. It reminded her of herself and Russell forever shepherding her younger brothers and cousins with their friends when they were younger. Those sweet nervous innocent ventures into the world of adult feelings were ones she remembered well and she could only hope and pray Bradley and Astrid were on the right path.

Chapter 50 – Old Bonds

Russell set down his pen on his desk in the summer of 1943. The British were setting up a field evacuation hospital in Sicily. Allied forces had made it onto the ground earlier in the year and the fighting was hard with high casualties. He had to review the list of orderlies due for rotation and approve the transfers. It was a task that was weighing heavy on his shoulders. Last year Singapore had fallen and with it Nigel Hawkington from Redmond's medical school days had been taken prisoner. Nothing was known about the men and the news had been hard on Redmond after the loss of his wife. For Russell it had made him think how he would feel if he transferred someone and they were taken prisoner or worse. There was a real possibility anyone sent into theatre could die, but there had been reports and whispers of brutality in the German prison camps. The responsibility for men's lives and those they would be treating rested with him. After the equilibrium problems he'd had during sea duty the only way he would be going anywhere overseas himself was if there were in theatre operating rooms set up. At the moment the injured were stabilized on land then transferred to ships for the actual surgery. He wouldn't be going anywhere.

He looked over the names on the list. There were some very good orderlies who he would be sad to see go. They did their jobs well and didn't give him or the doctors any trouble. Bothwell had smartened up considerably. He had come up for promotion and been delayed. Almost everyone he had been trained with had already made Master Corporal and he was still a first level Corporal. He could do the work and do the work well when his superiors stayed on his heels but in theatre he needed to do his job without being a hindrance to others. Word had spread about him like lightening throughout the hospital and every ward he was rotated through now kept an eye on him to make sure he was doing his work. His name was on the list of transfers and Russell didn't know what to do with him. The hospital was busy with the wounded pouring in from Africa and Sicily. Rommel was on the retreat but he wasn't going without a fight. There wasn't time to dilly dally with one man. Russell sent word with the administrative clerk he wanted to see Corporal Bothwell in his office. He would speak to him after all these years and make a final decision then.

-0-

Hans Meyer walked into the lobby at The Kildare Hotel, Straffen House in County Kildare, Ireland. He'd received a note from Trinity College Music Department at Dublin University to invite him to audition to participate in a fundraiser that was being put on to benefit widows and orphans of merchant sailors. His commanding officer had thought it would be good public relations for him to attend and the camp commandant had agreed. Not a one of the German officers or enlisted men at the camp had attempted to escape as there was no way for them to get back to German territory.

Over the winter Hans had taught music to at the local school and private lessons on Saturdays and after school. The school board had to take his word for it that he had a Master degree in Music until he had been able to receive confirmation through the embassy. He had organized the Christmas concert for the school children as part of his duties. It had been a strange mix in the audience to see many of the German internees there with their girlfriends and some of the British with their wives and girl friends as well. He had saved every cent he could from farm work and his music classes and traded in the inexpensive violin Rose had sent him at a pawnshop for a better quality one. It still wasn't a concert grade instrument but someday when the war was finished he was hoping he would have the opportunity to purchase something that suited his abilities better.

Things in Carragh were somewhat different than in Eagle Cairn when it came to women. Miss O'Hare the English teacher who had smiled at him more than once hadn't been at a loose end for long. Less than a month after she had started giving lessons to the German officers she had one as her beau. Word had spread Mrs. Mac Eian was helping him set up music lessons in the village and the daughter was a pretty girl. His roommate had tagged along one day and snapped up Miss Mac Eian as a girl friend in a blink. The two of them were already talking about getting married once he was out of internment. Hans wouldn't mind finding a girlfriend himself. He wondered if he was being too picky but today he had no time to think about it. He was looking forward to hearing what they had to say and he was pretty sure Garret Branson who he had heard from a few times over the winter had something to do with the invitation to the benefit.

Straffen House was on a lavish estate house with a golf course and if the high quality original paintings he had seen so far in the building were any indication this would be a highbrow affair. Today they had let him out without a guard escort with the only stipulation he report by telephone if he was going to be late. He made an inquiry at the desk and was directed to a large anti-room where the orchestra was setting up for rehearsal. He walked forward and stood to the side waiting for the conductor. Garret came from his seat to greet him the moment he spotted him.

"Hans, I'm glad you made it," Garret said.

Hans shook his hand then kissed both cheeks as was the customary greeting in his own country.

"I thought perhaps you were behind the letter I received," Hans said. "You are looking well. The music program suits you?"

"It's an excellent program. I'm learning a great deal. They wanted me to play the violin solo for The Four Seasons but I told them they should ask you to audition. You taught me and I'm sure you still play it better than I do."

"I am out of practice and do not have a concert grade instrument," Hans replied. "But I can still perhaps contribute in some small way. I teach children now and they are well," he shuddered, "not you, your brothers or your friends."

Garret couldn't help but smile.

"You haven't changed one bit," he said. "Come and meet the conductor and the instructors. I brought something along you might find interesting." He handed Hans the case with the violin he had played from the music conservatory in Galway. "I was home for a bit and picked this up for you."

"Gott im Himmel, how did you get this," Hans said touching the case reverently.

"Had a few shillings put away for a rainy day," Garret said with a shrug. "It belongs with someone who appreciates it and the staff there agreed with me. Wait until you see the one I'm playing these days. Oh there's the conductor, I had best make a few introductions."

"Mr. Branson has told us about you," the instructor from the university said. "Why are you not playing with a quartet or symphony in Ireland?"

"I am a restricted guest of your government," Hans said. "My time away from my place of residence is quite restricted. I am here today with special permission."

"I see," the conductor replied slowly. He didn't know what Mr. Meyer was talking about but didn't want to let on. "No less, we had best hear you play if you're as good as Mr. Branson says you are perhaps arrangements can be made."

"It has been sometime since I have played The Four Seasons," Hans said. "Please permit me a few minutes to prepare."

"Here's my arrangement," Garret said handing Hans the sheet music.

"Thank you. A few moments please."

He read over the sheet music, then turned and immediately scolded Garret for an error in notation.

"I have corrected you on this before. You will never be great if you make this error always," he said sternly.

"It's good to play with you again, Hans," Garret replied with a grin.

The entire orchestra of students was staring at Hans with their mouths open. No one ever corrected Garret. His playing was always perfect. The instructors and the conductor looked at each other mystified. Hans took off his jacket, picked up the violin Garret had given him, tuned it and played a few notes.

"I am ready," Hans said. "Conductor if you please with the orchestra. I will need to read the music. Perhaps you could turn the pages for me?" He motioned to one of the instructors. "I am sorry to be so poorly rehearsed."

"You don't mean to audition with full orchestra accompaniment?" one of the instructors asked.

"I am ready," Hans said sticking his nose in the air slightly. Garret had a bit of a smirk on his face as he readied himself to play. He knew what was coming.

The conductor picked up the baton and started the piece. Hans played flawlessly and with perfect style. After they had played Spring in it's entirety, the conductor stopped the orchestra. Hans turned around and looked directly at the second cellist.

"You're timing was off in the third register," he informed the young woman. Her face turned bright red. "Garret you are not playing at a village dance. You are relaxing your wrist too much."

"You could hear that while you were playing?" the conductor asked Hans.

"Yes, of course, could you not?" Hans said.

"The timing was obvious the other not so much," the conductor replied.

"Mr. Meyer, would you be interested in performing with us at the benefit in three days?" the one instructor asked him.

"I cordially accept your invitation," Hans replied formally with a slight bow. "I am not a Mr. My title is Leutenant, Lieutenant in English."

"I beg your pardon?" one of the men asked him.

"I am an officer in the Luftwaffe, not a civilian," Hans said. "We rehearse now."

"Yes, we rehearse now," the conductor said slightly shocked. He turned back to his podium. "From the beginning." He turned and looked at Hans. "If you're ready Lieutenant?"

"Yes, begin," Hans replied stiffly.

-0-

Russell set down the letter from his father he had taken a few minutes to read before he headed back to his office. Storm had finally died of old age. He'd been running loose for the summer on the village green and dropped dead out of the blue. Well the old boy was finally gone and with a fitting end. Russell could tell from his father's letter he was upset about it. Russell thought his father was a strange man. He was overly sentimental in some respects about the oddest things and tough as nails about others. If he had been raised in a different time, perhaps he would have been a completely different person. Russell didn't have time to think about it at the moment. He had to get back to the office and talk to Bothwell.

He entered his office and spotted Bothwell sitting outside his office door on a chair. Russell walked forward and waited until Bothwell had stood and saluted him before entering the room. Russell set his hat on his desk and remained standing.

"You may stand easy," Russell said. "I've got a problem Corporal and you're the only one with the answer. Your name has shown up on a transfer to Sicily. How do you feel about going into theatre?"

"I'm ready, Sir," Gerald Bothwell replied.

"Are you?" Russell asked. "Sit down." Russell took a seat. "I'm going to speak freely. You were a pain in the ass as a roommate in nursing school and you're still a pain in the ass now."

Gerald Bothwell blanched then laughed slightly.

"Glad to know I'm worth something," he said.

"Look," Russell said. "You're lazy, I get that. I think you know it yourself. Here I put the NCO's on you and you've done a good job once you got it through that thick head of yours you don't have any option. In theatre there isn't going to be anyone to check up on you. You slack off, the men you're there to help die. There are no second chances, no doing it over and no leaving it for the next man to do."

The other man's face went white.

"Do you think you can do it?" Russell asked him. "Do I send you to a combat zone or do I send you to an institution where you spend the rest of the war changing bedpans and wiping the drool off some poor sot's face?"

"You're less than complimentary," Gerald Bothwell replied seriously.

"I'm being honest," Russell said. "The only person who pissed up your career in college was you. You're the reason you haven't been promoted. Not anyone else. It's you."

"I'll do it. I'll go in theatre and I won't neglect my duties," Gerald straightened himself up where he was sitting.

Russell shook his head slightly. There were an inordinate amount of scuffs on the man's boots and his tie was crooked.

"You'll never be the ideal soldier," Russell said. "Who the hell is really? I do think you can do this if you put your mind to it and take good care of the lads. I'll sign the transfer order if I have your word you won't shirk your duties."

"You have my word," Gerald Bothwell said. Russell shook his hand.

"If I find out you went back on your word and we ever cross paths in the future I will ensure you are assigned to scrubbing bedpans and moping up vomit until you're old and grey. Dismissed," Russell said. They stood and Gerald saluted him. He spoke again before Bothwell made it to the door. "Gerald, if you don't want to wash your socks and drawers buy a case of them and just wear new when the old ones get dirty."

"I'll remember that," Bothwell said with a grin before he turned and headed down the hall.

-0-

"I can't believe they have that crazy violin playing kraut performing at a prestigious venue like the Kildare and are charging fifty pounds a head to listen to him," the commandant of Carragh Internment Camp complained to his wife. "He's been practicing non-stop all hours of the night. He's driving the rest of the prisoners on his side of the camp balmy."

"Oh, stop your complaining," his wife said while fastening her earring. "You never take me anywhere really nice anymore. It will be a treat to have a formal evening out."

Her husband grimaced as he brushed his mess uniform.

"I've no choice but to go. The concert extends past curfew and if I reneged on it now I'd hear about it from the German Embassy and probably our own government as well. Not to mention all the Germans at the camp pouting up a storm."

"Put on a smile and be polite," his wife admonished him.

Hans was nervously twitching this way and that while one of the enlisted men finished the adjustments on the borrowed tails he was to wear for the concert. They were an old set that had seen better days, but the enlisted man who had worked for a tailor before the war had done wonders to make them look acceptable at least for one night.

Oberleutant Mollenhauer stepped in the room to say a few words to Hans before he left.

"Make Germany proud and make the English eat dirt," he said.

"I do not speak during the performance, only play," Hans replied. "I will play my best."

Han collected his violin after his commanding officer had left the room and went to wait for the limousine that would take him to the concert. The British officers and the guards were scratching their heads as they watched him climb into the chauffeur driven car in formal attire.

Rose and Tom left their room at the Kildare Hotel and made their way down to the gardens where the orchestra would be playing the benefit concert. Garret was playing his first major solo tonight with an orchestra and they didn't want to miss it. Garret had told them they were in for a surprise when they saw him earlier. He had smiled broadly and refused to tell them what it was.

"They must have found every stuffed shirt for two hundred miles for this thing," Tom said to Rose while they were waiting to make their way to their seats on the grounds of the hotel.

"Tom, behave. It's all for a good cause," she said. She pulled her fine wool shawl tighter around her shoulders. She had on a necklace and earrings she had inherited from her mother but had foregone the tiara. She wasn't the only former aristocrat in the crowd as the jewels and expensive dresses were out in force. The candlelight that was illuminating the gardens disguised the fact the tuxedos were on the worn side and the women's dresses had almost all been remade from prewar fashions. It was still a grand affair with Staffen House illuminated as a backdrop for the orchestra harking back to a grander bygone era.

Rose settled in her seat then read over the program in her hand.

"Tom, you don't think?" she pointed to the name H. Meyer, violinist listed on the program.

"Nothing about that egotistical devil would surprise me one bit," Tom replied with a smile. "Now we've got two in the concert to be proud of."

Three hours later Tom looked at his wife and smiled.

"An encore of Der Feldermaus Overture, go figure with the pair of them playing together. How many times have they played it together in our drawing room? It's always been one of Garret's favorite pieces."

"We've never heard him play with an orchestra accompaniment before. I almost think Garret plays the piece better than Hans, but don't tell Hans I said that," Rose replied.

"They're a pair," Tom said. "You'd almost think Hans was another of ours except for the way he sticks his nose in the air at every turn."

"A throw back to my mother," Rose said with a smile before they made their way to congratulate Garret on his first solo with an orchestra and Hans on his first concert in the Irish Free State.

Chapter 51 – A Sound from Above

Sybil took Hope out to the garden to join Abigail and the boys. Mr. Booth was over digging in a wheelbarrow of horse manure in around the flowerbeds. It was mid-June 1944. Astrid would be home from school in another ten days. The allies had landed successfully in Europe a week earlier. Russell had been set to come home on leave, but all leave had been cancelled as the casualties from the landing and injured prisoners had poured across the channel and the hospitals were running at full capacity. Today was a nice day for late spring. Bobby had relented and allowed everyone to help pull weeds this summer. With the warm weather this year they were growing faster than he could keep up with them. Hope had woken up from one of her many naps and was carrying a small basket she could use to help pick early peas.

Hope seemed to sleep more than children her age Sybil had noticed. She couldn't remember her brothers sleeping nearly as much when they were three. Hope would start to fuss and the only way to deal with her was to put her down for a nap and let her sleep it off. At times she would sleep four or five hours through the day then get up and appear to be completely normal. She was going to be tall like her father and she was growing so fast she seemed to change overnight.

The two evacuee boys were still living with them. Bobby heard less and less from his Aunt these days. Her last letter had been nine months ago. Jimmy's mother had come down to see him once or twice. She had looked worn and thin. Sybil had sent her back to London with a large basket of vegetables each time she visited. It didn't bother Sybil that the boys were still with her. She could well afford their keep and they were both good children who played with the other boys in the village, helped out around the house and loved to ride the horses and go fishing like most children their age. She had ordered a pair of bicycles for the boys and was planning to give them to them for their birthday next month. Both boys had their birthday in July and they usually had one party for the pair of them.

"Hope put the peas in your basket, don't eat them all," Sybil scolded her half-heartedly.

"They taste good, Mummy," Hope replied with a three-year-old serious expression. She started putting the peas into her basket instead of her mouth.

Suddenly the sirens started to wail. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. Over the last two years the only times the sirens had sounded were when German aircraft passed over and that was rare these days. The planes going over were normally British and American heading out on bombing runs over Europe.

"Quickly, now, into the shelter," Abigail said.

They all ran to the shelter. A strange hum with a puttering noise passed overhead before they got inside then the sirens stopped.

"I wonder what all that was about," Mr. Booth commented. "Wasn't like no raid we've 'ad before."

"Whatever it is I'm sure we'll hear about it on the home broadcast tonight," Abigail commented.

-0-

"Not London again," Edith said while they listened to the BBC broadcast that night. The Germans had sent a new type of self guided bomb and hit London. Bradley was staying with them for the summer. Michael had written to him and asked him to work on the farm over the summer and ask around his class if there were any boys who needed summer jobs. Bradley had a great deal of farm experience and another of his classmates had come to Downton to work for the summer as well. Young strong men were few and far between these days and they could use all the laborers they could get and competition for employing university students was high.

"I hope Sybil wasn't anywhere near when that bomb came down," Michael commented.

"She's home. She's only in town Monday, Tuesday and Thursday," Bradley said knowingly. "It doesn't sound like it came down anywhere near Uncle's house."

"My family is in Leeds, well away from it all," Heath Wilson said. He was Bradley's friend that was staying with them for the summer. "I fancy trying my luck catching a fish or two. Where's the spot you mentioned before we came up?"

"I'll come along and show you," Bradley said.

After the young men had gone with Violet tagging along behind, Edith turned back to Michael. "I wonder if we'll have the evacuee children back."

"If we do we'll managed," Michael said. Their three evacuee children had gone back to their parents once everything was quiet in London. Mary's two had gone back as well the previous summer. The eldest boy would be old enough to sign up by now. George had just graduated from university and was set to go to officer's training in another four weeks. "If things get bad again, I almost feel like sending you and Violet back over to Tom and Rose," Michael said thoughtfully.

"This is my country and my home I'm not running," Edith said with finality. "Besides I'm not leaving Mama behind and she's getting too frail to travel these days."

"You're mother will probably go on for years and you well know it," Michael said. "Where is she anyway?"

"She went to the Abbey to check on the house," Edith said with an exasperated sigh. "Then she was planning to go to the village hospital and help out visiting the patients and reading letters for a bit."

"She's still a going concern," Michael replied. "I was going to look over some papers but I think I'll go and join the boys and Violet in their fishing. I wouldn't mind a change in meals tomorrow."

-0-

Hans took the letter he had received from Rose at mail call and held onto it until all the letters were handed out. He was busy these days on his three hours leave from camp each day. Since his performance with the orchestra at the Kildare Hotel he'd gotten quite a few students. He did private lessons with many who were studying at the university two days a week. Garret was coming down for a private lesson once a week since Hans couldn't go to him. Hans had insisted he had to do something to pay Garret back for getting a concert grade violin for him and he wouldn't take any money. Garret had admitted he was getting more than adequate instruction in piano, but in violin he hadn't had an instructor yet that had Han's level of mastery. The rest of the Han's days over the winter were filled up with teaching the local children and the music classes at the school.

His social life was going much better now that he was associating with the music community more. He'd dated a woman who was an art curator for a private collection for a time right after last summer's concert. Her parents had objected to her dating a German officer as they still had strong ties to England and she had honored her parent's wishes. It had hurt his feelings a bit but he had recovered quickly as he didn't think they had enough spent enough time together to form any kind of lasting bond. At the moment he wasn't seeing anyone but had made friends with people in the surrounding towns he was allowed to visit who were involved in music and theatre and had a bit of a social circle away from the camp. He had been invited to play at a few concerts in Dublin but the requests had been turned down when it was discovered his sister was working for the SS at Wehrmacht Headquarters. He hadn't known about it before but so close a tie to the German high command rated him as a high-risk alien. He'd had to settle for playing at local fundraisers and benefits under the billing of H. Meyer so as not to draw attention to his military rank.

He went to sit on a bench on the outside of the barracks where he lived to read his letter. Rose started by saying Bradley was working on a farm for relatives not far from the censors had cut out the location. "York," he said aloud. He shook his head. Garret had told him they used to live south of York on a large estate farm owned by relations. Hans returned to reading the letter. Bradley had done well in his first year of medical school and placed in the top five in his class. Davin and Camilla were expecting a child. It would be their first and Rose and Tom's forth grandchild. Dylan had taken a job in Dublin after graduation and was currently in Limerick working on a project there. For Hans the news of family was as though he were reading about his own. He had no family anymore in Germany to speak of. His connection with the Branson family was by his own choice and theirs. It wasn't one he was going to let go of anytime soon. He hoped against hope Rose and Tom's children living in England didn't get hurt with these new bombs that were being sent over. They made him shudder to think about it.

The next part of Rose's letter surprised him a bit. He sat back and thought about it. Rose and Tom were not the kind of people who turned their back on those in need. There had been two young children orphaned on the estate with no family to take them in. Tom had refused to send them to an orphanage and brought them home. They now had a boy of four and girl of three living with them. Rose mentioned they had been like a pair of dried peas rattling around inside an empty house all winter long. Tom had sworn when he took on the job he would not allow any child on the estate to be sent to the poor house or an orphanage and he was sticking to it. Hans sat back and rested his head against the wall. He longed to leave this place and go home to his adopted family and help with the new children. He couldn't help but laugh when he thought of the time had told Rose he didn't teach music to children. She had put him in his place quick enough and now here he was earning his way teaching school children. It wasn't his ideal career choice, but then a pilot in the Luftwaffe had been the last thing he ever wanted to be. The war was forcing choices on many they didn't want to make and in reality there were worse things than being a prisoner of war in the Irish Free State. Someday all this nonsense would end and he would make some decisions then.

He got up and headed inside. He had a few hours to kill before he taught school this afternoon. Lunch was the main meal of the day at the camp. He wondered what was on the menu for today.

-0-

"How did things go today?" Tom asked when he got home from checking on some work being done on the estate in mid-August. The children had been with them for the last month and it had been tough going. Tom had arrived at a distant part of the estate when he'd gotten a call from the constable of a possible problem when an old lady everyone had thought lived on her own had died. The constable had found her two grandchildren living with her in poor conditions. It turned out the old lady's son had died a two years before during a spring flood. His wife had fallen into a swollen river by accident and when he'd tried to save her he had been washed away as well. Their bodies had never been found and the two children had been left with their Gran. She wasn't a part of the regular village community at Eagle Cairn as she had lived closer to the village on a neighboring estate and didn't go into town often. She'd slipped through the cracks and on such a large estate it was easy to do. By the time Tom had arrived the orphanage representative was already there. He was pretty sure it was no better than a workhouse that had been renamed and spruced up a bit. Tom had taken one look at the representative and said he and his wife would take the children themselves. The orphanage representative had only been two happy not to have two more mouths to feed and he and Rose had been awarded custody that afternoon.

"The usual with the children, difficult," Rose replied with a sigh. "I've spoken with the head of the local school board and let them know I won't be able to come back full time this year. I hated to put them on the spot at the last minute, but there is no way I can leave Aisling and Rory all day."

"No, I don't think you can either," Tom said. "It's going to take a long time for them to settle and learn our language and customs."

The children had arrived only speaking Irish. Tom spoke some but most of it was a working knowledge of the language to do with farming. They had put Aednat back on the payroll as Nanny and she spoke the language. Sean and Mrs. O'Rinn spoke even less Irish than Tom. The two children were from such a completely different existence they made the early days with Redmond and Davin look like a piece of cake.

"We're going to try a check up at the doctor tomorrow," Rose said. "You know what the last attempt was like. Four of us couldn't get the two of them through the door. At least they're brushing their teeth now twice a day which is something."

"They'll come around eventually," Tom said. "Where are the two of them now."

"Sean and Aednat are leading them around on a pair of the horses to get them used to riding. I thought we'd take the children to the pond to paddle around later," Rose replied. "This was all a great deal easier back in Downton with the extended family. We passed around clothes and there was always someone for the children to play with or an Aunt or Uncle to visit. The family reinforced the manners the children were learning as well. Here we're lucky if we can get the children to eat anything besides a potato."

"Putting applesauce on top of the mashed potato was a good trick to get them to taste it," Tom commented thoughtfully.

"It's that first taste. Once we can get things in their mouths and they realize it tastes good they're away with it. Hopefully, the doctor will go better tomorrow. I think they both need worm medication and vitamins. I don't even want to think about a trip to the dentist for a check up at the moment."

Tom couldn't help but chuckle.

"You make it sound like you're worming the spring calves," he said.

"Children, horses, dogs, cows, Davin would tell you medicine is medicine. Young ones are the same no matter what the species," Rose replied. "At least we noticed the lice when they came in the door and got them cleaned up before we had to deal with that in the house."

"You've got me there," Tom replied with a grimace. "Do you think this is the right thing?" he asked suddenly solemn. "I'll be seventy when Rory is twenty. I've never let the twelve years between us bother me but now, we these two, I'm feeling my age more."

"It's the right thing," Rose said sliding her arm around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder. "I do wish you would have asked me before you showed up at the door with the two of them, but I would have done exactly the same thing. It's obvious these two aren't ours though. No one would know Redmond and Davin weren't our natural sons unless anyone told them. I don't even think it occurs to anyone it would be impossible for me to have a daughter with dark hair with Sybil. She has enough of your features around her nose and mouth it's obvious she's your child. Rory and Ashling have dark hair and they look nothing like either of us."

"Garret will be home on the weekend," Tom said laying his cheek on Rose's hair. "He's always good with children. Maybe he'll charm the pair of them."

"He's the one that's grown up the fastest," Rose said with a slight sigh. "I can't believe how quickly he's built a life for himself in Dublin. He teaches and performs all summer and then goes to school all winter. He doesn't even ask for spending money."

"Davin taught Bradley and Garret well how to find scholarships to apply for and what to put on the applications," Tom replied.

"I always gave the others a few pounds for each term, except Sybil since she was already married and didn't want for anything," Rose said. "I do the same for Bradley and Garret whether they ask or not."

"Almost tea time," Tom commented glancing at the clock. "Here we go with yet another round of trying to get them to taste everything on their plate, say please and thank you and not eat with their fingers."

"To quote a thoroughly optimistic man, they'll come around eventually," Rose said with a rueful grin.

Chapter 52 – The War Comes Home

The next morning Aednat had the children freshly scrubbed, dressed and drawing pictures with some crayons at the kitchen table when Rose came through. It was time for office hours at the clinic and they were going to attempt a visit to the doctor again. When Davin had been young she had taken the dog everywhere to get him to cooperate. With these two they had taken to the horses. She couldn't very well take a horse into the doctor's office or to the barbershop, she'd had to think of a different way to get them to come around. Rose was thanking providence Sean had chosen animals that were long on patience. He kept the stables well and handled the horses with kindness and they were all good, calm, strong mounts.

"Time to clean up. Mummy is taking you out," Rose said. She pointed to the crayons and then the box on the table. The two children put the crayons away slowly. They were a bit frightened of her and the sound of her accent and formal manners being different than they were raised with so far. "You can each finish your pictures later this afternoon," Rose said. The children looked at her without responding. Aednat translated what she had said. The children both nodded.

"We are going to the doctor's office. If you are good I have two surprises for you," Rose said. She motioned Aednat not to translate. She suspected the children understood quite a bit of what was going on but weren't responding out of shyness. "Come along now. It's a nice day. Hat and gloves only, Aisling," Rose said. Aisling went to get her hat and gloves obediently without saying a word. _"You little monkey you can understand more than you're letting on,"_ Rose thought. Rose went for her hat as well and picked up a bag to take along. Aednat and Mrs. O'Rinn came through ready to go. They had arranged the second attempt once the children were asleep the night before. They all walked to the clinic, the children balked the moment they spotted the building.

"None of that, if you want your surprise," Rose said. She had a paper bag in her hand. She was hoping against hope the small items she had picked up the other day on a trip into Galway City would do the trick. She pointed to the bag.

They made it into the waiting room and sat on the seats waiting for their appointment. Rose breathed a sigh of relief. She reached into the bag and handed each of the children a small paper wrapped packet. With an encouraging nod from Aednat they opened their gifts to reveal two small stuffed horse toys. Aisling's was grey and Rory's was brown.

"Buíochas a ghabháil leat, Mummy," Rory said.

"In English so Mummy can understand," Mrs. O'Rinn reminded them gently.

"Thank you, Mummy," Rory said with a nervous smile.

"Thank you, Mummy," Aisling repeated. She was holding her stuffed toy close to her chest and rocking it.

"You're welcome," Rose said. "You must be very good for Dr. Reigler and do as he says to get your next surprise."

Rory nodded. Aisling was so busy examining her horse's glass eyes and kissing it on the nose she wasn't paying any attention. Both children were so preoccupied galloping their new toys back and forth on the chair arms and making pretend horse noises they didn't fuss a bit while the doctor examined them. He gave Rose worming medication for each of the children, vitamins and recommended feeding them as much variety as possible in their diets to help build them up. He said a trip to the dentist wasn't imperative at the moment as long as they continued to see to the children's tooth brushing. Rose paid the bill at Mrs. Reigler's desk in the waiting room before they headed out with the children. They were holding their toys and pretending the horses were talking to each other the entire time Rose was busy.

Rose had written to Edith and Mary as soon as they had taken the children in and asked them to round up formal riding attire they had left from their children. When they had moved to Ireland the boys and Sybil had been older and Rose had left all the outgrown outfits behind for Mary to use for Elizabeth and Edward. A large box had arrived from Downton a few days ago and Rose was hoping her next surprise would go well. She took each of the children by the hand when they arrived back at the house then took a seat in the hall so they would be closer to eye level.

"You were both very well behaved for Dr. Reigler," Rose told them. "Do you like your ponies?" She got two nods. "Your next surprise is a big one. Mummy and Sean are going to take you out on a long ride on the horses." She nodded for Aednat to translate. There were two large grins and excited glances as soon as they fully understood what was going to happen. "You have new clothes to wear special for riding. We're all going to get changed then we'll go out. Go with Aednat now and change your clothes. Use the water closet before you get changed as well."

Ten minutes later Rose was changed and went to check how it was going getting the children into the riding clothes. Once Aisling saw Rose dressed in formal riding attire she stopped squirming and allowed Aednat to help her get dressed.

"I am Mummy," she said shyly pointing to herself.

"I look like Mummy," Rose corrected. "Yes, you do and you look very nice."

Rory was curling his toes and not wanting to put his boots on.

"Rory," Rose said kneeling down. "Gentlemen wear riding boots so they don't get hurt on the saddle. These boots were Davin's when he was a little boy. You want to be like him don't you?" He nodded and allowed the boots to be pushed up his legs.

"Next time we go out, you'll be able to dress yourselves," Rose said. She didn't add anything about not jumping in mud puddles or taking care of their clothes. For today it was a matter of making going to the doctor a fun experience. All the rest of a formal life would come little step by little step.

Sean had the horses saddled and was waiting for them dressed in his formal groom attire. The children's eyes were large as he lifted them onto the saddles and adjusted the stirrups up so their feet would rest in them. They had only been on the horses bareback before. This was an entirely new experience. Mrs. O'Rinn came from the kitchen with the saddlebags for Sean's mount that had drinks, some apples, napkins, a covered knife, and a picnic cloth. Rose thanked Mrs. O'Rinn then went around and waited while Sean boosted her up. He handed Rose the lead for Aisling's horse then took the lead for Rory's mount in his hand before he mounted.

"We're off to the high hill," Rose said. "We'll be able to see all the way to the ocean today." One look at the smiles on the children's faces and she knew this was the best treat she could have ever given them even if they didn't understand most of what she had just said.

-0-

Redmond Branson was headed to a staff meeting at Queen Victoria Hospital in early November 1944. His brother-in-law Russell Beldon was leaving for Belgium today. He would be working in a rear echelon hospital. As the allies pushed forward there was more need for detailed medical care closer to the front. Despite the worry of Russell being sent overseas, Redmond was still in a good mood. The family had gotten together on the weekend and gone to a village dance as an outing. Bradley had made a trip down from London. Astrid had come from school and he had made the trip with his two children as well. They had taken the five children, Astrid and Bradley and gone out. He'd danced with one or the other of his children in his arms most of the night, socialized with the local women where his sister lived and just had a good time. Bradley and Astrid were definitely interested in each other and the way they pussy footed around that interest had been amusing to watch. Today he was back at work and feeling refreshed.

The patients at the hospital called themselves the Guinea Pig Club. Every man here had been badly burned and needed extensive reconstructive surgery if they were ever going to live any kind of a normal life. At the hospital they dispensed with uniforms and had asked the towns people to adopt a no stare policy. Some of the wards had kegs of beer and the men were encouraged to relax. Reconstructive surgery had been around for the last forty years but now they were making leaps and bounds in progress in the last few years. It was a prestigious small group that worked here on some of the most gruesome cases. He was by far the youngest surgeon on the team. He couldn't help but have a sense of pride in taking part in something that would make a difference in the lives of burn victims for years to come.

"We've a new batch in," the chief surgeon said as the meeting started. "Five, all from the same bomber. These are all recent burns within the last seven days unlike many of our previous patients who have had multiple surgeries. This is the opportunity to use the new water dressings we have been developing. As you all know in theory they should speed the healing process if applied during the initial treatment phase. It could mean a breakthrough in the treatment of severe burns if this works."

"They certainly won't make things worse," one of the other surgeons commented.

"Dr. Branson reports on the last three surgeries, if you please," the chief surgeon said moving the meeting along.

It was business as usual until Redmond glanced at the list of new arrivals. He looked at the list more closely then closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Is there a problem Dr. Branson?" one of the other doctors asked.

"One of the new arrivals is a distant cousin," Redmond replied. "We grew up together. He only joined up this summer. He was just out of flight school."

"Terrible spot of luck that," the other man replied patting Russell on the shoulder. "We'll do our best to fix him up."

Redmond nodded. "We always do," he replied.

-0-

"Redmond called on his break, Aunt Mary," Sybil said on the telephone. "George is at the Queen Victoria, in East Grinstead. He said there is no point in you coming down. They'll be keeping George in isolation for the next while to prevent infection."

"I don't know the extent of his injuries, Aunty," Sybil replied to something Mary had said. She was almost in tears herself. She could hear her aunt trying to hold them back over the telephone. "All I know is he's in the burn unit." Sybil had to bite her lip to keep from crying. Redmond worked with some drastic cases. Whatever had happened to George couldn't be a simple injury if they were sending him there.

"No, I've cut going into London to two days a week now. They have a better warning system now when the doodlebugs are coming in. One blew a wing off of Bradley's school but he wasn't there. Yes, he's fine. Business as usual even with all of this going on. The German's are retreating and some don't fear the bombs anymore, but I go to the shelters every time. I've gotten after Bradley about it too. He's promised me he goes to the shelters when there is a raid. There's getting to be less and less of them as our boys take out the sites on the other side."

"Yes, I'll let you know if I hear anything. I'll say a prayer for George. Try not to worry too much Aunty, they have some of the best doctors in the country," Sybil said. "I promise I'll call right away, Goodbye."

Sybil set down the telephone receiver then took out a hanky to wipe her eyes. She'd had enough of the war, enough of the American soldiers at her home next door and enough of the bombs the Germans sent over any time of the day or night. Now this. She wanted to pack up Hope, her mother-in-law, Bobby who was now her ward after his aunt had been killed by a doodlebug and Jimmy and run back to Ireland to her parents. It was all she could do not to pack the lot, pluck Astrid out of her school and go. She wanted to more than anything but here she was now with her cousin coming to the hospital where her one brother worked and her younger brother studying in London with her keeping an eye on him.

Uncle James was at work so much Bradley was on his own a lot at the house. He had a group of friends among the other students and was busy with his studies. He was nineteen now and told her he often went to the pub on campus to play the piano. He was a funny one. He still helped out with cub scouts one night a week. Every so often he would show up on her doorstep when he needed an infusion of family and a basket of vegetables then off he would go again. He was still a walking talking encyclopedia and never got tired of answering Hope and Jimmy's endless strings of questions.

Sybil straightened her back and got herself together. She didn't have time to dwell on feeling sorry for herself. Her cousin and her aunts were going to need her in the coming months. She had drawings to work on, fabric swatches to sort out and all three children had managed to come down with chicken pox at the same time. The weakness in Hope's heart had for some reason made her overly susceptible to every sniffle that came along. The moment one of the boys got something she had it too. Redmond had told her not to isolate Hope, the only way to build up her immunity was to allow the childhood diseases to run their course. Things would be a lot worse if she got them as an adult. Sybil picked up the book with Hopes favorite story at the moment, Rikki Tikki Tavi. For a few minutes she would escape with the children into the world of a mongoose and his battle against a snake.

-0-

Rose went down from the day nursery to answer the door when someone rang. She was giving Aisling and Rory half-day lessons and working on their English. Children in Ireland had the choice of starting school at age four or five, but Rory's English wasn't good enough for him to start school. Tom and Rose both preferred the children be educated in English and there wasn't an Irish speaking school anywhere close. Rose had left the two of them to work on their pictures they were drawing on their own for a few minutes. The children were settling down and starting to get on to things and life was going much better now they were able to communicate more. They had slowly started to give and receive hugs and kisses from their adoptive parents. They hadn't bonded as a family yet, but Rose was hoping over the holiday season in December with Garret and Dylan home and Davin and Camilla over it would happen and they would build some family memories together.

Rose opened the door to see the local constable standing on the step. Mrs. O'Rinn had gone to a ladies group at the church and Aednat was busy with the laundry this morning while Rose was working with the children.

"Ah, Mrs. Branson, I was wondering if your husband might be at home," Constable Monaghan inquired.

"I'm afraid he's gone into the city to meet with the estate lawyers. I'm not expecting him back until this evening," Rose replied. "May I help you with something."

"Well, it is you see I've a wee problem. Not a problem really," Constable Monaghan replied shuffling he feet. "There's been a death on the next estate over and I was wondering if, well I was wondering if you and your husband would be interested in taking any more children?"

"More children?" Rose asked in surprise. "Do they speak English at least?"

"Oh Aye, a nice well-spoken family, the mother took care of the house and children well," he replied. "Tragedy really she died of galloping consumption and her husband was killed not a week later when a hay cart overturned on him. It's this cold you know, making everything treacherous. The children have not a soul in the world except each other. They'll be going to the orphanage in town if you don't want them."

Rose looked past the constable. She could see a little face with big soulful eyes in the window of the car that reminded her of Davin when she'd first seen him.

"Bring them in for a few moments Constable, while I try to contact my husband by telephone," Rose said. "It's so terribly cold this year they shouldn't be sitting in a cold motor on their own."

The constable nodded and went to get the children. He was hoping one look and it would get Rose's heart strings. Her husband's aversion to sending children to the orphanage had been the talk of the precinct last summer. He was hoping Mrs. Branson was about the same. Taking children to those places was the least favorite part of his job, if he could divert a few, so much the better.

The constable returned with one on his arm, one by the hand and another two holding hands. Rose's eyes opened wider at the sight of four children. She thought the eldest boy looked to be six at the most. They were all looking frightened with tearstains on their cheeks. On the surface they seemed to be clean average children like those she would have taught at the village school if they had been a bit older. She glanced up to see Aisling and Rory peering through the rails of the bannister.

"You may come down and entertain your guests in the kitchen, while I contact Daddy," Rose said to Aisling and Rory. "Come this way children." Rose spotted Sean coming in from outside. She asked him to get the children each a half-cup of warm milk while she contacted her husband.

"Right-o, Mrs. Branson," he replied. He sent the children all to sit at the table while he washed his hands. The constable set the youngest one on a chair then followed Rose out. He gave her the particulars of each child's age before she made the phone call.

"_Another three boys and a girl. I should have my head examined,"_ Rose thought as she waited for her call to get through to her husband.

"It's your decision, Rose," Tom said when she told him what was going on. "You're the one who teaches at home and all the rest."

"Maybe we should adopt Hans as well and make it thirteen children," Rose said a bit exasperated with Tom that he wasn't saying anything one way or the other. "Nothing like a large Irish family."

"Maybe we should at that," Tom replied. "You know if you say no, we'll be going to pick them up tomorrow and you might want a couple more to boot."

"Oh, Tom. Twelve children," Rose said in disbeleif.

"We'll make do," he replied.

"That we will," Rose replied before she signed off.

_I know it sounds a little way out to have the constable show up at your door and drop off children just like that, but it was quite common in that time. Orphanages in Ireland and England were stuffed to overflowing. Post war, boat loads of orphaned children were sent overseas. That didn't stop until the early 1960's. I have an idea in my head as to where I want to end this story but it's the journey there that makes it interesting. I have no idea how many chapters at the moment it's going to take. I usually don't write this long a story but it sort of happened._


	34. Coming Home Part IVX

Coming Home – Part XIV – Chapter 53 through 56

_For all you Mary lovers make sure you read all the way to the end. WWII was really the end of the large houses with loads of servants and a very large transition in attitudes towards the aristocracy. It didn't happen overnight. We think often of how things changed for the average person but for someone raised with expectations of grandeur it must have been especially difficult. I know the descriptions of Carragh internment camp sound ridiculous but they are based on fact. There is an obscure Irish film called The Brylcreem Boys made in the 1980's about it. I haven't managed to get a copy yet. Not to be confused with a 1970's movie of the same name._

Chapter 53 – No Longer the Youngest

Garret placed his violin and bow back in its case. It was his first lesson with Hans in January 1945. The weather had been brutally cold so far this winter and people weren't moving around much. His trip from Dublin to Carragh was as much a social call these days as a lesson. They were both considered to be virtuoso and as such understood the way each other thought.

"Let's go to the pub," Hans said as he snapped the case of his violin shut. He taught private lessons from the same classroom he taught the children in. "Everyone has cancelled for today. The weather is too cold to make the trip." He pulled on the Aran sweater Rose had sent him via Garret then pulled his overcoat overtop.

"I wouldn't mind a hot drink, not a cold one," Garret said with a slight grin. "The cold is stiffening my hands already."

"You must wear gloves to protect your hands. The others at the camp think it is odd how I wear gloves always, especially for farm work, but it is necessary for us."

Garrett nodded and pulled on his gloves before they left the building. They headed to the pub with Han's guard trailing along behind.

"Can't they dispense with the guard, already," Garret said disgustedly.

"My foolish sister works at German High Command. I am a risk even though we do not write. We are very different."

"My older sister is a lot of fun," Garret commented. "I haven't seen her in quite a while with the war on."

"She is the one in England?"

"That's her, Sybil. She fusses over Bradley and our oldest brother Redmond. You haven't met him either, yet."

"Perhaps one day," Hans replied. "How was Christmas with younger brothers and sisters?"

"Let's see. None of us could sit down without at least one on your lap in a flash. The moment I went to the piano I had one on either side of the piano bench. The first two that arrived are jealous of the last four. The three out of the four newer ones have such thick accents I can barely understand them. The youngest is just starting to talk. Rory threw a fit when I took his favorite horse out when I went to visit my friends. It's my bloody horse in the first place. Well, my favorite horse. I had to take him along with me to shut him up. The worst of it was our annual fishing trip on Christmas Eve. Not a one of us could cast or hold our rod ourselves."

"You were different when you were a child?" Hans asked. He smiled at the picture Garret painted of suddenly being an older brother.

"Sybil needed me to hold her rod for her," Garret said with a grin. "Bradley always held our mother's, Dylan usually managed to take over from our father."

"You are baby no more. Now you are the older brother," Hans said.

"I'm not exactly the baby," Garret replied in disgust.

"You are baby for your parents. Now they have six more babies."

"Da looked into adopting you as well when they adopted Declan, Lorcan, Yseult and Niall. It can't be done. You're too old," Garret said.

"I would be honored to be your brother," Hans said seriously.

"You pretty much act like one anyway," Garret replied. They had arrived at the pub and ordered two drinks. The guard wandered off to chat with his friends.

"Can I ask you for a spot of advice?" Garret inquired.

"If it is advice on how to get out of prisoner of war camp, I cannot help you," Hans teased him.

"It's more personal than that," Garret replied with a grin. "It's about girls. Da is too old fashioned and I couldn't get a minute to speak to him anyway with all the little ones. Dylan and I were sharing a room. It was like playing musical beds with the little ones running in and jumping into bed with us. Besides Dylan changes girl friends as fast as he changes his socks. Davin has only ever had one girlfriend in his entire life and my other brothers are all in England."

"I don't know if I am much help," Hans replied. "Girls will throw themselves at you when you perform and it is easy for…you understand." Hans made a hand gesture.

"I've noticed," Garret replied.

"You must take care of that part so there are no babies. To find one that is more is not easy. I delayed too long with one of the teachers at the school where I teach now and she is with another. Perhaps I am not so good with women either."

"There's this girl, I've known her for a quite a while. I taught her to play piano. I haven't seen her in a long time because of the war."

"She will most likely have moved on as you have grown up," Hans said with a shrug.

"The thing is I still hear from her from time to time. I think she thinks of me as a friend. I don't know. Bradley and I were both friends with her. Now he's there and I think she might prefer him now."

"The war and circumstances are not what we would normally choose," Hans said with a shrug. "If she loves your brother and she is a nice girl then be happy for him. Don't look for what could have been, look for what is."

"I don't understand you?" Garret replied.

"I could have been famous if there was no war and I was still in Berlin, but that is not what is. I am a schoolteacher and sometimes performer. I must accept what is. It is the same with women."

An English officer at the pub wandered over to their table. Hans introduced Garret.

"I thought I heard an upper crust Limey accent," the officer said.

"My mother is a Scottish Lady," Garret replied. "I was born in England."

"Then why aren't you back home helping push this lots' face in the dirt?" he asked. Hans playfully punched his shoulder.

"I'm more Irish than English. Two of my brothers feel they're more English than Irish. It's a personal choice."

"You sure as hell don't sound Irish," the Englishman replied.

"I do when I play this," Garret said with a grin as he pulled his tin flute out of the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled his violin case out from under the table as well. "I've got time for a reel or two before I head back into Dublin."

"Drinking songs they like around here, even the children," Hans said with a slight shake of his head.

"I say we show this lot exactly how Irish our family is," Garret said motioning Hans to join him.

Hans tossed back the rest of his drink and pulled out his violin as well. He had another hour before he needed to be back at the camp. He got up to join Garret with a smile on his face. It was time to play a little music for a crowd that would be happy with a few off color songs they could sing along to and have a little fun.

-0-

"Dalaigh and Claire drew you some pictures," Redmond said to George Crawly. He tacked the pictures up on the wall where George could see them.

"Cute," George replied, trying not to move his mouth too much. The left side of his body, his arm and leg were badly burned and covered in burn dressings. The burns skipped a spot on his neck and were on the left side of his jaw as well. He was in the early stages of treatment and had to lie still and let things heal. He was in a great deal of pain. The nurses came by and immersed him in cold water once a day. It hurt like hell and he had screamed from the pain more than once. Redmond stopped by almost every day at the end of his shift for a few minutes to catch him up on family news.

"Who's the stick person with the hair standing straight up supposed to be?" George asked.

"Sybil when the sirens sound for the doodlebugs," Redmond said with a slight laugh. He was in gown and mask with a cap over his hair. He placed a hand on either side of his face. "Stop what you're doing and run to the shelter," he said in a high-pitched voice to imitate his sister.

George chuckled slightly.

"You're mother, grandmother and sister are all champing at the bit to come down and stay with Sybil," Redmond told him. "Another month or maybe six weeks and you should be able to have visitors. Sybil is first in line."

"I don't want them to see me like this," George said. He tried to divert his gaze from Redmond.

"They want to see you and they know you're not going to look perfect," Redmond said. "You've still got your looks and what counts to produce the next heir."

"That isn't going to happen now," George replied.

"It will happen. Not overnight but you will recover. That is my professional opinion," Redmond replied. "Are you trying to tell me after nine years of study, I don't know what I'm talking about?"

"I could study till the cows come over the hill and I still wouldn't know what I'm doing," George replied.

"You're a farmer, the same as my Da and you always have been," Redmond replied. "Apparently your sister has turned into quite the aficionado on your estate and your Dad's."

"As big a pain in the ass as ever, last time I saw her," George replied.

"Not as bad as she used to be," Redmond said. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. "I got a letter from Garret. I brought it along to read to you."

George laughed in parts of Garret's letter when he complained about the antics of the children Tom and Rose had adopted. It reminded him of the misadventures they'd had as children with Garret tagging along behind. He was getting it back in spades.

"Who's this Hans bloke?" George asked.

"I've never met him," Redmond replied. "Apparently he's a German flier that bailed out and was broken up pretty bad. He was out at the estate for seven months recovering before they carted him off to internment. Garret and him are close. They're both music obsessed."

"Too bad he didn't break his damn neck," George said angrily.

"George, you're going to have to let it go," Redmond said. "Things will all be over soon and people are going to have to learn to get along. It's part of my job to treat the injured regardless of who or what they are."

"What about your wife?"

"It was her time, I've accepted it. What about all the wives and sweethearts our side has killed? Will any of those men returning grieve any less than I did? It's got to end somewhere."

"I'm not that magnanimous," George replied sulkily.

"You've got more than enough time to think it over," Redmond replied before he left for the day.

-0-

Tom reached over and switched off the wireless. They had decided not to let the children listen to the news broadcasts. They were filled with nothing but fighting and death in Europe. The latest news was the allied forces had bombed Dresden, Germany. There were thirty thousand dead from the city alone. Even more alarming were the conditions that were being reported of liberated POW camps. The allies were pushing forward but the fighting wasn't over yet.

He opened the door to his office and headed into the drawing room to join Rose and the children. He was starting to think raising a young family was a young man's game. When he got home from being out to meetings or around the estate all day he'd gotten used to coming home and putting his feet up. Now he had six children under the age of six and his lap had become the most coveted seat in the house. Aisling and Rory were almost fluent in English and were slowly getting used to having a group of brothers and sisters. They hadn't realized how attached the two of them had become to Rose and himself until the others had arrived. They had immediately started clinging and become very possessive of their toy horses. Declan and Lorcan weren't unlike Redmond and Davin when they had arrived in England all those years ago. They were grieving their parents and trying to do as they were told. The ride to the house with the constable had frightened them and they were trying too hard to be good so they wouldn't be sent away. Yseult was confused and had kept asking when they were going home and Niall was only just two. He had made strange and clung to his older brothers at first. All the children had a great deal of adjusting still to do, learning manners, house rules and how their new parents expected them to act. They'd gone through the rigmarole before of teaching table manners but usually only to one or two children at a time, not a whole group. Thankfully Rory and Aisling had already caught on to quite a bit and were quite taken with Davin, Dylan and Garret when they visited. It had quickly become the thing to do to imitate Davin's manners and Dylan and Garret's speech. The haircuts, new clothes and mother with a different accent were difficult especially for Declan and Lorcan who had heard their parents speak against the English more than once. They'd had to quickly correct the children's assumptions on that score as they were now part of a family of mixed English, Irish and Scottish background with four older siblings of noble descent.

"Here's Daddy," Rose said. "We'll finish the picture puzzle and then we'll have a story in front of the fire where it's nice and warm once you're all changed and ready for bed."

Tom went over and helped the girls put pieces into the simple puzzle. Niall was already on Rose's lap getting help to take part in the activity. The four children had reddish blonde hair not unlike Davin and Redmond. As full siblings they didn't look all that much alike. Not a one of them had a roundish face like Tom's had been when he was young. None of them had angelic fair looks like Dylan and Rose's side of the family either but they were all cute children in their own way especially when they forgot themselves and smiled which was happening more and more these days.

"We made a picture of a train," Lorcan said with a smile once their puzzle was together.

"That you did," Tom replied ruffling his hair.

"What sounds do trains make?" Rose asked them. She got all sorts of chugs and toots from the group.

"Make a line and pretend to be a train all the way upstairs to get cleaned up," she told them. "Let Declan go at the front."

The children headed off upstairs in a line with Lorcan helping Niall up the stairs. The nanny was waiting for them at the top to start getting them into pajamas.

"A bit different than our older ones," Rose commented as she got up to go and help with changing.

"No old lady Grantham breathing down our necks expecting perfect manners in a blink," Tom replied with a wink.

"No, only an old fuddy-duddy Daddy that would like perfect manners in no time," Rose teased. She dropped a kiss on his mouth before she climbed the stairs.

There was a bit of maneuvering for position as to who would sit where during story time. They'd had to put the children on a rotation of who go the seat of honor each evening. Tonight it was Declan's turn and he happily curled on Tom's lap to look at the pictures in the book of fairy tales. It had been unusually cold that year and the children nestled under a quilt on the sofa while Tom read. Their feet were covered with hand knit slippers and their robes were an assortment Rose had collected from their friends most of whose children were long since grown up. She couldn't help wish Sybil were living a little closer. Over the years when Sybil was home she had come to rely on her remaking clothes for her brothers. Rose wasn't anywhere near as proficient but between her and the housekeeper they had managed to remake quite a bit the children could wear. There wasn't a great deal of assortment in the shops and even so clothing six children all at once was on the expensive side.

Once the final page was turned the children who weren't already nodding off made their way up to bed. They had two per room in double beds. Tom carried one while Rose carried another. He had to make a second trip to retrieve Ysleut who had fallen asleep half way through the first fairy story. He tucked the girls in making sure they each had their stuffed toy in bed beside them before he clicked out the light. Niall was already asleep when he joined Rose to tuck Rory in. "You stay put tonight," Tom whispered to him before he turned out the light. The two oldest boys were already asleep with the light out.

"What was on the news?" Rose asked as they made their way to their own room. She started to change quickly to avoid the chill in the room.

"Thirty thousand dead in Dresden," Tom replied. The Germans are surrendering in droves and more rockets landing on London. Each side is determined to blow the other to bits before this thing is done."

"Sometimes I think why did we take all these children in and then I give myself a good talking too," Rose replied. "Our small troubles here in our little corner are nothing to what others are facing. We have a beautiful home, food on the table, and six wonderful children who are already raised. We should have six more by the time we're done."

"Hopefully a year from now, everything will be said and done. The children will be settled and the older ones will be able to come home for a visit," Tom said. "A family reunion with everyone home would be nice."

"With grandchildren older than our own children," Rose said pulling the covers over her head to smother her laugh at the look on Tom's face.

"I'm going to have to live to be a hundred to get them all raised and see all the grandchildren," he gripped pulling the covers up and clicking off the light.

Chapter 54 – Unexpected Weapons

"We have some news," Elizabeth said to her brother. She and Mary were in to visit George in hospital. The bandages were off his face and the new pink skin had formed along his jawline. He was still bandaged on the left of his body with massive amounts of burn dressings to keep his fingers and toes apart so they wouldn't heal together.

"Elizabeth, your brother needs to rest not hear about things on his estate," her mother scolded her.

"I think he should know," Elizabeth replied imperiously. "I don't think things are as bad as you do."

"Now you've got my curiosity up," George said.

"We've had a bit of a tragedy on the estate just after the first of the year," Mary said slowly. "The Abbey caught fire and we've lost over a third of the building."

"How?" George asked in surprise. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"The alarm was raised quickly and everyone got out," Mary replied. She dabbed the corners of her eyes with the smock she was wearing. They didn't have to wear the facemasks but their hair and clothes still had to be covered.

"Was it a doodlebug or a V2? Did a plane crash on the building," George asked again.

"Nothing quite so dramatic," Elizabeth said disdainfully. "It was a toaster."

"A toaster?"

"An unattended toaster burned a piece of toast in the kitchen, it caught on fire and well, the rest shall we saw is history," Elizabeth replied dryly.

George got a smile on his face. He and his sister exchanged a glance and started to laugh. He laughed until he thought he was going to be sick.

"It's not funny," Mary scolded them. "That house is your heritage and it's in ruins."

"Oh, Mama, can't you see," George said once his laughter had started to subside. He still had a smile on his face. "The mighty house of Grantham brought down not by wars or political strife, but by a toaster."

"An American made one at that," Elizabeth said trying to hold back her mirth.

"I fail to see how any of this is humorous," Mary scolded.

"Mama, I never cared for the house. The contract with the military, I believe has a clause stating they will pay for any damages. We can rebuild something we like and live in a simpler way," George reached out with his good hand and took his mother's. "We have the land. The land is our heritage and the people who live on it, not that house. It's not who I am or who Elizabeth or Edward are. Our happiest times at Downton have been at the pond with our friends, out riding horses and family celebrations. The house has never been part of it for me."

"Me either when I think about it," Elizabeth said. "Sybil asked me to see if anything can be salvaged from the old ball gowns in the attic, the rest can be replaced or repaired. Papa has already met with the lawyers to force the government to do the reconstruction."

"Poor blokes that were staying there for rehabilitation, now they'll have been shuffled off somewhere else, is all I have to say," George said.

"Didn't I raise either of you to honor tradition?" Mary questioned.

"I honored tradition by becoming a military officer like every Earl of Grantham before me," George said. "Here I am, a complete mess. I'm a farmer and I should have stuck to it and studied agriculture not business and not got any ideas of grandeur about being a pilot. I did my bit as a copilot, not a great one and here I am."

"Traditions have changed Mama," Elizabeth said. "I'll put my business degree to use on the Estate working with Papa in two years when I graduate. I'll do the business part of the estate and when George is well he can run the farms. He'll be the Earl and I'll be his Lady sister. We'll entertain at separate homes in style as tradition dictates but we'll set our own rules for what roles we play, thank you."

"I just don't know what's gotten into you two," Mary said.

"War, Mama. We've had enough. It's time to try a new way," George replied. "Now tell me about this bloke you're seeing Elizabeth. He's a friend of Bradley's?"

"Heath Wilson, he's a year older than I am and a medical student," Elizabeth replied with a flush. "He wants to be a country doctor."

"Sounds promising," George replied with a slight smile.

-0-

Rose wondered how anyone could have managed to so thoroughly spoil a three-year-old. It was the beginning of March and she was heading over to the village mercantile to pick up a few odd things for the house and their home classroom. The three oldest boys by rights should have been in school, but they had decided to teach them at home to give them time to adjust and save on tuition as they had done with their other children during the depression. Distinct separate personalities were starting to emerge with the children. Yseult had been the only girl in her family and as a result it had become obvious she had been spoiled. She was accepting taking turns at home as she wasn't given any choice. Rose hoped eventually always wanting to be first would fade as she became used to their rules. Going to the shops was another matter. Every time they had taken her to a shop she had a tantrum that ended the shopping trip and resulted in her being put in the corner the minute they got back to the buggy or home in the village. She had no desire to stand in the corner and the work to get her to take her punishment was exhausting.

Today Rose was trying a trip to the shops yet again. She had left the four boys with Mrs. O'Rinn. They were sitting at the kitchen table peeling vegetables and had their list of chores to help with for dinnertime. Aisling was very shy. At the shops she would stand and stare at the toys or a frilly dress. A cross look from a stranger would send her clinging and crying against Rose's skirts. Yseult had received a talk about acting like a lady when she was in public before they left the house. Aednat was along to help out. As a leading family everyone knew what was going on at Tom and Rose's home on the estate. The tongues clacked when they were out with the children when they behaved and they clacked even more when the children acted up. Word had gotten back via the Ladies Auxilary the farmwomen were quite proud of their chairperson for opening the door to children in need. The wealthy ladies had tsked among themselves at the thought of taking on a young family in middle age.

Aisling had ahold of Aednat's hand as they walked through the village and Yseult was holding on to Rose's. She was smiling up a Rose happily as it was her turn to walk with Mummy. Rose turned to speak to the girls before she went in the shop.

"Girls, ladylike behavior in the shop please," Rose said. "Ladies smile at the people they meet, they don't cry in public and they definitely don't stamp their feet. How do you ask if you see something you would like to touch?"

"May I?" Aisling said quietly.

"That's right. You ask May I see or touch. Do you understand Yseult?"

Rose got a head nod from Yseult. They went into the shop. Rose waited in line at the counter. She had thought the shop would be quiet this afternoon but it seemed a number of other women had the same idea. She was answering questions about the latest endeavors of the Ladies Auxiliary when Aisling came over to her. Yseult was with the nanny actually being quiet for once. Rose had her fingers crossed she would continue to behave.

"May I choose a coloring book for everyone," Aisling whispered once Rose had leaned down.

"One book for everyone to share," Rose replied. Aisling nodded and went back to the nanny.

Rose thought things were going well when she got to the counter and it was her turn. Aisling returned and gave her the coloring book to pay for. Ysuelt hadn't fussed a bit. Rose was about to pay for the order when Ysuelt popped up at Rose's side. She had her hands on the counter and was pulling herself up on her tiptoes so she could see what Rose was doing.

"May I choose a candy for everyone?" she asked.

"Not today, we are purchasing a coloring book for everyone to share. One treat is enough," Rose replied.

"I want to pick out a treat too," Ysuelt said sticking out her lip.

"Did Aisling let you help choose the coloring book?" Rose asked.

"Yes, but it's from her not me," Ysuelt started to pout.

"It was Aisling's idea and a kind one," Rose said. "You may pick a treat another day."

"I want to pick one today," Yseult said she was starting to get wound up.

"What was Mummy's answer?" Rose asked her. Rose received the change and her parcel of goods. Aednat came forward to carry the items home in her basket as Rose was occupied with Ysuelt. Aisling took the coloring book under her arm and went to wait by the door.

"I want to pick one," Ysuelt said putting her lip out.

"Come along Yseult, it's time to walk home," Rose said taking her by the hand. Rose thought she had handled the incident well until they made it out the door. Ysuelt pulled away from her and dashed back into the shop.

"Please head home with Aisling," Rose said to Aednat. "I'll fetch Yseult."

"Yes, Mrs. Branson," Aednat replied. "Come along Aisling we'll sing a song on the way back." They headed down the street singing a song in Irish, with Aisling skipping along. Rose turned and went back into the shop. Today Ysuelt wasn't howling and throwing a tantrum, she was giggling and hiding behind a display in the shop. Rose went to take her hand and she dashed away again. After two times Rose had enough. She walked out the door of the shop and went a few steps down the street. She walked to the next doorway down and stepped in so she would be out of site from the door of the shop. It wasn't long and Ysuelt stepped out of the door and looked down the street for her. When she didn't see Rose she burst into tears. Rose let her cry a moment then stepped out and took the little girl's hand. She didn't say anything as they walked back to the house.

"I'm sorry, Mummy," I won't do it again," Ysuelt said when they neared the house.

Rose stopped and hugged her for a moment. She wiped the little girl's tears with her hanky.

"No more running away from Mummy. You're my little girl now," Rose said to her.

A pair of arms went around Rose's neck. Rose picked her up and held her close.

"I love you, Mummy," Ysuelt said tearfully with her head on Rose's shoulder. "Don't ever leave me."

"Mummy won't ever leave you of her own will," Rose replied. "I love you too." She set her down once they were in the door. "Go and wash your hands and get ready for dinner." Rose dabbed her eyes with her hanky.

"One down five to go," Rose said before she went to get ready for dinner as well.

-0-

Sybil couldn't help but feel sorry for her Aunt Mary when she saw her aunt and grandmother off on the train in mid-March. George would be in hospital for a very long time. Elizabeth had only come to visit for a weekend. Aunt Mary and Grandmamma had come for two weeks. Family visits had worn George out and they had decided to head home and return for periodic visits as he regained his strength.

Attitudes towards the gentry in the general population were changing. It was noticeable on the underground, trains and in shops and restaurants as people talked of the end of the war coming. _"The gentry's day is done." _Was a statement Sybil heard often when she was out in public. People had been fed up after the Great War and things had started to change but this time the younger gentry were done as well. The huge manor houses that took mountains of money to maintain had fallen out of favor and the day of men like Astrid's father who got by on wit and charm and didn't do a day of work in their lives were gone.

As the allies advanced and took out missile site after missile site the rocket attacks were getting further and further apart. So many friends and acquaintances had died during the war they were too numerous to count. Sybil's best friend from her course had died in a bombing raid and she had heard through the grapevine of old school chums, friends and distant relatives either killed in the bombing or in combat. The war had taken too much from everyone and people were exhausted from it.

Aunt Mary and Grandmamma were still grand ladies. They always seemed put together with perfect complexions no matter what, but much of how they thought of their world was no more. The destruction of the Abbey had been especially hard on Aunt Mary. Grandmamma always had a go with the flow whatever will come will come attitude that Aunt Mary lacked. Aunt Mary was hurt that George and Elizabeth weren't more upset about the fire at the house. They looked to the future and thought about the here and now, but Aunt Mary looked to the past for comfort. The younger people didn't.

Sybil had gone along on one hospital visit and heard George snap at his mother when she had mentioned something about the future. He was ill enough he didn't care about heirs and entails and all the rest at the moment. Aunt Mary had questioned her about why she hadn't sent Bobby to a proper boy's school. He was Sybil's ward and to her Aunt he should be educated in a way that befits a gentleman.

Sybil hadn't wanted to point out, that her own husband had a university education after attending a public school and had made out just fine. Sybil had talked over education with Abigail and Bobby. Bobby wanted to be a gardener and Sybil had agreed as long as he understood that he was to go to university or college after school and study horticulture and landscape design. With more education he would have more options and he was happy with that. Sybil didn't see the point of turning him into a polished gentleman. He was an average boy who loved everything about gardens. He wouldn't be happy away from home. He was polite and cheerful and everything in Sybil's opinion a little boy should be. Sybil would have put Astrid in day school if it wasn't for her learning problems. Astrid had two years left in school after this one. The school, teachers and her tutor had found ways around the difficulties and she was best left where she was.

Sybil stopped at the post office to send a few letters on her way back from the train. The building suddenly shook from a loud explosion. Everyone ducked down and listened for the sound for the sirens but nothing was sounding. They slowly got up and went outside to see what was happening. A large cloud of smoke was coming from the direction of the cottage. Sybil looked towards home and started to run. The fire brigade lorry passed her on the way. As Sybil neared her home the groom ran down the lane and caught a hold of her.

"Milady don't go any closer," he said.

"Let go of me," Sybil cried. "Hope is home so is my mother-in-law and where are the boys?"

"Miss Hope is fine," the groom said. "She's with the junior groom. She was down to the stable to visit the horses and collect the eggs. She was there when it happened."

Bobby came running across the grounds from the main house with the two older gardeners following him. Military personnel were flooding towards what was left of the cottage.

"Sybil," Bobby called finally reaching her. He threw his arms around her.

"Bobby, where's Jimmy?" Sybil asked him.

"He was going to play with some of the other boys. I went to see the greenhouse. They didn't want to come," Bobby said in a panicky voice.

"Stay here," the head groom said to the pair of them. He ran over to tell the fire brigade Mrs. Barrow and the boy Jimmy were unaccounted for. Sybil could only hold Bobby and watch helplessly while their home burned to the ground.

Mr. Stokes the butler from the main house came over accompanied by one of the officers.

"Mrs. Beldon, come to the main house and let the men get things sorted out," Mr. Stokes said. "Mr. Booth can wait here for word."

Sybil nodded. "Miss Hope is at the stable. Could you send for her?"

"Of course, Mrs. Beldon," Mr. Stokes replied. He nodded to Mr. Booth who headed over to see to Hope. Mr. Stokes was an older man of the old guard of butlers. He had stood guard over the inside of the Hadley Hall as he had done in Russell's grandfather's time. He wasn't about to let the military being at the house prevent the lady of the manor from coming home in her moment of need.

"Mummy," Hope called as she came across the lawn towards Sybil with the junior groom. Sybil held her close with Bobby for a few moments before they allowed themselves to be guided into the library of the main house.

"What happened to our cottage?" Bobby asked as they all sat together. Mr. Stokes had gone to get tea and hot milk for the children.

"I don't know," Sybil replied. "Where did Jimmy go?"

"He said he didn't want to come to see the greenhouse. He was going to go and play with some of the other boys," Bobby said. He started to cry again. Sybil held him close while Hope patted his hand.

It seemed like forever while they waited. One of the officers came into the library. They all looked to him quickly.

"Mrs. Beldon the head of the fire brigade is here," he said. "Perhaps the children could remain here while you meet with him."

"I will see to the children, Milady," Mr. Stokes said. He was too upset to use anything but the old titles.

"Thank you, Mr. Stokes," Sybil said. She walked out into the hall. There were people moving about this way and that going to and from their classes.

"Mrs. Beldon, the news isn't good," Mr. Taylor the postmaster and head of the fire brigade said. "We found Mrs. Barrow's body. We think she was killed by the blast."

"Was it a rocket?" Sybil asked in shock. "There were no sirens, no sounds."

"We think," Mr. Taylor's hands were shaking and he had to pause. "We think some local boys found an unexploded bomb and were monkeying with it in the garden shed at your cottage. We're not sure how many boys were there. There isn't enough left to even know how many of them were there."

"Oh God no," Sybil said. "Why would they do something like that? I had no idea. Jimmy is a normal happy little boy. Are you sure he was there?"

"Right now we can't be sure of anything. There have been reports of this sort of thing happening in other towns. We do patrols and get the military onto what we find, but there are old bombs from the first Blitz turning up all over the country in farm fields. We won't know anything for sure until we figure out who is unaccounted for. The boys could have gotten scared and run off, but it's unlikely. I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news."

Sybil squeezed his hand before she turned to go back to the library. She wanted to turn around and scream, "Get out of my house," to the entire houseful of military personnel, but she couldn't. Her first order of business was to tell her two children their grandmother had just been killed.

Chapter 55 –

"Just like that, the last of the launch sites have been captured and there are no more rockets raining on Belgium or England," Sybil said in a slight daze. She had taken Hope and Bobby to stay with Redmond for the last two weeks while things got sorted out. Abigail Barrow had been laid to rest beside her husband. Astrid had come from school for the service, as did Bradley. It had been a solemn group at her graveside. She had been a big part of their childhoods and now Sybil and Redmond's children's as well.

Jimmy and two other boys from the village had been killed. As near as anyone could figure one of the other boys had found a piece of unexploded ordinance and boys being boys and bundles of curiosity the three of them had decided to take it apart. They'd all been told over and over again at school and at home not to touch anything they found, but in the end boyhood antics had weighed out and cost them their lives. The loss of Abigail had been hard but Jimmy was doubly so. All Sybil could think of was the dances he would never attend, the girls he would never kiss and the events of his life that would never happen. His mother had come for the service and together they had shed their tears over the grave. Sybil had done her best by him during his time with them and paid for a marker in the graveyard at the church for the boys. The remains had been buried collectively in one coffin. The children were starting to come out of their grief slowly and Sybil had decided not to worry about school for Bobby for a few weeks at least.

Redmond returned home from work one afternoon to find Sybil sitting in the sitting room absently tapping her fingers on an envelope. Sarah's horses had been delivered to a stable not far from his home and the children accompanied by Nanny Grace had walked down to welcome them.

"A penny," Redmond said. He came in to sit in an armchair and relax for a few moments. He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly.

"The lawyers say the military has completed all training at Hadley Hall and will be returning the building to us at the end of their lease in September pending outcomes in Europe," Sybil replied. She set the envelope down. "I was just trying to think what I should do."

"I think you should take some time to let your head clear," Redmond said.

"I've done that. Having our children together has helped mine tremendously," Sybil said. "I'm on a leave of absence from my post. I'm thinking of leaving it permanently and doing what I really want."

"Which is?"

"Taking everyone to Ireland this summer to see Mummy and Daddy and the new children. I mean everyone, you, your family, Bradley, Astrid. We'll all be together in one place again for a few weeks. This blasted war should be over by then. People are saying any day."

"That's an expensive venture," Redmond replied.

"I've had indirect control of the entire fortune for over a year," Sybil said. "Bradley doesn't need to work this summer. I can advance him the money he needs for living expenses."

"He works out of pride you know," Redmond replied. "He does better than I did on scholarships. There isn't as much competition for the funds these days."

"You've only talked about this summer. What about long term?"

"I love the hall but we can't live there right now. I'm thinking about moving to Evan's House and perhaps starting a small exclusive line catering to wealthy customers. It's really what I'm good at. Not these mass produced lines, even though the house I was working at only sold from their own boutiques. The doctors living at Evan's House at the moment will be ready to rotate in the summer. I just won't let the rooms again."

"What do you think Russell will say when he gets back?"

"I think he'll be ready for a rest," Sybil replied. "They've had missile strikes where he is too from the radio reports although he isn't allowed to say anything. All he can say is somewhere in Belgium. I'm ready to hire a nanny and private tutor for the children and just go where ever the mood takes us."

"Sounds idyllic and boring," Redmond teased her.

"You have to admit you could use a little boring," Sybil replied with a sigh.

"What I could use is a spot of tea. I got some chocolate from a Yank team of doctors that were by the hospital the other day. Want a piece?"

"You've been holding out on me," Sybil said. Her eyes lit up. She hadn't had a piece of chocolate in at least four years. She got up with a smile on her face to follow her brother into the other room.

-0-

Mary stood in the once great hall of the Abbey watching the workers move around the upper floors packing anything that could be salvaged. Her mind harked back to the days when she was a young and men were her playthings to pick up or discard at will. Her father and grandmother's expectations for the family seemed to ring from the walls and remind her she had believed in their values whole-heartedly. Those days were the dust of memories now along with the ash that made up a third of the building.

The workers that were moving around putting things into boxes were all at least fifty years old and there wasn't a footman or maid in sight. Her children were almost indifferent to the history and what the building represented to her. Someday that may change when they got older but for now they seemed to only care about today. She sighed as she turned to a pile of older dresses that had been brought down for sorting. It was understandable after everything they had gone through over the last few years. The majority of the young men who had come to visit over the years they were growing up were prisoners of war or dead. Many of the young women had been killed in bombing raids as well. Those who weren't were all pursuing higher education or working. The old values and way of life seemed to be rubble along with a good chunk of London and most of the cities in the country.

Mary lifted the first of the dresses from the pile, then sat on an undamaged chair and held the dress for a few moments. It was one her youngest sister had worn to a garden party back before the first war. Mary couldn't help but think about how her sister Sybil had balked at the restraints of their life. She had thumbed her nose at the house, the way of life and every tradition the family held dear. If she had lived she would have fit right in. She folded and placed the majority of the dresses in a box to send to the younger Sybil in London. They smelled of smoke but otherwise they weren't singed.

Mary walked out the doors once she was done and got behind the wheel of her car. She wasn't in the mood to head home and decided to use the precious petrol ration to drive to her favorite lookout over the estate. She pulled the car to a stop and got out to gaze across the vista of farmland stretching out before her. The end of the war was expected any day. She could see the workers tilling the soil preparing for the spring planting. The sheep dotted the hills against the bright green of spring grass. Everywhere she looked there were signs of life. She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of pride. The country had been through hell and the estate had risen to the challenge. They had farmed, given the house to the wounded, worked to improve their small hospital and done what it took to survive. She smiled as she thought of her children. Their tie to their heritage was here as was hers. It wasn't in the house. It was the land that had been in the family for generations. They were English, they would endure and the heir would come home once he was well.

She thought of Elizabeth telling her brother the circumstances of the house's demise.

"A toaster indeed," Mary said aloud with a chuckle. "Through war and peace Downton will endure even if it does not stand, Grandmamma."

She returned to the car and headed home with a smile on her face. She wanted to review the architect's drawings and have them ready to discuss with her son when she saw him next.

-0-

Hans Meyer sat quietly with his countrymen as they listened to the report coming over the wireless. Ever since the bombing of Dresden in February almost three months ago they had sat in numb silence, as the news got progressively worse. There were fifty-five Germans in the camp. Many had been there since early in the war as he had. The English had progressively escaped, walked or taken a bus the thirty miles into Dublin and taken the train north to Belfast. It wasn't any great secret as to how they made it out of camp. The majority of German officers knew exactly where the tunnel was. Today there were reports the allied troops were capturing children and women sent out as soldiers. The descriptions of the death camps were even worse. Some of the men were in denial. Others like himself were grieving. The country they had known was no more.

There had been imprisonments before the war and people fleeing Germany, but nothing had prepared them for the reports of the brutality. Military service had been pitiless with a demand for complete obedience or else, but it was the military. The worst of it was his sister, a card carrying Nazi worked at headquarters in Berlin. She had to have known all this was going on. Hans got up and dashed to the washroom to loose the contents of his stomach. What had they fought for? Was it worth thirty-thousand dying in two days, millions dying at the hands of butchers, thousands of soldiers were surrendering every day and Germany was in ruins.

He made his way back to his room and lay down on the bed. His head was swimming. What did the future hold? Where would he go when they released him from here? He couldn't go back to Germany. He'd toyed with the idea of staying in Ireland off and on. Would the authorities even allow it?

The next morning a cheer went up on the English side of the camp. Hans' roommate returned to the room and sat down resignedly.

"Germany has surrendered," he said. "It's over."

"Over," Hans repeated. It took a minute for it to sink in then the relief poured over them. Hans stood up and embraced the other man.

"At last, I will be able to get married," his roommate said started to get excited.

They left their room and headed for the bar. They could hear the celebration from the other side of the camp. When they got to the bar, some of the men were crying others were happy as they were. Hans stopped by one man who seemed to be in distress.

"We will all go home soon," he said to him putting a hand on his shoulder.

"My family is gone," the other man replied.

"As is mine, but there is a future now," Hans replied. The man stood and embraced him, then nodded pulling himself together.

It wasn't long and their commanding officer came to speak to them.

"The English are being released this afternoon," Oberleutant Mollenhauer said. "They will tell us when they know what is to be done with us. For those who have jobs, today is a holiday, tomorrow you may work."

The men cheered and headed to the bar for another drink. Hans slipped out and went to get dressed before lunch. This was Ireland, for some there would be a holiday, but he had school to teach and a career to finally start thinking about.

-0-

"The children are coming home," Tom said to Rose when he received Sybil's letter.

"What did she say," Rose asked excitedly.

"She's heard from Russell. He's put in for release, but he doesn't think he'll be home until autumn. Meanwhile, Redmond, Sybil and Bradley are coming home for a week as soon as Bradley is finished his exams and Astrid is done school."

"Where will we put them all?" Rose said in alarm.

"We'll line them up like cordwood in the drawing room," Tom said with a large smile. He caught her around the waist and pulled her onto his knee.

"Tom this is serious. They'll all be here in less than a month. I'll have to let Garret and Dylan know when they're coming so they can arrange to be home at the same time. Davin and Camilla can come over for a few nights with the twins. What about Hans? We'll have to invite him too. There's so much to do."

Tom laughed in delight at her planning.

"Stop worrying and enjoy the moment before we have a dog pile on my lap," he said with a grin.

"Three are having a riding lesson with Sean and three are down for a nap," Rose replied. "It's exciting but there is a lot to think of. We'll need to get an extra girl in through the days. When everyone's here we'll have twenty-three people. Twenty-three!" Rose exclaimed getting up quickly in excitement. "I've got to make plans right away."

Tom laughed as Rose snatched Sybil's letter and headed off to her writing desk. It would be a week of chaos and children running this way and that, but it would be good to have the family home and together.

Tom couldn't help thinking the younger children were so different from the older ones it was like night and day. Rose had decided to teach them some dances. All of the older children had danced for years and were quite good at the reels, jigs, Scottish and ballroom dance. Of all of the younger ones only Lorcan, Rory and Aisling had any sense of rhythm. Declan had distinctly two left feet and Ysuelt hadn't figured out how to skip yet after five months. Niall who wasn't three yet could skip better than Ysuelt, but it was too early to tell.

Over the winter their individual personalities had started to emerge as they got used to their new home. Declan was kind to a fault but seemed to take twice as long to catch on to the manners as the rest. He was the big brother always looking out for the little ones. Lorcan was more adventurous. He was the one who constantly had to be reminded to do his chores. He always wanted to see what was in every box or over the next hill. Rory was a tad on the bossy side and was forever trying to organize everyone. Ysuelt was a character. She was starting to get over being spoiled but they still had to watch her. She was forever getting herself into one predicament or another. She'd managed to get her head stuck between the bannister rails just recently. They'd had to cut the wood to get her out. Aisling was shy and thoughtful of the others and Niall was a chatterbox already. Physically the four natural brothers and sister weren't fast growers while the other two grew like weeds.

Tom was just about to get his boots on to head over to the Donnelly's to inquire if they had any lawn tents. If he could rustle a few up it might be a solution to where they were going to put everyone to sleep during the family visit. Ysuelt came down the stairs.

"Are you going out, Daddy?" she asked.

"I am. Are the others up yet?"

"No, they're still asleep," she said. "May I come along?"

"It will be a bit dull for you, but you can come if you like," Tom replied. "Go find Aednat to get changed."

It wasn't long and Tom was headed out with Ysuelt on the horse behind him with her arms around Daddy's waist. Tom set her down first when they arrived then dismounted. Ysuelt managed to remember to curtsey when she saw Mr. Donnelly but managed to get her legs tangled and almost fell over if her father hadn't put out a hand to steady her.

"I'm quite sure we have lawn tents," Mr. Donnelly replied to Tom's inquiry. "We'll just walked down after we have tea and a bite and check with the gardener."

Tom was relieved the little girl did quite well with sitting still and sipping from her cup politely. She ate the cake she was given slowly and didn't make a mess. The men finished their drinks and headed across the grounds with Ysuelt trailing happily along. She was busy chasing a butterfly when she tripped over a box hedge and landed in the dirt. Tom picked her up and dusted her off. She didn't bother to cry and was immediately occupied with hunting for a cricket she could hear chirping. By the time Tom had concluded his business and they got back to his horse, Ysuelt had grass stains and dirt on both knees, twigs tangled in her hair and dirt smudged all over her face. He was going to put her on a bench and pull her up behind him then thought better of it.

"Would you mind, helping Miss Ysuelt up," Tom asked the groom who had been holding his horse.

The man went around and boosted Ysuelt up. He gave her a bit too much of a toss as she went up and she almost fell off the other side of the horse if Tom hadn't caught her just before she tipped off the other side.

"Lord have mercy," Mrs. O'Rinn said the moment they got into the house and she caught sight of the little girl. "You look like you've been to the war and back."

"We went to see Mr. Donnelly and I had tea and a cake," Ysuelt replied nonchalantly. "It was fun."

"Tom, what did you let her do?" Rose asked in alarm the moment she saw her daughter.

"She's got the manners and tea drinking down pat. The grace and decorum are a ways off yet, I'd wager," Tom said with a chuckle. "Donnelly has three tents we can borrow for the lawn. That should take care of the sleeping accommodations during the children's visit."

"As long as Ysuelt doesn't manage to knock them down on top of everyone," Rose replied dryly with a shake of her head once the little girl was out of earshot.

Chapter 56 – House Shopping

"I cannot live with you and Dylan," Hans said. "I am ten years older than you." He and Garret were sitting at the pub in Carragh. The men who had wanted to be repatriated to Germany had already left. Four of the German's from camp had married local women. That left ten of them who had applied for permanent residence who were waiting for their cases to be reviewed. Hans had moved into town to a pub room as soon as he'd gotten a permit. He was just finishing out the last few weeks of the school term.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Garret replied. "Dylan's job in Limerick is finished up and he's back in Dublin the end of June. You'll be finished teaching school here soon. We want to get a bigger place, maybe a brownstone with three bedrooms and a separate room for teaching in a nice neighborhood. Three of us would be able to get something better. I don't want to get a single bedroom flat with him. He'd drive me crazy and he hogs the bed."

"What do the Mama and the Papa have to say about this?" Hans asked seriously.

"We haven't mentioned it to them. Dylan pays his own way and so do I. You've got a job and you'll get more students and a better spot if you moved to Dublin. I don't see why you're hesitating," Garret coaxed. It all made sense to him. He thought it was a grand idea and here Hans was balking.

"I am older. My friends are older. You are young men with young friends. The two don't go together," Hans replied.

"We're friends with you aren't we? You make it sound like everything has to be separate. It's not like our friends won't be moving in the same circles. Are you afraid we'll audition for the same chair and I'll beat you?"

"As locals say, sod off. The student should surpass the master, but you are not there yet. People say I am big head. You are the big head."

"The saying is to have a swelled head," Garret corrected him.

"Big, swollen, it is all the same with you," Hans said with a grin.

"Look who's talking," Garret replied with a grin before he took a drink of his pint. "Well?"

"Ya, find us a place, something where we can have students on the same days. I will be done here in another week. I did not tell you but I have auditions lined up in Dublin. Three already."

"You can always go back to teaching elementary school if they don't like you," Garret ribbed him. He hid his smile behind a glass of ale.

"Schweinchen," Hans said then started to laugh. "Maybe it is you who should teach elementary school. You like teaching children."

"It's because I'm not an old man like you," Garret replied. He choked on his pint when he started to laugh at the look on Han's face.

"Here I brought you some sheet music for the Mummy and Da's family get together. We used to take turns playing, but Redmond is most likely completely out of practice. He works something like twelve or fourteen hours a day. I have no idea with Sybil. It will probably be you, me, Bradley and Dylan playing most of the music. Davin's busy dangling one baby or the other off his arm most of the time these days. I'm going to see if Lollan, Connal and Bryan are around and can come over a couple evenings."

"This is quite a bit for a family party," Hans commented shuffling through the pile. "Nothing we can't handle."

"You don't know what Mummy is like when she gets going. We'll have a Scottish dance, an Irish dance, a family dinner, a formal dinner with all their friends thrown in, most likely with couples dancing and God only knows what else. Davin's wedding went on for three days. She's got five to fill up this time. Just for fun I'll probably pipe the dinners in and everyone awake in the mornings."

"What did I agree to?" Hans said looking a bit taken aback.

"Family bedlam. Is there any other kind?" Garret said. "Come on. I brought my fishing rod. Let's go see what we can catch. For once you don't have to go running back to that bleeding camp for a curfew."

"One thing," Hans said.

"What's that?"

"If we get a place. No potatoes. I have had mashed potato every day for the last four and a half years. I still don't like it."

"You do the cooking and you can make whatever you like," Garret said with a grin.

"Kasekuchen, it translates to cake of cheese."

"Sounds horrible," Garret replied.

"It is good. I will make."

"Be my guest," Garret said with a smile as he tossed back the last of his drink.

-0-

Bradley was waiting for Astrid to get in on the train at the station in London. He had just finished his third year of medical school and decided to move in with Sybil at Evans House. His Uncle James had a new girl friend and Bradley didn't want to be in the way. Everywhere people were upbeat since the end of the war. The city was starting to be rebuilt and men were coming home in droves. The Americans were still going both ways. Some were headed back to the States and others were heading to Europe for the occupation. All in all it added up to a feeling of excitement in the air.

He watched the windows for any sign of Astrid as the train pulled in. He'd told himself more than once he was being stupid mooning over her. He was four years older than her. He was now twenty and she was just sixteen, but every time he saw her his heart did a flip inside his chest and he fell just a little bit more. He had known his brother liked her when they were younger, but they were grown up now. At least he and Garret were and Astrid hadn't been over to Ireland in six years. They'd been just kids the last time they were all together.

"Bradley," Astrid called and waved and she stepped off the train. He hugged her close and brushed a kiss on her cheek. He still hadn't worked up the courage to kiss her. He was kicking himself yet again. _"Twenty years old and you still haven't managed to put one her lips," _he told himself.

"Are you looking forward to the trip to Ireland?" she asked him. She still hadn't stepped back and was looking into his face.

"I am. We'll meet all the…" he was staring at her mouth. He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. She didn't push him away, so he kissed her again with a little more pressure.

"Bradley," Astrid said with a smile and slight exhale of breath.

"U-huh," he replied.

"We're in the middle of the platform."

"What? Oh, I'll get your bags," he said sheepishly.

"Sybil isn't giving me much time to repack," Astrid commented once they were on the underground and headed for the house.

"She's on this remodeling kick. She's fixing up the house in London so she can run her design business out of part of the downstairs. After all the years of lodgers the upstairs rooms are a bit beat up. Everything is getting a fresh coat of paint while we're away and the remains of the cottage are being pulled down and replanted into a memorial garden."

"That's a nice gesture," Astrid said. "I wouldn't want the cottage rebuilt."

"Something's missing," Bradley said with a grin.

"What's that?" Astrid asked him.

"You haven't shown me your report card or told me about it once."

Astrid smiled and laughed.

"I've a surprise for you. I made the honor roll."

"You never! Congratulations," Bradley said.

"Something finally just clicked and I'm not upset or nervous when I study anymore. I use all the little work a rounds we've come up with over the years. I've always been able to remember everything but it wouldn't go on the paper. Mind you I'm using bright pink ink in all my pens," she said with a smile.

"If it works," Bradley replied smiling at her while the tram jiggled and rattled along.

The butler took Astrid's cases from Bradley the moment they got in the door.

"Welcome home, milady," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Travis," Astrid replied.

Astrid followed him up to her room with Bradley following along.

"Where did my sister get off to?" Bradley asked.

"The shops Sir, for some last minute items for the trip. The children and their nanny went along."

"Sybil said she's got a few new dresses for you since everything got destroyed," Bradley said. "I'll let you get packed."

The butler bowed and left them alone.

"Bradley, we're not on the train platform now," Astrid said gazing at him with a dazzling smile.

"No, we sure as hell aren't," Bradley replied pushing the door shut with one hand. Astrid had tossed her hat and gloves on the bed. She took a few steps across the room and put her arms around Bradley's neck. He kissed her slowly. His eyes opened and then closed when he felt her lips relax against his inviting him in. He could feel her breasts pressed against him through the fabric of her dress making his pulse race. He let his lips roll across hers building the anticipation. She wasn't the first girl he'd ever kissed but she was the one he'd waited for and thought about for years.

He broke the kiss then kissed her again. He'd had every intention of letting her get on with her packing but his mind was fuzzy with desire and all he could think of was kissing her again. This time he slid his tongue into her mouth and touched hers. Her in tack of breath spurred him on. He hadn't realized her hands had moved until he felt her hand on his arm.

"Bradley," she whispered against his lips. He didn't let her complete the thought before he kissed her again. He slowly released her with his breathing ragged.

"The other's will be home soon," he said. "You've got to pack. We're leaving in three hours."

Astrid fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. Then slowly nodded. She placed a quick kiss on his mouth before she stepped back.

"It won't take me long to pack. Do you think we'll have time to go swimming while we're there?"

"Probably with a host of kids," he replied. Astrid turned and undid the clasps on one of her cases. She was looking in the case when Bradley came up behind her. He touched the back of her neck then placed a kiss on it. "You'll be my girl now?" he asked.

Astrid nodded and bit her lip. His touch was making her knees weak. She'd thought about kissing him so many times and it hadn't happened before now. The desire was making her slightly dizzy. She turned and his fingers touched her cheek. He kissed her again. She placed a hand on his chest and could feel his heart beating through his shirt. He released her finally and left her room. Once she was alone she touched the side of her neck then turned back to her packing. The boy she was crazy about had just kissed her and asked her to be his girlfriend. The day couldn't get any better.

-0-

Finding a place to rent was turning out harder than Garret thought it would be. He'd been to see three houses to let in his first week of hunting. The first landlady had taken one look at his baby face and announced she didn't let her property to children. She'd slammed the door in his face before he'd had a chance to open his mouth. The second one he'd telephoned and hadn't been told exactly they didn't rent to English but from the amount of hedging he'd quickly read between the lines, the third one he'd disguised his voice and imitated his father's accent. He'd told her he and his two older brothers would be living together and were all gainfully employed. It was only a slight lie, he thought. Dylan had a good job and Hans would soon enough. He was teaching a summer music symposium at the Conservatory in Dublin plus he had seven piping jobs lined up over the summer. He did have a job if a bit of an on and off one. He already had his tuition covered for the following year. It should all work out.

"I'm older than I look," Garret said with his father's brogue the second the lady opened the door.

"Now you said, you'd be in with your brothers. How old might they be?" the landlady asked.

"Twenty-nine and twenty-two," Garret replied. "One's a concert violinist and speaks fluent German. He teaches elementary school when there isn't a concert. The other one is an architect and I teach at the Conservatory."

"So you can pay your rent, then," the landlady said. "Very well I'll show you the place but I want to meet the other two as well."

Garret breathed a sigh of relief, so far so good. They walked a few blocks away. The row house had a step in front with white cladding and window boxes that made it look like a piece of a gingerbread house. Everything looking freshly painted and maintained. They went inside and Garret stopped dead. There wasn't a stick of furniture in the place. He walked through the house with the woman. The dining room closed off from the sitting room with sliding doors and there were three bedrooms with a full bath. There was a decent garden in the back as well but it was over grown. Garret couldn't help but think it was too bad they didn't have a goat.

The landlady reiterated the price that had been advertised.

"I like the place but I thought it was furnished," Garret said.

"You won't get anything in this neighborhood that's furnished for another half as much," she informed him.

"We'll take it, if you like my brothers," Garret replied quickly. He knew how hard it was to find anything in the neighborhood. He'd been searching the papers for the last two months. Both other places he'd been turned away from were more money and further from the university and the tram.

"No pulling things apart and no wild shananigans," she gave him the evil eye.

"My oldest brother keeps us in line," Garret said sweating slightly. When Hans got going he could be rather rowdy. The last time he'd had one too many at the pub when Garret had been around a bunch of other Germans had pushed him up to stand on a table. He'd sang some song in German that was obviously off color complete with gestures and made the other men laugh. He then managed to kick over half a dozen drinks before he started fencing with another man using some old man's cane. He was a bit of wild man behind his usual formal demeanor when his inhibitions were down.

"I could have my one brothers come over and possibly look at the house tomorrow. The other is working in Limerick. He won't be back for another week. He's gone straight from Limerick to our parents for a family obligation."

The landlady looked Garret up and down. He was wearing a suit that wasn't common and the accent didn't fool her one bit. There was an upper crust accent hiding in there, if she didn't miss her guess. If they were brothers from a wealthy family they could afford to pay for any damages. The last tenants she'd had looked like a nice couple on the surface until they'd left the stopper in the sink and flooded the kitchen. They'd informed her it was her fault and skipped out with one month late and one month due.

"Bring him by tomorrow. I'll hold the place for you until the end of the day," she said.

The next day Garret met Hans at the train.

"No, no, no," Garret said before he'd even said hello.

"What?" Hans inquired.

"You need a suit that doesn't look like it came out of my Da's cast offs or a general mercantile. You can't audition in that either."

"I will audition for music not appearance," Hans said getting haughty.

"You got away with it once because you were in a prisoner of war camp. You won't the second time. There are more people around competing for spots already now the war is done. We'll go get you a suit then go look at the house."

"You are bossy like your mother," Hans stated. He had to admit his money was burning a hole in his pocket and he would like to get back to wearing a nice suit instead of cheap ready to wear or cast offs.

"I will take it," Hans said forty-five minutes while he was looking at himself in the mirror in the men's department of an upscale shop in Dublin. He had rejected everything the man had shown him in pinstripe and tweeds and gone for black with a blue and black silk tie that made his eyes stand out.

"The shoes as well, Sir?" the clerk ask.

"That too," Hans replied.

"You need a hat and coat as well," Garret reminded him.

"You are too spoiled."

"One good outfit and we'll talk my sister into designing you an entire wardrobe for every occasion," Garret said with a grin.

It wasn't long and they were knocking on the landlady's door.

"Remember adopted older brother when you were ten from Germany which accounts for the accent and different name," Garret warned him.

"Yes, I am not a child. I remember your fabrication," Hans said stiffly.

Hans greeted the landlady with a flourish and kissed her hand.

"You said your older brother spoke fluent German, not that he is German," the woman said.

"Adopted after ten years in Germany by my cousins. Our parents are diplomats," Hans replied smoothly. He immediately turned on the charm. "A lovely neighborhood in this fair city. My brother tells me the accommodation is befitting of a better family."

"Why yes," the woman fluttered. "I'll just get the key."

Hans offered her his arm as they walked to the house. He held the door for her and smiled at the woman constantly.

"The fireplaces are working? It would not do for my younger brothers to be cold this winter. Our mother would be unhappy," Hans said. He'd turned a bedroom look on the woman that had her almost swooning.

"I could include two months worth of coal," she said mesmerized by his gaze.

He inclined an eyebrow when he looked at the garden.

"My younger brother and I are both musicians. We must protect our hands. Our other brother as well is an architect. It is all fine work with the hands," Hans commented. "It will make the gardening difficult you understand, not that we are unwilling."

"I'll have my man come around once a week to do the grass in the summers," she said.

"Perhaps also the windows?" Hans asked innocently. "Good light is essential for the true artist."

"Yes," she agreed while staring into his eyes.

"Excellent," Hans replied. "I will let my younger brother deal with the papers and final arrangements. I must get back to my current lodgings, to collect my things and make the trip to our parents' this evening. I will see you there, Garret?"

"I'll be over in the morning," Garret replied.

"You don't have to rush. It won't take a minute. I've got the papers right here in my handbag," the landlady said. She was still staring at Hans.

She took another chunk off the rent to make up for the fact the house wasn't furnished and added the extras then had the two of them sign the papers. Garret made out a rent check and damage deposit. He had the originals he had already written out in his wallet along with the money Hans had given him to cover his portion.

They stepped out the door with the landlady. Hans bowed slightly and took the woman's hand after she handed him a set of keys.

"A decision I'm sure our parents will approve of," he said giving her another direct glance.

The woman flushed before she headed down the street back to her own lodgings.

"You sly devil," Garret said.

"I am still the master, little brother and you are only the student," he replied with a wide smile.


	35. Coming Home Part XV

Coming Home – Part XV – Chapter 57 through 60

Chapter 57 – First Sight

After much deliberation Sybil and Redmond had both decided to give their nannies a week off rather than bring them along on the trip to Ireland. Nanny Grace in particular was getting on in years, but Redmond had decided to keep her as his children's Nanny until they were grown or until the day Nanny Grace decided to retire. She was a stable female influence in their lives and was like a lion protecting her cubs if she was a trifle on the old fashioned side. Sybil had hired Nanny Margery through an agency. The woman was competent and good with the children. Jimmy's death had made Sybil want to keep a stricter eye on the children. She had gone through periods of self-doubt. Was she being too lenient a parent or too strict? She and her brothers had played on their own often enough and never come to any harm. She wondered if had she allowed Jimmy and Bobby too much leeway. The nanny helped ease her fears and the children liked having someone they could turn to when Sybil got preoccupied with her design drawings or the remodeling on the houses. In the end Sybil was happy with hiring Nanny Margery. When Russell got home they could make a final decision together if they wanted a full-time nanny.

Hans stood at the end of the receiving line to welcome Rose and Tom's older children home. He was nervous about this meeting. He knew Garret, Dylan and Bradley well and had been getting to know the younger ones since his arrival the night before. Pretend fencing had quickly become a favorite game and he had spent most of the morning in the garden playing a game of knights and damsels in distress with the little boys and girls. He had played the part of the evil Count Fiddler fending off the damsels' rescuers. He couldn't help being nervous about the oldest two who had settled in England. Not everyone was ready to let go of the animosity towards German military members so early after the war. He'd been refused service more than once in Dublin when people heard his accent. Luckily in his chosen profession his accent wasn't what counted. Garret had been mooning around all morning looking nervous. Right now he was further down the line standing between two of the younger boys and reassuring them, there was nothing to be worried about.

Hans had Aisling beside him. He couldn't help but smile to himself as the oldest son moved down the line with his two children. His children had been rehearsed in formal introductions until they were as polished as adults. The resemblance Redmond bore to Tom was striking. It was as though he were a thirty-year younger incarnation.

"This is Hans. My eldest son, Redmond," Rose introduced. Redmond extended his hand slowly to the man. He'd gotten after George Crawley about letting go of the hate and treated POW's as a doctor often enough. Standing here taking the hand of a former German pilot who was well and healthy and his parents and younger brothers considered a close friend made him take pause. Sarah had died because of a German bomb. It wasn't so easy to look the enemy in the eye and not feel anything. A set of clear blue eyes gazed back at him. Redmond decided on the spot he would sit back and take stock of the man before passing judgment.

"I have heard much about you," Hans said. "I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance."

"You certainly have made an impression on my parents and brothers," Redmond said seriously.

"A positive one, I sincerely hope," Hans replied with a slight bow.

He bowed slightly to each of the children.

Aisling was staring at Redmond with her mouth open while clutching Hans' pant leg.

"This is Aisling," Rose said. "Aisling let go of Hans and say hello to your older brother."

Aisling shook her head and pressed herself tighter against Hans.

"Have the fairies got your tongue?" Redmond asked Aisling as he crouched down to speak to her. Hans had a hand around her back trying to encourage her out from behind him.

Aisling hid her face and looked at Redmond with one eye.

"Did you know, Da can talk to the fairies? He always could when I was little. He told them one night to make me look just like him. I woke up one morning and poof there he was in the mirror."

"Daddy is that true?" Claire asked staring at her father with wide eyes. Dalaigh was looking at his father with wonder as well.

"You'll have to ask Granddad later and find out," Redmond replied.

"His name is Daddy," Aisling said quietly.

"I used to call Da, Daddy too, but it sounds a bit silly for a grown man, don't you think?" Redmond asked her. "We can talk about it later."

After Aisling had been introduced to Bradley she'd had enough. Hans picked her up then handed her off to Tom when he got through the crowd in the hall to take her. Hans turned back to see a pretty woman with dark hair somewhere in her twenties smiling at him. Her presence seemed to radiate like a beam of light making the hall seem brighter. Hans lost consciousness of where he was for a second. He'd always thought the stories of love at first sight were a load of nonsense. Women came and went and there was always another if the last one didn't work out. Now here he was staring into a pair of deep blue eyes and lost in a fraction of a second.

"I'm Sybil," she said putting out her hand. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Bradley and Garrret's letters."

He hesitated before he replied. "Hans Meyer," he said. He recovered quickly hoping no one had noticed him staring or his moment of tongue-tied silence. He took her hand and kissed it. "I have also heard a great deal about you."

"I look forward to getting to know you better," Sybil said formally then turned and introduced her daughter, ward and her sister-in-law.

Astrid's face turned bright red when Hans kissed her hand as well.

Bradley noticed the gesture and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"He does that to every girl he meets," Garret said quietly to his brother.

They all headed to the different rooms to get settled in. The single men were all in a tent in the garden with another tent for the younger boys who thought a camp out in the yard was a grand treat. The third tent was for the younger girls. Aednat had decorated it up with pink bows and some old lace curtains with the help of Aisling and Yseult to make it into a fairy tale castle for their guests who weren't much older than they were. The adults collected back in the drawing room while the younger children went for a nap except Bobby and Astrid who really wasn't a child anymore.

"Do you have a new job yet?" Bradley asked Hans. He was sitting on one side of Astrid with Garret on the other.

"I was waiting to tell until everyone was together," Hans replied. "I am now first chair violin with the Dublin symphony. I start in two weeks and I have booked two benefits and a Christmas concert with a Chamber group."

"That was quick," Garret said in surprise. His attention was diverted off Astrid for a moment.

"I would have been doing more since being in this country, but my circumstances as you know did not permit it," Hans replied.

"Have you found a place to stay in Dublin?" Tom asked him.

"The thing is Da," Dylan interjected. "We've taken a house together, the three of us."

"Not a stick of furniture or a dish in the place yet," Garret contributed.

"Didn't you think you should have perhaps discussed this with us first?" Rose questioned.

"Why? We're all adults who pay our own way," Dylan said. "I may look like a little kid but I'm not. I haven't seen the place yet."

"It is a nice house of moderate size with room to teach," Hans said. "It will work out. I was hesitant at first, but now I think it is a good idea. We will all be busy with our own lives and share expenses."

"At least tell me it's in a good part of town," Tom said resignedly.

"It's a nice area, not far from the university and a stone's throw from Dylan's office," Garret said. "It will be less than the dorm fees."

"Whom are you holding the two bedrooms for?" Sybil asked her mother to change the topic.

"Sarah's parents are coming out tonight. Her father will commute for work one or two days. Davin and Camilla will be out off and on as well," Rose said.

"Sybil we need you to give Hans a make over. He's only got one decent suit. He doesn't look anything like a concert musician," Garret said.

"Ach du lieber," Hans exclaimed with his face going red in embarrassment. "Can you not give your sister one moments peace or me either."

Redmond and Sybil both laughed along with their parents and the others present.

"It's very obvious you didn't grow up with a younger brother," Sybil said. "I'll think about it once I've had a chance to catch up on some rest. We've been traveling all night."

"We need your help decorating the house as well," Dylan told her.

Hans face was going redder with embarrassment by the moment.

"I am sure we can select a few furnishings," he said.

"I'd like to see your new house," Astrid commented.

"Perhaps we'll stop on the way back," Sybil said. "Redmond only has limited time."

"We don't have to be back in a hurry," Astrid pointed out. "We could stay a day or two longer."

"I need to get to work this summer as well," Bradley commented.

"You can stay for the summer, son. I can always use you," Tom commented.

"We'll see," Sybil said.

"They've got you cornered and I wouldn't mind you home for a bit either," Rose added with a smile.

-0-

"What is your sister's husband like," Hans asked Dylan when they were in the beds that had been set up in the "men's" tent that evening. It was a large tent with four single beds and a table for a nightstand beside each. There was an older carpet as a floor spread over the ground. Rose and Tom had done a good job raiding their friends' old servant's quarters and attics, then rented what they didn't have. They had managed to come up with a fairly comfortable accommodations for their guests. In the warm summer air it was not that much different than a bedroom. Bradley and Garret were still waiting for the washroom and hadn't come out yet.

"Russell's a right enough bloke. He's crazy for Sybil, ever since he was a kid and she's exactly the same way. He's well, he's. I don't know quite how to describe him," Dylan replied.

"A decent man who takes good care of your sister?" Hans inquired.

"That's it. He's quiet, likes to fish and ride horses and filthy stinking rich. He got drafted. He didn't volunteer. They came along and said oh by the way you work at a hospital. You're an officer now and that was it. The only reason they didn't draft Redmond was because of his heart."

"What kind of work?" Hans asked.

"Anesthesia. Why all the questions?" Dylan asked.

"No reason. I wanted to know a bit more about your sister is all."

"She's a sister who likes to sew. She makes nice shirts," Dylan mumbled as he drifted off.

Hans rolled over and pulled the covers up over his ears. Tomorrow would be another day of trying to push his feelings out of his mind. _"Are you stupid?"_ he asked himself. _"She is married with a good husband. She is taken. Take your own advice and be happy for her and accept what is."_ He went to sleep wondering what kind of music Sybil preferred.

-0-

"Were you really a pilot?" Bobby asked Hans over breakfast the next morning. The sideboard was set up with a selection of foods so everyone could help themself.

"Yes, I was," he replied. "I am a much better musician than a pilot though."

"Can you teach me how to fly a real airplane?" Bobby asked not to be dissuaded.

"You do not get to go in an airplane just like that," Hans said. "First you must go to ground school."

"Can't you show me a little? Please," Bobby pleaded.

"Wouldn't you rather have a music lesson?" Hans asked hopefully.

"Sybil makes me practice piano all the time and I'm not any good at it," Bobby replied. "I really want to learn how to fly a plane."

"If your mother agrees," Hans said finally. "And if you promise me you will never fly a plane that drops bombs." He could feel Redmond watching him to see what he would say.

"Sybil is my guardian not my mother. She'll say yes," Bobby said excitedly.

"If she says yes, I will show you a little," Hans said.

"I'm going to ask her right now," Bobby said excitedly.

"No. The first thing about learning to be a pilot is to know pilots get lots of sleep and eat regular meals so you will be strong enough to spend many hours in the air," Hans said. "You eat, then you go ask."

"You don't approve of bombers?" Redmond asked him.

"Does anyone except those who get paid to build the bombs?" Hans said with an exhale and a shake of his head. He didn't look up from his plate. "No, man should be asked to do these things."

Bobby shoveled his food down and went to find Sybil.

"I would much rather give him a music lesson even if he does not play well," Hans grumbled.

"You're on the hook now," Tom said with a grin. "You'll most likely have Declan, Lorcan and Rory pestering you for another fencing lesson once they've gotten dressed and had breakfast."

"You can add Dalaigh to that list," Redmond said. "The next thing I know he'll be asking for fencing lessons when I get him home."

"Music is better," Hans said. "Why do not people understand I am musician? I am not a great pilot or a fencing master. I am a musician."

"Because you're a lot more interesting to an almost twelve year old than a farmer," Tom said laughing at the look of exasperation on Hans face.

"Or a doctor for that matter," Redmond said with a slight grin.

"If I am to teach flying I will have to build a cockpit," Hans said. He finished his meal. "If you will excuse me." He cleared his spot and headed into the kitchen to round up a collection of ladles and whatever else he could find the make a pretend cockpit.

"Unusual fellow, I wondered when you wrote you had taken him in, but he seems to fit in," Redmond said to his father.

"He's harmless enough and he grows on you," Tom said. "The only violent thing I've ever heard of him doing is tossing a plate of fried potatoes out the window at the clinic before he could speak English. Broke one of Mrs. Finnegan's best plates. She still hasn't forgiven him. Good arm. He managed to lob it out an open window from the bed."

"Why didn't he go back?" Redmond asked his father.

"His family is dead son, every last one of them. There's not an Aunt, Uncle or cousin left. He only got news of his sister's death a couple weeks ago. We're the only family he's got."

"You just keep collecting them, don't you Da?"

"A few at a time," Tom replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

-0-

Garret headed through the crowd at the parish hall trying to find Astrid. Rose had decided on an Irish country-dance the second night of the family visit. There were two many people to fit in the house and she had invited half the estate. Lollan, Connal and Bryan all worked in the local area and had come along to help entertain the crowd. With Bradley and Hans around Garret didn't have to play every number. Camilla had gotten up and sang a few songs and even Sybil had gotten in on the family act and played one or two songs she knew.

He'd been watching Astrid since she'd arrived. She was more polished than she had been when they were younger. Astrid smiled and danced with every member of his family. She had kept right on smiling like nothing was wrong when Declan stepped on her foot. He had noticed her dancing with Bradley more than once but it didn't look like anything was going on.

He'd always been a bit possessive of Astrid ever since they were children. He'd always thought of her as his. She was the girl that someday he would see again. Over the last few years in Dublin he'd gone out with a few girls, kissed a few and found out pretty quickly girls liked star musicians and would often let him do a little more than was proper. When he'd seen Astrid again he'd felt their old bond right away. She was from the world he'd been raised in when he was young. It just felt right to be around her. She was still a bit young for any kind of relationship, but at the same time there was nothing childish about the attraction he felt to her.

Astrid was accepting a drink from Hans. Dylan and Bobby were with her as well as Hans bevy of four local girls. Rosey O'Daley wasn't one of them. She had gotten married to a groom on one of the breeding farms and now had two children.

"Garret, Dylan and I were just telling Hans about the color coded sheet music system you came up with for me when I was younger," Astrid said. "I'm still using it."

"An intriguing idea," Hans commented. He smiled as he handed a glass of punch to one of the girls after Bobby had filled it.

"Bradley says it works because parts of the brain are more receptive to some colors than others," Astrid said.

"Color tames the beast," Dylan said with a wink.

"Astrid would you like to go for a walk while I have a break?" Garret asked.

"I would enjoy a breath of air, wouldn't you Bobby," Astrid said. Aisling popped out from behind Hans' legs. Garret hadn't even noticed her. Astrid took her hand.

"So much for going anywhere without an escort," Garret thought as they all stepped out of the side entrance into the cool of a summer breeze.

Chapter 58 – Two Brothers

The fourth day of the visit Redmond had gone into the city with Dr. Reigler. He had been at Rose's Irish country dance and the two men had started discussing the treatment of burns and the work Redmond was now involved in. The doctor had asked Redmond if he would be available to talk to some of the local physicians about the ongoing research and a paper that Redmond had co-authored. The Queen Victoria Hospital had already gained quite a reputation as a foremost authority on severe burns and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Reigler didn't want to miss the opportunity to have a learning opportunity from one of the doctors working there. He'd quickly put together an informal talk at the hospital in the city and the two men had headed off for the afternoon.

A large group had just returned from swimming and Astrid was sitting in the garden near the pheasant pens waiting until the washrooms in the house were a little less frantic. With such a large group there was constantly a line up. It seemed like she was always surrounded by people and she and Bradley hadn't been able to get a moment alone together. They had danced together at the parties and whispered endearments back and forth. He'd sought her out once and stolen a quick kiss before the little girls looking for her to play a game with them had interrupted them. Today she had her hair tied up with a ribbon and was enjoying the feel of the sun on her back. She didn't turn when she heard Bradley come up behind her.

"I was hoping you would come outside and join me," she said. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. He placed a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back for a moment. The opened her eyes with a start and pushed him away.

"Garret!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bradley said from some distance away.

"Bradley, it's not what you think," Astrid said in alarm.

"What the hell is it then, when I catch you kissing my brother?" Bradley said angrily.

"I had my eyes closed, I thought it was you," Astrid said worriedly.

"What have you got to say for yourself," Bradley directed to his brother. He strode across the garden and took Astrid by the hand possessively.

"What do you mean have to say for myself? I'm making a play for a girl I like if it's any of your damn business," Garret said as a challenge to his brother.

"Astrid is my girl friend and she always has been," Bradley said angrily.

"No, she's always been my girl not yours," Garret shot back getting angry as well.

"Stop it both of you," Astrid said. She was almost in tears. "I wasn't anyone's girl friend when I was little. I'm still your friend Garret, but I'm closer to Bradley now. I don't want you fighting about this."

"He knew I liked you and always have," Garret said bitterly. "You knew and went right ahead and did as you pleased in spite of it."

"You haven't seen Astrid in years. I liked her as well. You're so damn spoiled you always want everything your own way," Bradley retorted.

Astrid wasn't sure which brother took the first swing at the other. Before she knew it the two of them were in the dirt rolling around punching each other.

"Stop it!" she screamed. She ran into the house.

"Sybil!" she called. "They're going to kill each other!"

Tom, Hans and Dylan were out the door in a second with a flock of little boys following them. Rose and Sybil ran outside as well.

Hans and Dylan pulled the two scrapping brothers apart.

"Let go of me," Garret exclaimed. "I'm going to make him eat dirt."

"You couldn't beat me if I had one arm tied behind my back," Bradley taunted him back.

"Stop this nonsense at once, the pair of you," Tom said stepping between them. "You're not too big for me to put the pair of you over my knee and paddle your backsides."

"We're both as tall as you are, Da," Bradley said getting a crooked grin on his face at the thought of his father attempting to paddle him.

"What's gotten into the pair of you?" Rose questioned. "You've never fought a day in your lives before."

"It's me, Mrs. Branson," Astrid said. "They were fighting because Bradley and I have decided to see each other."

"Stupid head," Hans murmured then slapped Garret on the back of the head.

"That about says it," Tom said sternly. "You're brothers. Brothers don't fight over women. Astrid has made her choice Garret and that's the end of it. Bradley, you knew your brother was interested in her. You should have talked to him man to man and let him know you were a couple instead of acting like a pair of naughty boys on a school ground.

"Sorry Da," Garret said shamefacedly.

"Sorry, Da," Bradley said looking at the ground.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Astrid hasn't been giving your brother the come on. She's been nothing but polite to the pair of you," Tom said. He was still angry.

"I'm sorry Astrid," Garret said. "It won't happen again." He turned around and walked away towards the stables with his shoulders slumped and his hands pushed in his pockets.

"I'm sorry Astrid. I saw red, when I came around the corner and saw you together," Bradley said. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"No, you shouldn't have," Astrid said with a sniff. She took Sybil's arm in hers. "I'll speak to you when you're presentable." She turned around and headed in the house with her sister-in-law.

"Give your brother some time to cool off and then you have a talk with him," Tom said to Bradley sternly.

Everyone drifted off back to what they were doing. Bradley went to get a towel and go back to the swimming hole and get some of the dirt off while he got himself settled.

Hans was almost to the tent where he was staying to get changed when he saw Garret tear off on one of the horses.

"You think you are the only one to love someone who belongs to another," he muttered under his breath. "All this time I waited and she is already married."

Bobby came out to ask Hans if he could have another flying lesson. They had a pretend cockpit drawn on three slates and an assortment of cans, boxes and kitchen utensils for the controls. Hans smiled as he guided the young boy back to the classroom. The best thing about children was they didn't seem to care what nationality he was.

-0-

That night at dinner Bradley and Garret did nothing but glare at each other from opposite ends of the table. They were having a formal family dinner and with the added guests there were twenty people at the table. Astrid had decided to eat with the children in the day nursery rather than associate with the two of them. She was still upset by being the cause of the dispute and hadn't forgiven either of them yet. By the time every one had moved through to the drawing room Tom had enough of his two sons.

"I'm settling this with the two of them. Don't wait up," he said quietly to Rose.

"Tom nothing drastic," Rose cautioned him.

"Brothers don't always agree but they need to work this out. I'll take them for a drink or two and I won't let them get into it again," he replied.

"It's a good thing neither of them are any good at fighting," Rose said. She turned to one of their guests to organize a bridge game.

"Come with me," Tom said placing a hand on Bradley's shoulder.

"Not another lecture, Da," Bradley said with a slight groan.

"You hold your tongue," Tom said. He went to collect Garret as well.

"I'm going to play the music for tonight, I'm not talking to him," Garret said nodding towards his brother who was waiting by the door.

"Hans can deal with the music without your help. Get moving or I'll have you by the collar," Tom said sternly.

They headed into the tack room at the stable. Tom closed the door then opened a box in the back corner and produced a bottle of whiskey. He set out some glasses and poured three drinks.

"I would have taken you up to one of the pubs on the main road, but the three of us would get our arses handed to us on a platter if we showed up dressed like this," Tom said.

He handed each of his son's a drink. Then took a seat.

"I remember the summer before you two left for university. Bradley told me you two were going over to the next estate to play music at Lollan's aunt's wake. Do you remember that?"

"It was a good wake," Garret said. He took a seat then took a sip of his drink. He made a face and caught his breath. "Couldn't you find something that wasn't right out of the still Da?"

"Beggars can't be choosers these days," Tom replied. "I'm surprised you didn't get your lights punched out in the pub you were really at. That crowd isn't known to take too well to the English."

"Look Da, I only said we were at a wake so you wouldn't go over there and embarrass us by pulling us out," Bradley said. He didn't know how comfortable he was with his father knowing he had been lying about their whereabouts.

"You protected your brother and you both made it home safe. I can't fault you for that," Tom said. "I'll leave this bottle with you. Don't make yourselves sick." He got up and walked out.

"You should have told me," Garret said as soon as their father had left the tack room.

"I should have and I'm sorry now I didn't," Bradley replied. "Look Garret, it's more than a childhood thing for me now. I didn't think you'd still be interested after all these years. You've said in your letters you've been going out quite a bit in Dublin."

"I have been going out. I should have asked you right out. I suspected you and Astrid were interested in each other," Garret said. He tossed back his drink and poured another. He offered the bottle to Bradley who shook his head.

"My jaw hurts enough from where you punched me," Bradley said.

"We're being stupid aren't we," Garret said.

"You stupid head. What are you thinking?" Bradley replied imitating Hans' accent. He reached for the bottle and poured another drink.

"Nein, Nein, Nein. It is not an axe you are grinding on that violin. Play properly or I will not teach you," Garret said imitating Hans as well his smile slowly faded. "Astrid is a nice girl. I'm going to try my best to be happy for you."

"I'll treat her well. I really do care for her. You'll have your own place and freedom to do whatever you like," Bradley said. "I'm going to live with Sybil. I'll be hen pecked to death before I finish school."

"You'll have your girl friend at your beck and call," Garret pointed out.

"Correction, I have a girl friend who is still at a private girl's school. When she's not we share a house with our sister, niece, our sister's ward and very soon our brother-in-law as well. They might as well have bought her a chastity belt for all the action I'll be seeing in the next while.

"You've always been my best friend," Garret said. "What the hell happened?"

"We've grown up and we live in separate countries," Bradley replied. "I'm still your best friend, unless you've found a new one."

"Have you?" Garret asked him.

"No."

"Then what are we fighting about?"

"I don't know," Bradley answered him slurring slightly.

"Let's go back and upstage Hans. It will drive him crazy," Garret said knocking back the rest of his drink then getting up to put their father's bottle of whiskey back in it's hiding place.

"Exactly how do you plan to accomplish that?" Bradley asked.

"I've got the sheet music to the latest Bing Crosby hit, I'll Be Seeing You. Everyone will love it and he'll have a fit because it is _American popular garbage, written to make your brain turn rotten," _Garret said with a grin.

"I've never played it before," Bradley said blinking his eyes to focus them.

"You sing, I'll play the piano. Bing Crosby eat your heart out."

"We've got to find a good stunt to pull on Rory. That kid is so bossy he's driving me crazy," Bradley commented as they walked unsteadily towards the house.

"We have got to get together more often now the war is done," Garret said.

"Definitely," Bradley replied.

-0-

Sybil was watching Hans on the trip to Dublin. Garret, Dylan and Hans were all heading back to the city, and Redmond was going home with his two children. Sybil was going into the city to stay with her brothers for a few nights and help them set up their new house after much pleading from Dylan. Rose and Tom had decided to come along for the day and see their sons' new home. Hope was so preoccupied with the Ysuelt and Aisling she had barely noticed her mother for the last week. The girls were constantly playing one game or another and were happy in a world of their own. Bradley had decided to stay at Eagle Cairn and work until his term started in a few weeks. He was busy today helping Sean take down two of the tents and return all of the borrowed housewares. Astrid wasn't feeling comfortable with Garret at the moment and had stayed back at the house as well. Rose and Tom had barely left the younger children over the winter and had thought a day out with Bradley home would be a good opportunity for them to get to know their older brother. With four adults home, the group of children had more than enough supervision for the day.

They had managed to put together a few cases of bits and pieces for the kitchen and enough linen and towels from the mountain Rose had stored for three bedrooms and the bath. The rest was all a big question mark.

"Am I looking something out of place?" Hans inquired when he noticed Sybil watching him.

"I was thinking perhaps we could come to a business arrangement," Sybil replied thoughtfully.

"Such as?"

"You require a high end wardrobe that will allow you to move in the exclusive circles. I need a model and someone with some celebrity to get my designs into the public."

"I am not a celebrity," Hans replied.

"We all know it will only be a short time and you will be well known at least in Dublin," Sybil said. "You're used to being on stage and the center of attention. You're well groomed and have that reckless, polished look that draws the women's attention young and old."

Hans' eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn't thought Sybil had noticed him in the least as she had never said more than a few polite comments to him usually about the younger children in the family.

"It's obvious from the line up of girls you had waiting to dance with you at every party Mummy has thrown so far women can't take their eyes off you," Sybil continued. "Women buy for their husbands what they see and like. I'm going to start my own label soon. All exclusive one offs that appeal to the wealthy."

"I would prefer to reimburse you for your time," Hans said.

"My work is very exclusive," Sybil replied. "Really you would be doing me a favor. I had a dreadful time getting models when I was a student. I used medical students for my men's wear. The poor things almost passed out from fright on stage."

"Please, how exclusive?"

Sybil told him how much her student pieces had sold for. His eyes almost popped out of his head.

"That is in British not Irish pounds so the price would have been even higher. My more recent work was sold in boutiques for the same amount or higher and it was reproduced multiple times."

"I could not accept," Hans said.

"Two outfits for this autumn then a spring and autumn look next year," Sybil said. "You hand out my business cards if anyone inquires who did your styling, discreetly of course. You pose for pictures twice a year and perhaps make a personal appearance. If it doesn't work out then there is no harm done and I've had a model and spokesperson for the next year and a half and you've got some nice clothes to wear."

"I will agree as long as your husband does not protest," Hans replied.

"My husband is very supportive of my career. The reality of men's fashion is that I do have to work with male models. I'll get your measurements before I head back to London," Sybil said with a smile now that she had talked him around. "We can forgo the contract since you will be living with my brothers. I think I know where to find you."

"Please no stripes or these squares that are popular here. I do not like them very much."

"Squares?" Sybil asked. "Oh you mean plaid. If I use plaid it will be something sophisticated."

"Thank you," Hans replied in relief.

-0-

"I bet you didn't have to carry sheets to the laundry when you were little," Rory said to Bradley. Bradley had Rory and Lorcan helping him and Sean take down two of the tents. Declan was helping Bobby weed the garden. The little boys had wanted to keep "camping" in their tent until the company went and there still weren't enough beds in the house for everyone.

"Oh yes, I did," Bradley said. "Mummy had us making beds and helping with laundry and meals exactly the same way you are."

"Oh," Rory replied.

"Did you like having chores to do?" Lorcan asked him.

"Not always. But if you don't do them, they don't get done," Bradley said. "I still have chores living with Sybil."

Bradley headed into the house carrying a stack of blankets. The boys were following behind each with a stack of sheets for the laundry.

"Do you have a favorite place to go here?" Lorcan asked.

"I have a few," Bradley replied. "What's yours?"

"The swimming place," Lorcan said.

"I'll take you a better place tonight once we have all the chores done here at the house," Bradley said as they headed outside. Niall was with them on this trip out. The girls had tried to dress him up and he'd run away to see what the boys were doing.

"Where?" Lorcan asked.

"You'll have to wait and find out," Bradley said with a grin. He handed them each another stack of blankets, gave a smaller pile to Niall then carried in the last of them himself. "Chores and work first."

Chapter 59 – Shopping in Dublin

"Is there anything more ridiculous than a group of bachelors trying to decorate a house?" Rose asked Tom on the journey back to Eagle Cairn.

"The look on their faces when they realized they didn't have any beds or food in the house and had spent all afternoon arguing over where to put a piano they haven't purchased yet," Tom replied with a chuckle. "It was priceless when Sybil opened the box of food she'd packed for her stay with them."

"At least the place is freshly painted," Rose said. "Garret and Hans both have a week before they start work. If they put their minds and backs into it they can get the place set up with Sybil's help. I don't know how they think they're going to manage turning the dining room into a music room and most of the sitting room."

"They'll eat in the kitchen," Tom said. "Let's hope the three of them don't keep house like my brother did when he was a bachelor."

"Time will tell," Rose replied.

-0-

Garret was sitting on one of the boxes they had brought from Eagle Cairn looking through the classifieds in the morning paper while Hans washed the dishes from breakfast. Sybil had a pen and notebook out and was making out a list for the grocers of things they would need for the kitchen.

"Here's one," Garret said. "Furniture and housewares. Moving overseas. Everything must go."

"We need a piano," Hans said.

"I think you need beds more than a piano," Sybil commented. "I don't fancy another night on a pile of blankets on the floor. Why don't you circle the three most promising ones Garret? You can telephone while I select wall paper."

"Is this necessary?" Hans questioned.

"If you don't want your students and guests to think you're penniless musicians, I would say it is," Sybil replied.

"There are four that sound good," Garret said.

"Well pick out the wall paper and then see what we can find for second hand shops," Sybil said.

The three of them left for the shops down the way once the dishes were done. Dylan had left for work as soon as he'd finished breakfast. The first thing Sybil picked out when they reached the first of the shops was some cleaning supplies and a few things for the icebox. She noticed immediately there wasn't a good selection in the stores in Dublin much like London. Ships were starting to come through but staples were still in short supply.

"We've enough for today. Maybe we could get some fish from the docks for the dinner tomorrow," she commented. They went to the next shop to pick out wallpaper. Garret went to use the public telephone, as it would take a week or so to get the telephone at the house.

"Perhaps we could select a different paper for my bedroom," Hans said with his cheeks flushing slightly. "The large pink flowers make me feel sick."

"You're landlady did such a nice job of making sure everything was freshly painted and papered," Sybil said with a smile.

"For an old woman," Hans said with a slight shudder.

Sybil laughed and started looking through the wallpaper books. There was something about Hans Meyer she couldn't put her finger on. It wasn't that he was incredibly good looking. She was happily married and wasn't interested in other men. As she was getting to know Hans she was finding him easy to spend time with as though she'd known him all her life and somehow understood what he meant or needed without him having to voice it.

"I think we'll change the paper in the siting room to something less flowery as well," Sybil said. She indicated a paper in the book that was a soft greenish blue with a double stripe. "This is much more masculine. Did you have a preference in color for your room?"

"You decide," he replied.

"This?" Sybil pointed to a paper in red with a pattern in dark blue and gold on it. It screamed a man lives here.

"Yes, this is much better," Hans replied.

They met Garret back on the street with the pile of groceries, wallpaper and papering equipment. He had two places lined up for them to take a look at furniture. They went to drop off their shopping. Hans decided to stay at the house and start stripping the flowered wallpaper while Sybil and Garret went shopping.

Two hours later a lorry pulled up at the door. Garret was with them. He came through the door carrying an elaborate fireplace screen. Two men wearing jumpers were behind him carrying a leather armchair. Hans watched in stunned silence as the men carried in two leather chairs, a sofa, lamps, rugs, an assortment of side tables, armoires, a small kitchen table and four chairs, a desk and two double beds with dark wood frames.

"How much did you spend," Hans said once the men had been paid and left. "Where is your sister?"

"She's still shopping," Garret replied with a shrug. "She's rather a tight wad despite being loaded. We're not even through half the funds we all put in yet and she's still going. We're supposed to meet her for lunch."

They arrived at the teashop to find Sybil already there. She had a small local newspaper and was going over the ads.

"There you are," she said as the men joined her. "I have another bed being delivered at five. Look at this ad here." She pointed to a column where musical instruments were being advertised.

"It might be promising," Garret said.

"What is this Closing Out?" Hans asked.

"It means they are closing the business," Sybil said. "We might be able to find something of use and talk the owners down if you see something you want."

"I'll probably want it all," Garret said with a grin.

Dylan arrived home that evening to spot Sybil and the two other men coming down the street with their hands full. Garret was carrying two antique wooden music stands while Hans had a large box in his arms. Sybil was carrying an assortment of picture frames.

"Busy day?" Dylan asked.

"And then some," Garret replied. They all went in to be greeted by the pile of furniture sitting in the middle of the sitting room.

"Dinner once the three of you have moved the table and chairs into the kitchen and scrubbed it down," Sybil said. "Then we'll start sorting some of this out."

"I thought Hans was a shark until I went shopping with Sybil," Garret told Dylan while they were scrubbing the table before dinner. "She went trotting up to the attic storage and pried the last load of stuff out of a shop owner who was going out of business for free. She had him thinking she was doing him a favor by taking a piano off his hands for next to nothing."

"She probably was. He didn't have to pay to cart it away," Dylan said.

"That's just it. She got the poor bloke to throw in the delivery as well."

"What's in the latest box?" Dylan asked.

"Sheet music, stacks of it. She cleared out his store room, didn't pay a cent and Hans was happy as a clam not saying a word."

"I told you Sybil would get the place set up in two minutes," Dylan said. "I'm glad I talked her into it."

At eleven o'clock that evening Garret looked at his brother.

"Are you still glad you talked Sybil into helping us?" Garret asked. They had finished setting up the furniture in two of the bedrooms, arranged the sitting room and put the majority of furniture in place. Hans' bed was sitting in the middle of the dining room waiting until his room was repapered. The three men were scrubbing the last of the old wallpaper paste off the walls.

"Ask me again in a few days," Dylan said tiredly.

-0-

Russell Beldon flopped on his bunk in exhaustion after yet another long day with no hot water for a shower at the end of it. He was currently stationed near the border between Holland and Germany He was worn out from long hours and the years of war. The military casualties had mostly all been sent on for treatment in England. Now they were treating civilians. There were people suffering from starvation in droves. There were some cases that were so severe they had to be fed through a tube. Their veins were collapsed and trying to get an intravenous needle inserted was next to impossible.

All he wanted at the moment was to go home. He'd barely seen his wife in the last five years. His daughter was growing up and he was missing all of it. The news of his adopted mother being killed had hit him hard. He should have been there to provide guidance to the boys, but he was stuck here doing the same thing over and over. It was mind numbingly repetitive and at the same time he had a sense of being part of something bigger than himself where there was always something happening.

He got up again after lying on his bunk less than ten minutes. He'd been restless this last while. He was waiting for his release to come through and it felt like he was playing a game of hurry up and wait. It had all added up to a bad case of insomnia. Russell got dressed and decided to head to the Officer's Club to see what was going on.

He stepped into the dimly lit room to the sound of different accents and the jukebox playing the same tune it had for the last two months. The place was half full and the female nurses each had at least four men buzzing around them trying to buy them drinks.

"A pint," Russell ordered when he got to the bar, then remembered the American's were running the Officer's Club when the man gave him a look. "A beer," he corrected.

"Ruuuuussssseellll," he heard in a loud-pitched scream of excitement coming across the room towards him. He looked up to see Beth from his training days coming straight for him. He hadn't seen her in years. He stood up and hugged her when she threw her arms around his neck.

"Beth, longtime no see. When did you get here?" he asked.

"Just arrived," she said. "We're heading into Germany as part of the mopping up. We'll be off tomorrow. I don't want to talk about that. Tell me all your news."

"I'll buy you a drink first," he said.

"Sherry," she ordered. "Come and sit with the girls."

"You still won't be able to make me into one of the girls," he said with a smile.

"We'll let you in our club," she said.

"What club is that?"

"Nurses who don't date doctors," she laughed and led him across the room.

"An old school chum," Beth said as she introduced him to everyone as he took a seat.

"Do you hear from any of the old crowd?" he asked.

"Funny I was about to ask you the same thing. All of our classmates I've kept in touch with are all over here somewhere or other," Beth said. "Unless they were sensible and got married before the war started."

"Didn't do me any good," Russell said. "I still got drafted. We think Nigel is a POW under the Japanese occupation. Peter lost a leg. He was with one of the early field hospitals in Italy."

"Have you heard anything of Derek?" Beth asked him.

"He was killed some time ago in North Africa."

"No," Beth said. Her mood turned suddenly sad. "The poor devil. What about you? Are you still married to the dark haired girl of mystery?"

"Nothing very mysterious about my wife," Russell replied. "We have a daughter and a ward now, an evacuee boy whose family died. Sybil has gone to Ireland for a few weeks to visit her family before I get back."

"What about her brother? He was always such a quiet one," Beth asked.

"Widower with two children these days," Russell said. "He decided to become a reconstructive surgeon."

"You're making me feel old when I want to feel gay," Beth said. "Time for a twirl around the floor?"

Russell nodded and got up with a smile on his face. He'd always liked Beth when she was on her own away from the other girls and their endless gossip. He couldn't help noticing how nice it felt to hold a woman in his arms while they danced. His life in England seemed so far away at the moment almost like another lifetime. Beth smiled when they bumped into another couple and caught his arm with her hand. Russell looked at her. He noticed the flecks of color in her eyes and how her eyebrows arched always giving her a look of wonder like she'd just gotten a surprise. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. She pulled back slowly when Russell didn't move.

"We could get out of here and find somewhere private," she whispered.

For a moment temptation flared in his mind, his body was screaming yes but his mind was telling him no.

"I…I've got a few things to attend to," Russell said. The smile was gone from his face. He released her quickly. "If you'll excuse me."

"Don't be a stranger," she said before he made a quick exit out of the room.

Russell got back to his quarters. He stood looking at his locker then knocked his head against the doors a few times.

"_You're a married man with a wife who loves you waiting for you,"_ he told himself. He got himself together then grabbed his hat from where he'd tossed it on the small desk in his quarters.

Russell entered the administrative offices of the field hospital located in a large tent in the center of the compound. He waited in line nervously.

"Can I help you Captain?" the master sergeant at the desk asked him.

"I was wondering if there was any word on my release," Russell inquired.

The master sergeant went to pull Russell's file from the cabinets.

"Says here Anesthesia Specialist," the master sergeant said.

"That's right," Russell replied.

The man went and checked another batch of papers.

"Wait right here," he said. The master sergeant disappeared into another area of the tent. A corporal came and dealt with the next person waiting in line. Russell was fidgeting nervously thinking the master sergeant had forgotten him twenty minutes later. Finally the man reappeared with a stack of papers, went to his desk and stamped them, then came back to Russell.

"You are in luck," the master sergeant said. The major was in and signed your orders. There's a medical transport leaving in an hour, Sir. I suggest you best get yourself packed and get on it."

"Where are you sending me?" Russell asked with a feeling of dread.

"Home. Surgical team reduction, the orders came through a few hours ago. You'll be done once you make it back to England. Here's a chit for the pay office and another for the billeting officer. You best get a move on and make sure you stop at supply and get signed off there."

"Thank you, for this," Russell said.

"It's my job, Sir," the master sergeant said.

Russell dashed back to his quarters. He stuffed his things into his duffel bag as fast as he could. He wanted to run between the billeting office, supply to return his equipment and a stop at the pay office but kept his cool and plotted the quickest distance between locations. He just made it to the transport as they were about to pull out. He was climbed in the back of a lorry and had to stand and hold onto the rails at the top for the first part of the journey, but he didn't care. He was going home and it was over.

-0-

"How did the house decorating go?" Rose asked Sybil when she returned from the city. Sybil had taken the train and a cab from the station rather than bother her father for a ride.

"The place is almost in order. They finished papering the two rooms yesterday. They still need the odd thing like bedside rugs and one set of draperies and maybe a few chairs for the yard and the music room but I think they can managed that much themselves," Sybil replied. "Where are Hope and Bobby?"

"The girls and Niall have just gone down for a nap," Rose replied. "They've all worn themselves out playing. Bradley introduced the boys to his favorite fishing spot. Astrid's taken them there for a picnic. When the boys aren't playing knights, they're busy attempting to catch fish and floating leaf boats on the stream."

"Digging for worms in the manure pile as well I'd wager," Sybil said with a curl of her nose. "Bradley would show them that."

"They're little boys. They can figure that out without a lot of encouragement," Rose said. "I hope your brothers and Hans didn't give you a hard time while you were in Dublin. Hans can be a bit of a handful at times."

"Not at all. Dylan was happy to have my help. I used his drawings and paintings for the artwork on the walls. I had to nag Garret a bit once the piano was delivered. Hans seems happy to have his own place. He wouldn't let me lift a finger as far as moving furniture or hanging pictures. As soon as the music room was furnished he was so occupied organizing sheet music into the bookcase, I barely heard a peep out of him. He had students coming today so I headed for the station."

"You didn't find Hans haughty and difficult?" Rose asked in surprise.

"No, why would I? He certainly is good with the children," Sybil replied. "Where has Daddy got off to today? I might ride out and catch up with him since Hope is fast asleep and probably won't be awake for the next three hours."

"Southwest pastures, I believe he said," Rose replied. "I might as well get changed and come along. Bradley won't be in from the fields for hours yet."

Chapter 60 – The Homecoming

Russell Beldon walked up the street of what he thought must be the one Evans House was on in London. The street signs had been taken down during the war and he was slightly disoriented. The neighborhood looked different than when he was here last. There were metal sheets from bomb shelters sitting on the curb waiting to be collected and there were a number of places where there was rubble where houses had been. He finally found the right door, climbed the steps and rang the bell. He waited long enough he thought no one was home before the door finally opened. The butler was standing there in casual clothes and covered with dust and dirt.

"Sir," he said when he recognized Russell. "We weren't expecting you."

"I wanted my return to be a surprise," Russell said entering the door. "Is Mrs. Beldon home?"

"Mrs. Beldon has extended her stay in Ireland, Sir, while the remodeling was going on."

Russell looked around in surprise. All the furniture was pushed into the center of the rooms and covered with dust cloths. There was a ladder in the sitting room. The house looked unlived in.

"No matter," Russell said. "Is there a room in good enough shape to sleep in?"

"Actually, Sir, there isn't. I'll see to putting one of the rooms in order."

"If you would be so kind," Russell said. He went upstairs to the room he normally shared with Sybil and uncovered the armoire. There were a few of Sybil's dresses hanging there but there wasn't a trace of his civilian clothing anywhere. He went back out on the landing.

"Do I have any clothing here?" Russell asked the housekeeper. She was heading up to the room with an armful of linens followed by the butler. She was dressed casually like the butler.

"I don't believe so, Sir," the housekeeper replied. "Most of the family's personal possessions were destroyed in the blast at Horsham."

"Damn," Russell swore under his breath.

"We're just in the process of removing the shelter from the back garden, Sir. I'm sorry for all the mess," the housekeeper said.

"Think nothing of it," Russell said. He was feeling somewhat disappointed with his lack luster homecoming. "Things need to be put in order."

"Mrs. Beldon was planning to have everything done before you arrived home, Sir," the housekeeper said.

"I'm sure she was. I'll be back later. Don't bother with meals. I'll eat out," Russell said.

"Yes, Sir, will there be anything else?" the housekeeper asked him.

"Nothing," Russell replied. He went downstairs and out the front door. _"I'll turn myself back into a civilian at least a little," _he said to himself. He was pretty sure Sybil would want to pick out every last detail of his wardrobe the way she always did, but he needed at least two shirts, a jacket and pants for the next few days. If he never saw olive drab again it would be too soon. He couldn't wait to get rid of the uniform. He thought about taking the train down to Horsham once he had something different to wear to see what was left of their cottage and a trip north to say hello to his father.

"Happy bloody homecoming," he said aloud as he headed to the shops.

-0-

"Did you both have fun visiting Grandmamma and Granddad?" Sybil asked the children. Sybil, Astrid and the two children were on their way to Dublin. Sybil was going to drop off some handmade rugs she had picked up at one of the country markets in Galway and get Hans measurements before they headed back to England.

"I'd like to visit again if we may," Bobby replied.

"Granny likes Aisling and Ysuelt," Hope said.

"Granny is gone to heaven, Hope," Sybil reminded her. Hope had a tendency to talk about Russell's parents as if they were still alive. She'd been doing it a lot more recently.

"She said they were nice," Hope replied not giving up. "Grandpa said he liked to play knights and dragons too."

"You mean Granddad," Sybil corrected.

"You don't understand, Mummy," Hope said. She went back to looking out the window.

Garret opened the door when they knocked. Hope was already starting to tire from the trip. Garret flushed slightly at the sight of Astrid standing on the step with the others then stepped back so they could enter.

"Where are all your things?" Garret asked. The sound of a music lesson could be heard coming through the closed doors of the dining room.

"We checked everything through to the ferry," Sybil replied. "I've brought you some handmade rugs to make things cozier."

"You're spoiling us as usual," Garret said taking the bundle from Bobby. "I can't say I was looking forward to cold floors first thing in the morning this winter. Can I get you a cup of tea or anything?"

"I'll just take Hope up to the washroom," Sybil said. "She needs a bit of a rest."

"Do you want to have a nap in Uncle Garret's room or Uncle Dylan's?" Garret asked her.

"I want to sleep where it isn't messy," Hope said earnestly.

"Uncle Dylan's room it is then," Garret said with a chuckle. "We'll put one of these rugs your mother has brought in there first. Make yourselves at home. I'll be right back." He said to Astrid and Bobby.

Astrid walked into the sitting room. She could see Sybil's hand in the decorations right away. The room had a grouping of chairs and sofa near the fireplace with a baby grand piano at the other end of the room. The colors and furnishings were masculine but with a woman's touch in the small details of paintings hanging on the walls and framed family pictures sitting on the mantle. Sybil had arranged the room so there was a small amount of floor space left. There wasn't a lot as it wasn't that big a house but there was more than adequate for extra chairs for a music group or piano lessons.

Garret came back down quickly carrying one of the rugs Sybil had brought.

"How was the train?" he asked Astrid.

"Early and dusty," she replied. "This seems like a very nice house, Garret."

"It's not huge like we were all raised with but it does the trick for what we need," Garret replied. "The kitchen and yard are through this way." Garret spread the last rug in front of the kitchen sink, and then showed them out to the yard.

"This is the one place we managed to come up with a table and chairs on our own," he said. There was a small round table with an assortment of mismatched chairs sitting around it.

"You don't have any vegetables," Bobby said right away.

"It's too late to plant vegetables. Maybe next spring," Garret replied.

"You could plant potatoes," Bobby pointed out.

"There's no point. Hans hates them," Garret said.

"Where did you get this assortment?" Sybil asked as she came out to join them.

"Roadside discards, where else," Garret replied with his dimples showing. "We're determined not to spend anymore on furniture. It's only a garden."

"It looks rather charming," Astrid said.

"The chairs double up when I need extra for piano lessons," Garret commented. "We put the two nicest ones we found in the music room. I'll get some tea if you'd like to sit out here. Hans will be another ten minutes."

"We might as well sit outside. It's a nice day," Sybil replied. Bobby was already busy poking around the flowers that were left from the previous tenants and pulling weeds.

Hans came out carrying a tray with cups and a teapot, he greeted Astrid formally as well as Sybil. Bobby came running over to him right away to be spun around. Hans set him down and took a seat. Garret came out of the house with a plate of deviled eggs and toast triangles.

"Sorry nothing too elaborate on our budget," Garret said.

"When do you start your summer job?" Astrid asked him.

"Tomorrow," Garret replied.

"I have already started at my new post. Rehearsal today is in the evening," Hans commented.

"I need to take your measurements," Sybil said.

"You do not have to do this for me," Hans said. "You have done too much already. I assume the rug in the kitchen is from you?"

"There's one in each bedroom as well," Garret said.

"You have to remember you're helping me as well," Sybil said. "You might regret it all when I have you sitting in front of a photographer all day or talk you into a personal appearance."

A short while later Hans closed his eyes while Sybil measured him this way and that. He hoped he hadn't let on how her presence affected him over the last two weeks. Treating her in anyway but with a polite distance wasn't appropriate. She was one of the very few women close to his own age he had ever met who was completely faithful to her husband in everyway. If she did have any thoughts of a romantic nature towards him or anyone else, she never let on from what he had observed.

As Sybil measured and recorded the numbers she couldn't help but think it wouldn't be long before Hans had a girlfriend or got married. She was surprised he wasn't already taken after all the time he had been in Ireland.

"Would you mind taking off your shirt," she said. "The extra bulk of the fabric throws the fit off."

He obligingly undid his shirt and tossed it on one of the kitchen chairs. It was the middle of summer and he wasn't wearing an undershirt. Sybil couldn't help but notice that he was in good shape and the muscles in his chest and arms were well defined. The hair on his chest and arms was fine and added to his overall rugged appeal. There wasn't a single hair on his back, which made him an excellent choice for a live model. She'd seen him without a shirt at the family swim parties but up close he was definitely even better looking.

"Only a few more minutes," she said as she measured his chest, waist, across his back, then measured the length of his arm when it was slightly bent. He was enjoying the slight brush of her hands across his skin. He was thinking if she were his he would have had her halfway to the bedroom by now.

"Now I need to measure your bicep so I don't accidentally make the sleeves too narrow," she said. She measured his bicep and wrist and added the measurements to the list.

"Shoe size," she asked.

"You will not buy shoes for me." Hans snapped out of his daydreaming. He tossed his head back with stubborn determination.

"A look is head to toe," Sybil said ignoring his resistance. "I'll bring the clothes and set up a photo shoot so you'll know exactly what goes with what when I have everything ready. Now what is it?"

Hans took the pencil and wrote down his shoe size.

"Anymore questions?" he asked while he put his shirt back on.

"That should do for now," Sybil replied. "I'll let you know when I'm prepared and we can set up a time for your photos."

"I do not have any say?" he asked with a slight smile.

"I'm the designer. You'll have to be happy with what I come up with," Sybil replied.

-0-

Everyone was exhausted by the time they got a cab from the station to Evans House. Hope had started fussing before they got off the ferry. Sybil had planned to stop in Downton for a visit with the aunts and find out how the work on the Abbey was going so she could tell George all about it on her next visit to him in hospital, but she'd changed her mind and decided to come straight home. Hope had a wonderful time in Ireland and had all sorts of long naps but she was still over tired. She'd slept at Garret's, most of the ferry crossing and then on the train as well but the moment she woke up she was cranky. Sybil thought the best place for her was home in her own bed. The station in London had been busy and the crush of strangers had made Hope even more tired.

"I ever so hope the painting and repairs are finished," Astrid said with a tired sigh when she stepped out of the cab.

"There's been more than enough time," Sybil said. She got out of the cab behind Bobby then turned back to lift Hope into her arms.

Astrid went ahead of them to ring the bell. They hadn't called the house to say they were coming, as they hadn't been sure how long they were going to stay in Dublin and which ferry they would catch. One of the peculiarities of new tenancy was Garret and Dylan's telephone hadn't been installed yet.

The butler quickly came out to see to the luggage and pay the driver as soon as he opened the door. Nanny Marjory appeared at the top of the stairs and came down as well to take over with her charges.

"A light snack, baths and into bed for both of them," Sybil instructed her. "See to Miss Hope first, please. She's worn herself out and don't worry about what time she gets up in the morning. If she sleeps late, let her."

"Yes, Mrs. Beldon," Nanny Marjory said taking Hope from her. "Was there anything else?"

"Call me if there are any problems, she's a bit fractious," Sybil replied. Sybil turned to the butler. "Are the painting and alterations completed?"

"Yes, Mam. The grass has been seeded in the garden and the house is in order."

"Grass! There is nothing more useless than grass," Sybil said. "Don't you dare put a drop of water on that seed. Who ever got the bright idea to put grass seed in my garden will have to answer to me." She was worn out herself and she had left explicit instructions not to plant grass. The first thing through the door and her back was already up.

"When did you develop an aversion to grass?" Russell asked. He came through from the garden. He'd been watering the seed he'd put down.

"Russell!" Sybil said in surprise. She dashed over and embraced him. "What are you doing here, oh I don't care. I'm just glad you're here."

"I thought you'd be happy about the grass," Russell said after he'd kissed Sybil thoroughly and hugged his sister. Bobby had already headed upstairs. Astrid went up as well after she greeted her brother.

"Everything is still rationed. We have to put the garden into vegetables next spring, all of it. We can't afford the luxury like grass at the moment and I've developed quite a strong dislike for it," Sybil replied hugging him again. "It doesn't matter, if it grows we'll pull it up again."

"How was Ireland?" Russell asked.

"Fun, long and tiring," Sybil replied. "I wasn't expecting you for another month at least."

"I came home early for a surprise," he said. "It was me who got the surprise."

"I'm sorry, darling," Sybil said. "We were going to have streamers up and have a party for you. Here we are all tired and dragging in the door instead of bright and cheerful."

"We'll go out and take the children with us," Russell said with a smile. He had his arms around Sybil. "We'll make a family party of it now that you're home."

"Not tonight," Sybil replied. "It was a long trip and Hope is cranky. She needs to sleep it off and we're all tired."

"A romantic dinner for two then?" Russell asked hopefully.

"That we can do," Sybil agreed.

The next afternoon Sybil had a kneeling pad on the ground in the back garden and was using a garden trowel to scrape the thick layer of grass seed off the ground and dump it into a bucket. Russell's homecoming wasn't what she thought it would be. She was very glad to have him home, but he had been home a week and managed to thoroughly countermand the orders she had left for how she wanted things done at the house. The grass seed was irritating Sybil no end and she wanted it gone. She didn't know why it was bothering her so much but it was.

The part of the downstairs she had wanted turned into her office and workroom hadn't been done when her husband had decided he didn't like the idea of dividing their living space and having a business in the house. He'd had the rooms put back to the way they were. About the only thing Russell had agreed to was to upgrade the wiring in the house and the new kitchen appliances. She had selected green for their bedroom walls and he had informed her he never wanted to see a green wall or wear green again as long as he lived. They now had a bedroom that was painted in what Sybil considered the most hideious shade of dark violet she'd ever seen in her life.

This morning Hope had taken one look at her father and not recognized him. She wasn't interested in hugging him and had run back to nanny the moment Russell tried to go anywhere near her.

"I told you she's fractious and worn out from the trip," Sybil said with a sigh when Russell told her what had happened. "It was such a large group and so many new faces it was too much for her most of the time."

"Didn't she have naps," Russell demanded.

"I keep our daughter up all the time deliberately to make her overtired," Sybil snapped. She was still tired herself.

"I'm sorry that was uncalled for," he said. "Who is this Count Fiddler Hope mentioned? She said I wasn't Count Fiddler and ran off."

"A friend of my parents and my younger brothers. He was at the family get together. He knows how to fence so he made up a game of knights and dragons for the children. Hope was one of the damsels trapped in the tower, also known as the bench in my parents' garden. They all took quite a shine to him."

"He's a Count?"

"No, he's a violinist."

Bobby had come down to do his practice on the piano while they were talking.

"Hans taught me to fly," he told Russell. "He's a pilot."

"A pilot named Hans. Don't tell me he's a German," Russell said.

"Daddy found him broken up in a field. He's a musician really. They sort of adopted him into the family," Sybil said. "He's nice enough."

"You allowed my children to associate with a German pilot?" Russell asked angrily.

"He was interned for years. He's a violinist. I told you that," Sybil said. "He's really quite a nice man."

"A bloody Gerry. You've been letting my daughter play with a Gerry and your parents invited him to a family celebration?"

"What of it?" Sybil said.

"The Germans killed my mother and father and the boy you were supposed to be looking after."

"Bobby, go upstairs," Sybil said. Bobby rushed off back up the stairs. He knew from the tone in Sybil's voice that she was angry.

"The bomb that killed Jimmy and your mother was English. It came off a crippled _English_ aircraft. What difference does it make if the bomb was English or German? They're dead. How dare you accuse me of not looking after Jimmy properly? How dare you! I take very good care of our daughter and Bobby and your sister and I did of Jimmy too. He had lots to eat, went to school, had friends and was happy. Where were you when I was taking care of him? And how dare you walk into this house and countermand all the decisions I made about this house and how I want to run my business! On top of it all you put stupid bloody grass seed in the garden. What do you think we're going to eat? Hay!"

Sybil got up and headed towards the back of the house.

"Where do you think you're going?" Russell demanded.

"To scrape up your grass seed before it gets a chance to start and I have to spend a week undoing something that would have been just fine if you had left it alone," Sybil yelled. She slammed the door behind her hard enough the pictures on the walls rattled.

She had about half the grass seed scraped off the yard when Russell came out to join her. He didn't say a word, went to the garden shed for a trowel and a bucket and started scrapping up the seed as well.

"I'm sorry I put the seed down," he said. "I didn't think."

"There should be vegetables left at Hadley Hall when the military pulls out in September," Sybil said. "We'll seed potatoes out here in the next few days. We might get a late crop. We lost everything we had planted for this winter in the blast. The boys weren't unsupervised. I had only gone to see Aunt Mary and Grandmamma off at the train and stopped at the post office. I was only gone twenty minutes or so and you're mother was home."

"I didn't mean to blame you," Russell said.

"You do blame me. You wouldn't have said it if you didn't," Sybil replied. "I'll get the hoe and dig what's still on top under if you finished scrapping the seed up."

"The garden on the site of the cottage is a good idea. It was well underway when I went down to see the place."

"It's a wonder you didn't cancel that too," Sybil huffed.

"You're still angry," Russell said.

"I didn't make the decisions about the house lightly. I can understand holding off on painting the bedroom green if you really have an aversion to green, but to stop construction on everything I decided on and question my judgment about our children. Yes, I'm angry. I'm very angry."

"I wanted things to be how they were," Russell said.

"Things aren't like they were. Nothing is ever going to be like it was again," Sybil replied. "You can finish this. I'm going to go and take a bath."

"Sybil, I'm sorry," he said when she was almost in the door.

Sybil nodded and let the door close behind her. It was going to take a lot more than a few simple words to make up for the pain her husband's words had caused.


	36. Coming Home Part XVI

Coming Home – Part XVI – Chapter 61 through 64

_Out here in the real world I will be away from the computer for the next ten days. I will update when I get back. I have the end in my head it's just the getting there._

Chapter 61 – Back to School Time

"Sybil we've got to talk this out," Russell said. Sybil was in the morning room unpacking large boxes that had arrived from Ireland. She had stopped at woolen mills and bought fabric direct and had it sent freight.

"Russell, like it or not I need somewhere to work," she replied not looking up. "This room has good light. I'm going to have most of the furniture taken up to the attic and use this as my work room."

"You don't need to work you know," he said tapping his fingers on a table.

"A woman of leisure is not who I am," she replied. "You encouraged me to get an education. I have a career. Working out of the house allows me to spend time with the children and have a career at the same time. I thought that was what you wanted, for me to spend time at home."

"It is and I do. I had these ideas when I was away that I would come home and we'd just have fun for a while. You know kick back and relax."

"It's what I want too," Sybil said. "I find my design work relaxing. Without it it's as though I'm missing an arm."

"Dad sent you a box when I went up to see them. He's not released yet."

"Good that will give me more to work with," Sybil said with a sigh. "Can you order us some tea? There is a lot we need to discuss and make decisions on. I'm sorry you felt left out and I didn't mean to make a mess of your homecoming."

"Where have Bobby and Hope gotten off to?" Russell asked. He'd slept in. By the time he was up the children were nowhere in sight.

"Nanny Marjory has walked them to the hardware. Astrid has gone out to visit a school friend. Bobby is going to try growing lettuce and late potatoes if he can get seed. We might have to cut the eyes from the potatoes for dinner to get enough. It's worth a try. It will give us a little more for the winter at least for a few months."

"Sybil we're not poor. We can afford to buy food."

"Russell, there are long lines at the grocers at times. The butcher is worse. All the money in the world can't buy what the shops don't have. People who didn't have gardens as we did in Horsham had a hard time this last few years. Vegetable soup may not be exciting but it's nourishing. I'm sorry I got so angry about the grass, but the garden is important. Eventually we'll put in a sitting area out there but right now, we need to at least try to come up with something to feed ourselves."

"I didn't realize things were that difficult," he said.

"No you wouldn't, how could you? The only times you were home was in Horsham and there we had lots of extras in the cellar. I really don't know what we're going to do this year."

"I'll get the tea," Russell said.

Sybil was seated at the table in the morning room with a note pad and pen when he returned. She had made a list of things for them to discuss. Russell was surprised by the amount of points they had to go over. He'd never considered how difficult a time Sybil had been through these last few years. Everything had always seemed so together and comfortable when he'd come home.

"I thought we'd start with what we're going to do about school for Bobby this autumn," Sybil said. "Then we can talk about the houses and what we're going to do with your parents' place in Eastbourne."

"I hadn't even thought about the Inn," Russell said sadly.

"I haven't been down," Sybil said. "I was hoping we could do it together. I've got my fingers crossed there is a copy of our wedding picture there. Mummy has one. I could have copied if it comes to it."

"That's gone too?"

"Clothes, pictures, toys, mementos and anything else that was in the cottage is gone. We all need more clothing. I thought I would buy the children each a set of riding clothes before we spend anytime in Horsham again I got them boots before the trip to Ireland. I don't have time to make each of them a new set. They're both growing, store bought will suffice."

"Things are a bit of a mess and I stuck my oar in and made them worse," he said. "I'm sorry. I really was trying to help."

"I know," Sybil said putting her hand over his. "You could really help by repainting the bedroom."

"It didn't look quite like that in the shop," he said with grimace.

"We'll walk down to the hardware after we get through this list and pick something out we _both_ like this time," Sybil said.

-0-

"Take care in England, son," Tom said as they were seeing Bradley off on the train. "It was good to have you home at least for a few weeks."

"I miss it here when I'm there," Bradley replied hugging his father. "This really is home."

"We'll be over to visit next summer once Sybil has the Hall back in order and there is room for everyone," Rose said. "Do well at school and make sure you get enough rest."

"I will Mummy," Bradley replied. He turned to the group of younger siblings.

"I'm trusting you lot to take good care of my favorite fishing spot," he said to the three boys. Lorcan and Rory were snuffling. The both hugged Bradley. Declan hugged him as well once the others released him.

"No tears, now," Bradley said. "You'll all come to visit next summer and I'll take you out fishing and riding in England. There are lots more spots for you to discover."

"I miss you already," Lorcan said.

The two girls each kissed Bradley on the cheek. He kissed Niall on the cheek before he kissed his mother and boarded the train. He couldn't help thinking as he watched the family while the train pulled away how his father was a little greyer than the last time he'd seen him. He'd noticed he was slower getting on and off his horse than he used to be and had been rubbing his wrists when he had taken the motorbike out. Age was catching up to his father and there he was with a flock of little ones to take care of. Da had always said they had enough children they wouldn't be lonely in their old age. With twelve children plus an unofficial older son half of whom wouldn't be grown up until his parents were in their later years, they would certainly never be lonely.

Bradley collected his bags and the two crates of produce and meat his mother had sent along to drop off at his brother's house in Dublin. There wouldn't be a chance of anyone passing through Dublin over the winter without her sending a care package along. There was no possible way on earth he would ever manage it all on the tram. He hailed a cab and set off in search of the house.

Dylan opened the door when he rang. The sound of music lessons going on in two rooms was making a fair amount of racket.

"Sounds like when we were little," Bradley said after he'd greeted his brother.

"We'll head straight through," Dylan said. He grabbed one of the crates after they got Bradley's bags inside the door.

"What are you doing with all that?" Bradley asked in surprise when Dylan opened a cupboard door to find space for some jars of vegetables their mother had sent. There were two shelves packed with bottles of alcohol.

"We've got more," Dylan said. "Do you fancy an ale or maybe a lager?"

"An ale if you've got one," Bradley replied.

"It's a bit of a story how this all came about," Dylan said. He handed his brother a bottle from the icebox and continued unpacking the boxes. "One night last week, Hans got the bright idea to invite three operatic singers over for a bit of a rehearsal. They've got some show coming up. They were all a bit loud of course. The neighbors started showing up to complain about the noise. Instead of stopping what he was doing he invites them in to watch."

"He loves the lime light," Bradley said with a chuckle.

"The whole bloody works of them did," Dylan replied with a grin. "I get home from work and there must have been twenty people in the sitting room. They'd rearranged the chairs and brought all the chairs in the house to watch. The landlady was there busy handing out mugs and cups of tea." Dylan shook his head. "They finished practicing and then decided to have a sing along. Garret gets in the act and drags me in as well. The police showed up at the door and I thought, Oh God we're in for it now. They were going off duty and heard there was a sing along going on. I swear we had everyone in the neighborhood including the milkman here and someone brought a keg. There were at least fifty over or more by the time they all trotted in the door."

"Garret would have been in his glory," Bradley commented.

"The next day, the bottles started showing up and the casseroles and pies along with requests for another neighborhood get together. We had to have two more parties with our friends just to use it all up. Those are the left overs."

"Who did the cleaning up?" Bradley asked.

"We all did and Hans wouldn't let Garret weasel out of it," Dylan said with grin. "Thank goodness Sybil thought to get us a Hoover when she was setting the place up. You staying over?"

"I could," Bradley replied with a shrug. "I'm not in any great rush. As long as I'm back to London within the next three days."

"You'll have to share with me or sleep on the sofa," Dylan said. "I don't want to be separating you and Garret when you try to strangle each other in the middle of the night."

"I'm over it," Bradley said.

"Good," Dylan replied. "Let's sit out back. Do you think we made that much noise when we were learning?"

"Probably worse," Bradley replied with a crooked smile.

-0-

Bradley wandered into the morning room the day after he returned to London. Sybil was sitting at a stool at a large table in the middle of the room going over some papers. There were three mannequins set up with men's clothing displayed on each. He went over and looked at the clothes.

"Very nice," he commented. "I'll take one of each."

"You can't afford me and you know it," Sybil replied with a smile. "Is this your way of asking if I'll put together a new suit for you, since you're a starving student?"

"Now that you've offered, I'll very cordially accept," Bradley said with a bow.

"You've spent too much time around Hans," Sybil said with a chuckle.

"Are these all for him? He'll be spoiled rotten. He's already being a complete ham in the Dublin music set."

"No. The one on the end is for Russell," Sybil said. "I've got a prospective client coming over this afternoon to take a look at them. This isn't the ideal set up but it's what I'm working with at least until next summer."

"What happened to the drawings you had the architect do? This was supposed to be all changed."

"My husband happened. It's all resolved now. I'll make the changes next summer when you're off school. Less noise and dust that way. Come and help me pick a business card design. I can run over and have them printed this morning if a make a decision."

"That one," Bradley said. "It looks more like you."

"I prefer that design as well," Sybil replied thoughtfully. "Russell liked the other one."

"He seems a bit disjointed," Bradley commented.

"He's worn out. He's been helping a bit around here picking out a school for Bobby and getting him registered. The children are busy teaching Russell the fine art of gardening."

"You should go out and have some fun. I'm home now. I'll be here evenings with the kids the next while as soon as they start to pile on the work."

"I'll take you up on that," Sybil replied hoping off her stool. "I'm going to make a dash to the printers. If I'm quick about it I'll have my cards and stationary before my first client arrives."

"I'm jealous. I want a new wardrobe," Bradley teased her.

"Maybe a shirt, or two and a pair of pants," Sybil said with smile before she went for her hat and coat.

-0-

"No, I forbid it," Russell said that evening. He was challenging Astrid over her relationship with Bradley. The two of them had just returned from the cinema to see Brief Encounter and Russell had caught them kissing by the front door.

"Russell, there is nothing going on that is untoward," Astrid said. "You're over reacting. I'm sixteen. Lots of sixteen year old girls have boyfriends."

"Precisely, you're sixteen and he's twenty. He's too old for you."

"I am not," Bradley retorted. "I'm treating Astrid respectfully as she deserves. It seems to me you and Sybil were a couple when she was sixteen."

"I'm not four years older than her and don't try and change the subject," Russell said.

"What's going on," Sybil said coming down the stairs. "Hope just got to sleep. Keep your voices down."

"Did you know these two are stepping out?" Russell inquired.

"Yes, they only made it official this summer, but we've all known they liked each other for years or are you forgetting," Sybil said.

"That was with them living in separate houses and seeing each other only occasionally," Russell said. "Astrid is too young."

"You're being a hypocrite," Astrid stated.

"Russell is being a concerned brother as he aught," Sybil defended. "Russell, Astrid and Bradley aren't under the same roof that often. Astrid will be going back to her school in a few days and Bradley will be busy with his studies. He's just returned from working for our father. Really they aren't together that often and when they are there are lots of people around."

"I know what twenty year olds get up to," Russell said. "I've stuck enough of them in the arse with penicillin over the last few years to have a very good idea."

"Why would you have to do that?" Astrid asked in confusion.

"Disease transmitted by the type of relations we aren't having," Bradley said in a matter of fact manner.

"Russell that is disgusting," Astrid said. "I'm not talking to you anymore about this if you're going to be insulting." She turned around and headed up the stairs. "Goodnight," she said with a sniff.

"I don't want you playing around with my sister," Russell said to Bradley with a stern look.

"I'm not playing around," Bradley replied. "Astrid is my girl friend. I've got two years left on my course and she's got another two to finish the school she's at. We'll see how things go and if we both feel the same way in two years we'll talk about something more serious."

"That's playing around," Russell stated stubbornly.

"It's called being cautious," Bradley said just as stubbornly. "We aren't rushing into anything. Redmond got married too soon. He told me so himself. I don't want to make the same mistake he did."

"Why would he say that?" Sybil asked in surprise. "He and Sarah were happily married."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Bradley said.

"You had better explain yourself now," Russell said. He motioned for them to take a seat in the drawing room.

"Redmond told me to make sure when I choose someone to make things permanent they can stand the long hours," Bradley said. "Sarah had a hard time with his hours and the fact that his work is here in England."

"She did want to move back to Ireland," Sybil agreed sadly.

"They got married before he was done training and he felt pulled two ways," Bradley said. "Redmond said he should have waited and I'm planning to wait. I'm crazy about Astrid, but she's only sixteen. I'll have long hours at school and in the future. She'll have to be independent and ready to take on that kind of lifestyle. I'm not rushing, I'm not pushing and I'm not doing what you suspect me of."

"That can change quickly," Russell said.

"What else can I tell you? I have honorable intentions and we plan on continuing to see each other and write. I'm not going to get myself into anything stupid like Davin did and I'm not going to rush into things like Redmond and I'm nothing like Dylan either."

"What's wrong with Dylan?" Russell asked in confusion.

"He's always got a new girl," Sybil said with a slight smile.

"You're an educated man. What do you want with a girl who can't read?" Russell asked.

"Astrid can read," Bradley said indignantly. "She did well at school last year. Short of forbidding her to ever see me again, I can't say you've come up with one really good reason she shouldn't be my girl friend."

"Just keep your hands to yourself," Russell said.

"I have every intention of doing so," Bradley replied. "I'm going to bed unless there is something else. I've got to get to the university early tomorrow and get my books."

"Goodnight then," Russell said.

"You are being a hypocrite," Sybil said. She went over and slid herself onto Russell's lap.

"Don't call me that," he said sourly.

"Do you remember the first time we did more? How old was I?"

"It was different with us," he said not wanting to give up. "We were planning to get married."

"They're not having an affair, they're taking their time and making sure it's right for both of them." She snuggled down on his lap and stuck a finger between the buttons on his shirt.

"Russell," she said in a playful tone. "We could buy a car and go look for that spot. It's still warm out."

"Spot?" He was still thinking about how much he didn't like having his sister who he still thought of as a child with a boy friend.

"The one where we went on your motorcycle. Do you remember what we did?" Sybil bit her bottom lip.

"It was pretty much our first time, of course I remember what we did," he replied. "We don't have to buy a car to do that, but if you want one, we could get one."

"Something fun and just a little naughty with a convertible roof and seating for four," Sybil said.

"You're determined to make all the decisions aren't you?"

"You can pick out whatever you like as long as it meets my specifications," Sybil replied. "Don't you want to go back to our special spot?"

"I'll take you to the special spot now," he said picking her up in his arms and heading for the stairs.

Chapter 62 – Towers and Tents

Tom got in the house and wanted to crawl up the stairs. He was so stiff he could hardly walk. Niall came running over to him wanting to be picked up. Tom turned and sat on the stair. He pulled the little boy onto the step beside him.

"What are you up to then?" he asked the child.

"I drew a picture to send to Bradley," Niall replied.

"I'm sure he'll like that," Tom said. "Are you being a good boy for Aednat today?"

"I am," Niall said with a large smile. He had an Irish accent but with an upperclass edge to it. He'd been young enough when they adopted him, he accepted Tom and Rose and didn't remember anything from before.

"Daddy needs a bath. You go and play."

"All right Daddy," Niall replied. He tore off to go back to the pile of toys on the floor in the hall.

Tom finally made it to the top of the stairs and went straight to the bathroom to soak in the hot water. Trix was getting too old. He'd known it for sometime but today had been the icing on the cake. She couldn't hear the whistles and was too slow. The sheep had gotten away on her and it had taken three times as long to get them through the gate as it should have. Tom had to do quite a bit of running back and forth himself to get the blasted things where he had wanted them. He'd always thought Trix would die of heartbreak if she couldn't go out to the fields. He had to admit to himself the dog was just as happy these days snoring in the sun under a bush in the garden as she was out on the pastures. After the miserable afternoon, she had limped back to her pallet in the kitchen and promptly fallen asleep without even so much as a glance at her dish.

"I'm going to have to get a new dog," Tom said over dinner.

"What about Trix, Daddy?" Declan asked.

"She's too old to work. She'll stay home and be around the house from now on. I need a young dog that can do the work," Tom replied. "There's a sheep dog trial in a few days over in Gort. I thought I might get the car back on the road now that we can get a drop of petrol. What do you think of taking the children and making a camp over of it?"

There were a great deal of excited faces around the table waiting for Rose's response.

"We're too old," she mouthed to Tom.

"I think we have some of the boys' Boy Scout gear in the attic. We wouldn't need too much more," Tom said coaxingly.

"Except a new back for you," Rose said with trepidation. "Against my better judgment I will say yes."

There were six happy smiling faces around the table.

"We'll need camp cots for us two old fools," Rose added.

"You're only as old as you think, Tom replied hoping that he was right.

-0-

Russell fidgeted with his cuff at a fashion show cocktail party he was attending with his wife. She had him dressed in a new suit she had made him. Sybil had talked him into being photographed by a fashion photographer before she'd let him wear the suit. He hadn't known what he was letting himself in for. The photographer had him stand in at least twenty different poses and they'd tried to put makeup on him before taking his picture. He'd said no to the makeup but hadn't expected the makeup person to attack his eyebrows and nose hair with a tweezers. He'd almost run screaming from the torture. The only thing that had kept him firmly rooted to the spot was that he knew his wife was planning to have that German pilot in Dublin do the same thing and Russell wasn't about to be outdone by some Gerry.

It made his blood boil to think of Sybil making the man not one but two complete sets of clothing plus extra shirts. She insisted it was a business arrangement that would get her more publicity in a few months with the wealthy set in Dublin than she could get on her own in years. Russell knew the crowd she was aiming for did a great deal of their buying from the London scene before the war and probably would again. Sybil had talked about it often enough when she was attending school. He didn't like the idea of her or his children associating with a Gerry officer but she wouldn't be dissuaded.

Today they were at a party that seemed inane to Russell in the extreme. The room was filled with glib chitchat about nothing important. The Americans had brought about an end to the war by dropping the A-bomb on Japan, but it was the furthest thing from the topic of conversation. These people seemed oblivious to the grief that was going on in Europe. He looked at the trays of elaborate canapés and couldn't help but think of the people in Holland that had come through the hospital. Did the people at this party think anyone really cared if the show today had grey or green pants on some particular model? Most of the people in Europe cared if they would be happy with a pair of shoes or if there would be a home for them to live in over the upcoming winter. It was all at the hands of the Germans and here was his wife planning to dress one of them up like a prize stallion.

Sybil turned and placed a hand on his arm.

"Please try to relax and smile darling. You're glaring," she said.

"Sybil, these people are absolutely clueless. I don't care whether a woman's jacket has two rows of buttons or one," Russell replied quietly.

"They do and I want to show off my work. I need to show off in public and you're it, unless you don't want to help me."

"Of course, I do. I'll try to smile."

"Handsome as ever when you smile," Sybil said before she turned to a wealthy patron at the show and introduced him.

Russell was feeling a bit like a well-presented pork chop on a plate by the time they left the party. He'd had a few of the old biddy's and one man look him up an down in a suggestive manner. The women had made his skin crawl and he'd wanted to punch the man's lights out, but he'd kept his smile firmly plastered in place.

"You were wonderful," Sybil told him after they left. She was smiling at him happily. He didn't have the heart to tell her he'd rather have his eyebrows tweezed again than attend the do she had lined up for the next day.

"Have you noticed Hope talking about my father and mother as though they've just left the room?" Russell asked her as they walked down the street to the underground.

"She's been doing that for months," Sybil replied. "When I remind her they've gone to heaven she says I don't understand. I'm hoping she'll grow out of it in time."

"I don't like the idea of leaving her for four days while we go to Dublin," Russell said.

"She tires so quickly and it's a quick trip. I think she'll be fine here with Nanny Marjory but you don't have to come. I was originally going to photograph the sweater collection Camilla and I decided on when I was there with just Dylan and Hans. It will photograph better and go faster with a third but it's not completely necessary."

"I want to come with you. I'd like to see Dylan, Garret and Camilla and any of the rest of the family who come to Dublin." He didn't add that he didn't like the idea of her staying in a house with an oh so handsome, fencing, pilot, violin player. He'd heard all about how wonderful this Hans was from Bobby and Hope. Sybil had said he was very good looking and a perfect model for her clothing line. He wanted to meet this paragon of German virtue for himself.

"It will be a working trip, but I'm very glad you're coming," Sybil said smiling at him. "When we get back we can look for a car or whatever you like. You choose."

"I don't know," Russell said with a slight smile. "All I know is I've had enough of operating rooms for a while."

"I like having you home," Sybil replied happily. She thought the afternoon had gone splendidly. She already had another two potential clients from the cocktail party. At this rate her business would be well established within the next couple years. She was already thinking about a runway show for next spring.

"I'll be glad when we get Hadley Hall back," Russell commented thoughtfully. "I didn't think I would, but I miss the place."

"It's going to take some time to get it back in order," Sybil said. "We should make a trip over to see George once he's allowed visitors again. He wasn't allowed anyone during the first round of surgery on his leg. They want him to rest and not try to move."

"The doctors had told him at least five surgeries on his leg alone when I stopped in to see him," Russell replied. "I've got a strong stomach, but the burn patients." He shook his head. "It takes a special type to work with that."

"You can go back to work whenever you like," Sybil said. "You don't have to go back to work if you don't want to. I quite like employing you as my model."

"I'm not a puppy on a lead or some kind of gigolo," Russell said suddenly turning sour. "Those women make me feel like meat on a hook."

"I thought you were pleased to be involved," Sybil said in alarm.

"I am," he replied quickly recovering. They had just got off the underground and were almost to the house. "I just don't … it's hard to explain."

"If you don't want to model for me or go to the shows and parties, I can employ a model," Sybil said. "There are more men coming home all the time and looking for jobs. I rather it was you accompanying me to the parties and events. You're my husband. I want to spend time with you and for you to be proud of me."

"No, I'll do it. I'll take this winter and help you. My career and all the rest can wait."

"Those women were looking at you like that because you are so terribly attractive," Sybil said. "Especially when you're wearing my designs."

"I'm glad you think so," Russell replied. "My eyebrows still haven't recovered from the photographer."

"The price of beauty can be a great deal of pain," Sybil said.

"Are you saying I'm pretty?"

"If the booty fits," Sybil quipped before she dashed into the house.

-0-

It had taken longer to pack up for an overnight than Tom had thought it would. Rory had dumped out the pajamas and toothbrush that were packed in his bag and filled it up with toys. Luckily Sean had caught it when he was helping Tom load the car. They promptly checked all the children's bags and vetoed an assortment of blocks, crayons and one doll. They had half a dozen stuff sacks neatly folded and packed for the camp over with ties on the ends. When they got to Gort, they would ask around for a farm with straw, stuff the bags and tie them shut for mattresses. The children were all excited about using actual sleeping bags. Their campout earlier in the summer had been in single beds. This was much more of an adventure. The car was loaded with a rack on the roof as well for all the paraphernalia they were taking along and it wasn't that long a trip.

During the trip to Gort the children and Rose sang songs while Tom drove. There were five squashed in the backseat with the youngest in the front passenger seat with Rose. They were nearing Gort when Aisling let out a scream.

"What, whatever's the matter," Tom said pulling the car to a stop.

"It's true," Aisling said with round eyes. "There really is a tower. Do you think there's a dragon?"

Tom and Rose looked where she was pointing. All of the children started talking at once. "Can we go see Daddy? Can we go in the tower?"

"I don't think you can go up in the tower. That's an old monastery," Tom said. "We'll stop and have a look though."

There was a plaque by the side of the road in a parking area that read Kilmacduagh Monastery. The tower had been built in the tenth century and had a slight lean to it. They walked across the grass until they reached the base of the tower. Tom took Ysuelt's hand so she wouldn't trip on the rocky ground of the ruins.

"The door is up in the air," Lorcan said with slight disappointment.

"They put the doors high and had wooden stairs, so if their enemies came they could knock down the stairs and they couldn't get them," Rose said. "The tower is one thousand years old according to the plaque."

"That's really old," Niall said. "Were you a little boy when the tower was built Daddy?"

Rose was trying not to laugh out loud.

"Twenty grandfathers back or maybe more when this was built," Tom replied. "That's all the grandfathers in our family you could count on all your fingers and all your toes." He smiled at Rose.

"Wow," Rory said. He couldn't count yet either.

"Time to get a move on," Rose said. They shepherded the children back to the car and away from the collection of ruined churches.

They weren't the only family camping over when they arrived at the fair grounds where the dog trials were being held. Tom spoke to a man at the parking area and got directions to the sign in area. It didn't take long to get a chit for a place to park where they could pitch their tents. There was a livestock show going on as well and Tom had no problems getting clean straw from the barns for the stuff sacks. Tom came back across the grounds with Declan and Lorcan carrying two of the sacks between them. Rory had a hold of the end of one Tom had under his arm. Tom had two others over his shoulder. The girls were along and had one sack between the pair of them.

"Camping is hard work," Lorcan said when they got back.

Rose gave everyone a drink before they put up the two tents they had brought along. They had two - four man canvas tents. They put them up so they were end to end since they had doors on either end.

"We wanted our own tent," Declan said disappointedly.

"You're too young to be separated from Mummy and Daddy yet," Tom reminded him. "Mummy and Daddy will sleep at one end. You can sleep at the far end. You can pretend you're out at the Boy Scouts that way."

The children were all so excited to be at the dog trials they were dashing back and forth inside the tents. Rose couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief when they finally found a spot to sit with their blanket, umbrella and picnic basket to watch the dog trials. Once the trials had begun the youngest four children fell asleep after eating their lunch. Tom decided to go ask around for who was selling dogs and look at the stock. Declan elected to go with him.

"Daddy, could I try working with your new dog when you get one," Declan asked.

"You have to pay attention when you're working with a dog. It's not a toy," Tom replied.

"There are boys a year older than me in the juniors. I read it on the program."

"Did you now," Tom said. "I'll take a look at that program. You think you'd like to try working a dog with the sheep?"

Declan nodded.

"When I get a dog, I'll take you out. I don't' know that much about trials. I think the boys have to train their own dog to be in the competition."

"Oh," Declan replied disappointedly.

"We'll do some asking about and see what we can come up with," Tom said. "I'm not promising anything though."

"You're the best Daddy ever," Declan said taking Tom's hand.

"I'm glad you think so, son," Tom replied.

Chapter 63 – Face to Face

"The trip seems shorter than my last one to Ireland," Russell commented when they got to Dublin. They were in a cab on the way to Dylan and Garret's house.

"We don't have to travel across to Galway. It is considerably less travel time," Sybil replied nervously. "I hope everything goes as planned."

"If it takes an extra day, it takes an extra day," Russell said taking her hand.

"Dylan had to do a lot of rearranging to get the one day for the sweater pictures and trying to fit everything into Hans schedule wasn't easy either. They're both being very accommodating."

"You're a professional. You've done very well so far dragging me about the different shows," he comforted.

"Try to be nice to Hans," Sybil said. "He really isn't so bad when you get to know him."

"I'll be on my best behavior," Russell replied. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with a German officer that wasn't injured. They'd had quite a few come through the hospitals where he was working. The injured had been just another patient in the eyes of the medical teams. The men had been in such dire circumstances there usually hadn't been time to think about their nationalities. Meeting one of them on a social footing was somewhat unsettling to say the least.

"Dylan you look the same," Russell said as he hugged his brother-in-law when he opened the door.

"Don't remind me. I got asked for identification the other day at a pub. They thought my driver's permit was false and tossed me out anyway," Dylan replied with a smile. "It's good to see you back in one piece." He kissed Sybil on the cheek as she came in. The cab driver had followed them to the door with their cases. Sybil and Russell were carrying a variety of garment bags, a hatbox and Sybil's new portable sewing machine.

"Is any of that for me?" Dylan asked hopefully.

"One shirt and pair of trousers," Sybil replied with a smile. "Which you don't get until the photo shoot."

"Darn," Dylan said. "You two will be staying in my room. We can take everything up later. I got yelled at already for making too much noise on the stairs."

"Where are Garret and Hans?" Sybil asked.

"Guess," Dylan tossed his head towards the music room. The sound of two violins could be heard coming from the room. "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ever since I got home. They've been at it for hours. Hans has a benefit coming up. He was playing at two in the morning the other day."

"The neighbors didn't complain?" Russell inquired.

"They like the free concerts enough they don't complain," Dylan replied with a grin. "I'll make some tea then poke those two out. Come in and have a seat."

"Your design I take it," Russell asked once they had moved into the sitting room and Dylan had gone through to the kitchen.

"One on a very slim budget," Sybil replied. "Do you like the room?"

"It's very comfortable and very you," Russell replied. He felt a little jealous of a stranger living in surroundings his wife had designed. He had to keep reminding himself she had done this for two of her brothers, not for any other reason.

"I'm going to poke those two out. I want to do the fittings tonight."

"Can't it wait until morning? You've got to be tired from the trip," Russell said with a furrowed brow.

"I'm too nervous. You'd think I was doing my first show," Sybil replied.

She went to the double doors and pushed one of them open. Russell couldn't deny the sound coming now fully into the room was the playing of a true master. Whatever else the man was he was definitely a talented musician. He got up to go and stand slightly behind Sybil. The two men were so lost in what they were doing they didn't even realize anyone was watching them.

Russell noted the stranger's clothing looked somewhat worn. His sleeves were rolled up and his brown hair hung partially over his face. Garret looked older than when Russell had seen him last. His body had filled out and he now looked like a man instead of a boy. The last notes of the movement they had been working on faded away. Garret suddenly looked up and noticed them standing there.

"Russell," Garret said with a smile. "Long time no see." He came over to shake his brother-in-law's hand and embrace him after he set his violin on the desk. Hans slowly placed his violin and bow in it's case then turned to greet Sybil and her husband.

"Sybil," Hans said with a slight bow. "I have been anticipating your visit. I am yours for the next two days." He didn't make any move to touch her.

"Hans my husband, Russell Beldon. Russell this is Hans Meyer," Sybil introduced.

Russell had spotted the look on the other man's face when he'd been surprised by their presence. He'd quickly covered the look of longing when he looked at Russell's wife, but it was there. Russell narrowed his own gaze slightly.

"How do you do?" Hans said formally with a slight bow.

"Quite well now that I get to meet the man my children have been telling me about," Russell said not smiling.

"Hopefully only good things," Hans replied. "Please forgive my rudeness by not being available when you arrived."

"You're free now," Sybil said. "I'd like you to try everything on tonight incase I have to do any alterations. Camilla should be here in the morning with the sweaters for day two. Russell will be posing with the two of you."

"As you wish," Hans said.

"Did Dylan offer you anything to eat or drink?" Garret inquired. He was putting away his violin.

"Yes, he did," Dylan called from the sitting room. He was carrying a tray with cups and a plate of biscuits.

"Tea first, then everyone can try on what I brought," Sybil said.

"I look forward to the undertaking," Hans said with a slight smile.

"I just bet you do," Russell muttered.

"What was that?" Garret asked.

"Nothing. Why didn't Sybil rook you into this venture as well?"

"I'm not as pretty as the three of you," Garret said with a laugh at the looks on the other men's faces.

"Truthfully, Garret couldn't get time off from his studies and he and Dylan look too much alike," Sybil said. "Davin would be a good choice as well, but I'll try and persuade him next time."

-0-

The next morning Russell was freshly showered and shaved. He was sitting in the kitchen having a slice of toast and marmalade waiting for Camilla to arrive when Hans came in and went to make his breakfast. Hans didn't say anything until he took a seat at the table and set down his plate and cup.

"Your wife has decided to clean out my wardrobe. She has informed me I can keep the clothes I am wearing for the garden," Hans said with a slight shake of his head. "I am wondering now if I should have agreed to this."

"Sybil knows her business," Russell replied coolly.

Hans nodded slightly then set about eating breakfast.

"What are you doing here?" Russell asked.

"I live here," Hans said.

"I'm not talking about this house. What are you doing in Ireland?"

"A quirk of fate. I decided to stay when the war ended. I can build my career from Dublin. It is a good place for me."

"You don't think you should have gone home?" Russell asked.

"There is no _home_ to go to," Hans replied calmly.

"Sybil is counting on you promoting her designs here in Dublin."

"I will do my best," Hans replied with proud a toss of his head.

"She's my wife and I don't take kindly to anyone messing with her," Russell said.

"I do not forget for a minute she is your wife," Hans replied. He meet Russell's stare with a piercing look of his own. "I will do my best to do as she has asked."

"Just so we understand each other," Russell said.

"I understand you wish to protect what is yours. I will not harm your wife or family in any way."

"You do and I'll kill you," Russell said through gritted teeth.

"I would do the same if I were in your position," Hans replied coldly. "Our association is professional only."

"Keep it that way," Russell said. He got up and left the kitchen.

"Fool," Hans said aloud after Russell had left. "She loves you, not me."

-0-

George Crawley was listening to the radio in November of 1945. Trials for war crimes were to begin soon in Nuremburg, Germany. He'd wondered often if it had all been worth what he was going through. What all the lads in this place were going through for that matter. There wasn't a one of them that hadn't been through hell. His face was scared. There wasn't a whisker left on the left side of his jaw and there was a good indentation there, but it wasn't too bad. A good deal of the lads in here looked like something out of a freak show. He couldn't stand the sight of his own body. He'd looked at his left arm and hadn't recognized it. He hadn't the courage to look at his leg yet when it wasn't bandaged. Across his ribs and hip was nothing but a mass of scars.

The doctors and nurses in the hospital specialized in burns. They had a keg of beer on the ward, a radio and everyone used their civilian titles and wore civilian clothing if they were up and around. They were trying their best to get everyone back to some kind of normal life. George couldn't help but wonder what kind of normal there would be for a Lord if he couldn't walk and would probably never be with a woman in his entire life. All his life he'd heard about family duty and responsibility. He had to produce an heir. Who would want to have a child with someone who belonged in a circus freak show? He couldn't help but think this was probably the end of the line for the House of Grantham, the way it had come for Russell's grandfather. The title had faded out into oblivion.

"Mr. Crawley?" a pretty young blonde woman wearing a blouse and slacks with a sweater asked him.

"Yes," George replied. He caught the handhold over the bed with his good hand to pull himself up better.

"I'm Trisha Strudwick. I'll be your therapist for the next part of your recovery."

"I wasn't aware I was starting any kind of therapy," George replied.

"You've been long enough in bed. It's time to get you moving again," she said.

"I can't get up," George replied.

"It's my job to get you ready for the day you will be able to," she replied. "I'll just pull the screens and get you started."

"Where are you from?" George asked her while she was getting set up for the session. He hadn't recognized her accent.

"Who wants to know?" she asked him. She'd had enough flyboys try to chat her up she knew a line when she heard one. Even in the misery they were in the men reacted to a pretty girl. Part of the mental therapy around the hospital was to expose the men to young women who weren't repulsed by what they saw. The majority of nurses and therapists were attractive young women.

"Don't be testy, I was just being friendly," George replied.

"Sussex," she said. "How about yourself?"

"I'm from Yorkshire," George said.

"You don't sound like a Yorkshire boy," Trisha said.

"That comes with a story," George replied.

"One for another day," Trisha said. "Pay attention to the exercises. You don't want to damage the new skin that's already formed or do more damage."

"I don't see how you expect me to do exercises on limbs I can't move," George said.

"We're going to start with the ones you can move you cheeky thing," Trisha replied with a smile. "Time to get rid of that flabby tummy."

"What?" George looked down to see his tummy was sticking out between his pajama top and the bottoms that were loosely buttoned in a diaper affair over his bad hip. It looked like soft bread. He'd never had a flabby stomach before in his life. His cheeks turned red and his male pride was smarting.

"First exercise," Trish began.

-0-

Tom winced when he heard Declan attempting to do the basic piano exercise Rose had assigned him. Their older boys had all taken dance, music and riding and later joined the Boy Scouts. They had thought they would carry on as they had before with this lot, but it was becoming abundantly clear Declan and Ysuelt had the grace of clodhoppers and Declan had absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. The dance they would keep at. The children needed to be able to take part in social activities in the community and dances were a big part of it, but Tom couldn't see putting Declan through the torture of piano lessons. The boy was better suited to farming and had taken to working with his new sheep dog like a duck to water. Declan seemed to know instinctively where the sheep were going to dodge to next and could move a flock of sheep with the dog faster than Tom could.

Tom put down his pen and headed up to the day nursery. The three youngest were out with Sean for a riding lesson in the paddock. Rose was upstairs working with Rory and Lorcan on their schoolwork. He found Rose organizing some books on the shelf while the two boys were sitting at the table decorating puppets they had made.

"Daddy, you're not supposed to look," Rory scolded Tom. "We wrote a puppet play and we're going to do it for everyone as a surprise."

"Then I'll just steal Mummy for a few minutes," Tom replied.

Rose stepped out in the hall with him.

"Would I win my bet if they wrote a play about a knight fighting a dragon and saving a damsel?" Tom asked with grin.

"Perhaps," Rose said with a smile. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Declan. I don't think music is the right activity for him," Tom said.

"He is rather dreadful at it," Rose admitted. "Worse than he is at dance really."

"I was thinking, maybe we should put the time he's butchering that piece," Tom winced again at a sour note, "into something more productive. He's good with the dog. Why not get a second dog and let him train it up?"

"Tom, he's only seven and a half years old and he needs to learn how to be a gentleman," Rose said.

"Not all gentlemen know music and there are plenty that are squires or dog or horse breeders. You have to admit, it's torturous to listen to and it doesn't make him happy. He only practices to try and make you happy."

"I'm going to keep trying with the others," Rose said.

"That's fine. Declan can keep taking dance. He is improving with it slowly. I'll get a second dog and make sure I take him out with it everyday for a bit."

"Are you going to tell him the news or should I?" Rose asked.

"We'll tell him together," Tom said.

"Declan," Tom said. Declan turned around startled. He looked like he expected to be scolded. "Mummy and I have decided. No more music lessons."

"I am trying really hard," Declan said despondently.

"Not every activity is right for everyone," Rose replied. She took a seat beside him on the bench. "Daddy and I have talked it over and we think it might be best if we get you a dog."

"A dog," Declan exclaimed. His expression quickly turned to one of excitement.

"It will be a working dog. We'll go out pretty well everyday to work on it's training," Tom said. "You're going to have to be dedicated. A dog is a big responsibility. This is a working estate. It won't be a pet."

"Much," Rose added.

"I'm going to call my dog Skip," Declan said. His face was beaming.

"We'll see," Tom said. "It might come with a name already."

"Trix and Kori will be jealous when my new dog Skip is a better sheep dog than them," Declan said excitedly.

"Don't get too smart. We haven't got the dog yet," Tom replied with a smile.

"Back to the classroom now," Rose said. "Get out your scribbler and write a story about all the things you have to do to take care of a dog. You can show it to Daddy later."

"Thank you, Mummy, Thank you, Daddy," Declan hugged both his parents then headed to the stairs to do as he was told.

"No more music! Hurrah," Declan cried as he dashed up the stairs.

"The opposite to Garret," Tom said with a chuckle as they watched him go.

"The younger ones couldn't be more different from the older ones if they tried," Rose replied with a smile.

"They'll all be fine," Tom said.

Chapter 64 – Keeping His Mouth Shut

Russell Beldon was sitting in the back garden at Evans House with his daughter on his lap. They had put in a small stone sitting area in the center of the garden. The rest of the garden had been planted with vegetables arranged to make an attractive pattern. He had laughed at himself a bit as he helped Bobby put the garden in. Sybil had been right about the grass and the shortages in the shops. They'd had potatoes through Christmas from the late crop last summer. They'd gotten a bit from the house in Horsham, but the military personnel had scoffed most of it before they pulled out. There hadn't been much left.

Once Bobby was out of school for the summer they were planning to move down to Horsham. The house was painted and repaired. The chalkboards and all the rest from the military had taken sometime to remove and the piles of sandbags had been a nuisance to dispose of. The gardeners had moved them out behind the greenhouses and built a potato crib with them for lack of a better use. Sybil's parents were planning a two-week visit mid summer. Russell was feeling a bit at a loose end but he still didn't feel motivated to return to work. Hope wasn't doing so well and he wanted to spend every moment he could with her.

Quite often there was a blue tint to her lips and her heartbeat was more erratic than ever. She was happy and oblivious to what was happening to her. She took a long time to go to sleep in the evenings and usually slept late in the mornings. Neither of them could see any point in changing her routine. They had known all along her life could be short and were giving her as normal life as possible. On the days when her breathing was labored they had oxygen set up in her room while she slept but it didn't really help all that much.

Hope turned and looked over her father's shoulder when she heard a sound by the door.

"Du bist erwachsen geworden, Herzchen," Hope said.

Russell turned to see Hans Meyer standing slightly behind him dumbstruck. Hans and Dylan had arrived the previous day for Sybil's spring fashion show. Hans had lined up a few musical auditions for London while he was here. He had offered to stay at a hotel but Sybil had insisted the men stay at the house where they were at her beck and call. Russell's father had also been roped in, along with Sybil's cousin Edward, Bradley, Redmond and one of Bradley's friends from medical school who was a regular for Sunday dinners.

"Where did you learn that?" Hans asked slowly.

"The lady told me to say it," Hope said. She hopped off her father's lap and went over to pull on Hans' fingers.

"Come see the onions," Hope said. "They're coming up. They look like little hairs. There aren't any in the shops."

"What Lady?" Hans asked.

"You won't understand," Hope said with a slight frown. "Grown ups don't understand."

"They do look like little green hairs," Hans said squatting down to see where Hope was pointing. "You will have many fine things in your little garden."

"We have a bigger one at our other house," Hope said. "I'm going for a drink, Daddy."

"Take your book in with you," Russell said.

"Did someone teach her to say that?" Hans inquired quizzically.

"Not that I know of," Russell replied. "She says some odd things. I've never heard her speak a foreign language before though. Have a seat. What did she say?" The two men still weren't on friendly terms but they had come to a mutual unspoken agreement to tolerate each other.

"She told me I had grown up and used a term only my mother called me. It does not have a direct translation. It means something like small heart or sweet one. It is a pet name."

"I don't know where she heard it," Russell said. "She absorbs almost everything and repeats bits of conversations. I wouldn't pay any attention to it. You did well this winter finding clients for Sybil. I think she's got eight appointments from Dublin booked for the next three weeks and there were at least half a dozen scattered over the winter."

"A repayment for all she has done to aid my career," Hans replied with an incline of his head.

"It's just bloody clothes, but she loves it," Russell said.

"It is more than clothes. They open doors that would otherwise be shut," Hans said.

"I should go in and see if Sybil and her assistant have finished torturing my Dad," Russell said. "They've got us parading around at the hospital where Redmond works tomorrow like a bunch of dandies as a practice and to give the patients something to think about."

"He was making a loud protest for the manicure when I passed by," Hans said with a slight grin.

Hans stayed out in the garden after Russell had gone in. He'd already run the gamut of being fitted into the tuxedo Sybil had made for him, the hairdresser and the manicurist. Every single one of the men had refused to wear makeup. Hope's words had disturbed him. The only one who had ever spoken to him like that was his mother and she was long since dead.

He had come to London with more than one purpose. He'd been trying to get Sybil out of his mind all winter. He'd had a brief affair with a harpist over the winter and thought perhaps he'd managed to move on. The woman had been offered a spot in Scotland, packed her bags and said goodbye without a backwards glance. The moment he'd seen Sybil again the feelings he kept well hidden had come floating back to the surface in a blink. He knew it was hopeless and that she didn't return his feelings but his heart couldn't help but yearn for what it couldn't have.

Career wise he was already feeling the restraints of Dublin. He was making a good living and had quickly risen to the top. He had auditions lined up in London. If they were successful it would be another step in the ladder towards becoming an internationally known violinist. The agreement with Sybil had been mutually beneficial. He looked the part of a successful musician and had the wardrobe to rub elbows with the elite of Dublin society. He'd handed out quite a few of her business cards and suggested to a number of women Sybil may be able to help them out if they were looking for something unique. For a few days of his time here and there he had a wardrobe that would otherwise have cost him more than he made in a year.

-0-

The nurse pushed George Crawley's wheel chair up to the row of seats that had been set up in the hospital. There were men in beds, some in wheelchairs and some on padded chairs. There was an assortment of wives and girlfriends along as well. Mary, Edith, Cora and Anthony were all down for the show. They had decided to join George at the hospital to show their support for Sybil rather than the following day in London.

Redmond had been by to see George earlier and complained about the treatment of his eyebrows, which had made George laugh. George was finally done the surgeries on his leg. Trisha had made him look at his leg during one of his therapy sessions and he'd been surprised. The surgeries had smoothed out the skin on his leg. His toes were crooked and looked they had been squashed but otherwise he had a fairly normal looking leg other than the surgical scars the doctors said would fade with time. He wasn't up on it yet. He'd only had the last surgery a week before. As soon as he got the go ahead Trisha told him he'd have to try standing. His arm was another matter. It was stiff and had a chunk missing out of his forearm. They'd told him he needed a break between surgeries. It would be at least three surgeries and a great deal of agonizing therapy to get his arm back to functional. He would never have full use of his arm or hand but the medical team would do what they could. He needed to keep his hopes up and remember there was a future.

George thought a future with Trisha wouldn't be a bad prospect, but then over half the lads who were single thought the same thing. Every one of them would stop what they were doing and take a good look when she had them doing exercises on mats on the floor the second she bent over another man. The hospital had strict policies about staff not being allowed to date patients but it didn't stop George from dreaming about the day he got out of there and could ask Trisha out. He called her Miss Strudwick to her face but in his head he thought of her by her first name.

"Why did I agree to this?" Matthew Beldon grumbled in the room where the men were getting changed. "I'm not some toffee nosed blighter that prances around all day drinking tea."

"You're the father of one and you're making your daughter-in-law and your granddaughter proud, now hold still while I do up your tie," Russell scolded his father. "Be happy you're young enough Sybil can still use you."

"I'm a ridiculous old man compared to all you young bucks," Matthew griped.

"Dad, knock it off. You're forty-four if you're a day. With all the grooming Sybil has put you through in the last twenty-four hours you don't look more than thirty-five. Lydia's going to go crazy when she sets eyes on you after this."

"She is isn't she," Matthew said with a grin. "She's all in a titter about coming down for the fashion show in London."

"This lot today should be very forgiving, Dad," Russell said. He put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Try to remember to smile and do what Sybil's been trying to teach you this last few days. This show is going to be slower paced. She's supposed to do a talk about fabrics. Don't be alarmed by any of the men. Just keep smiling."

"Look at that one over there. Cool as a cucumber and wearing a tuxedo in the middle of the day like it was the most natural thing in the world," Matthew said.

"I know Dad," Russell replied "It's not my thing either. I feel like some ridiculous play toy most of the time, but it makes my wife happy. Just grin and bare it."

"I wish I was on horseback for this thing," Matthew said.

"You're dressed for it. Just imagine that you are," Sybil said as she came around for a final check. Her new assistant was following her. Sybil had enough clients these days she couldn't handle all the work on her own. She'd hired an assistant and would have a summer intern from the school she had attended. Her business was growing by leaps and bounds. She was trying her best to have an open door so she was available for the children whenever they needed her and spend enough time with her husband.

Russell was still restless after coming home. He had periods of temper and bad moods then would get himself back together again fairly quickly. He wasn't violent but he had a tendency to forget himself and say things that hurt her feelings. The hardest thing Sybil was finding after their separation during the war was Russell's jealousy. He was jealous of every man she talked to including her own brothers. Sybil was wishing she'd opted for women's fashion rather than men's but men's wear was what she was really good at. She'd think Russell had gotten over one bought of jealousy and things were going along well for a few weeks and then suddenly out of the blue he'd go into another one over her talking to the clerk at a shop or thanking the door man. It was getting on her nerves, but she had decided to ignore it as there was absolutely no basis for any of his suspicions.

One of the nurses came behind the dividers that had been set up and let them know it was time to start. Sybil's assistant got all the men lined up while Sybil went out front to say a few words. The large audience waiting for her surprised her. Ambulatory patients had come from all over the hospital to see the show and every last one of the men from the burn ward was there as well as a large collection of people from the town.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Sybil began. "Thank you for taking time today to come and watch our fashion show. I asked my brother to help me out and act as a model. He would only agree if we came down today and I spoke to you about fabric and what to look for in comfort when selecting clothing. It's often said clothes make the man. None of the men modeling the clothes for you today are professional models. We have men from every walk of life including a groom, a musician, students and a doctor. I dare you to guess which one the doctor is."

The audience laughed.

"All joking aside, clothing changes who we are. Clothes can convey a message. Wear something that looks good and you feel good. That's what makes the well-dressed man memorable. At the end of the show I'll introduce the models and let you know who has what job. I think you'll be in for a few surprises."

Sybil's assistant started the record on the portable player that belonged to the hospital. It wasn't the elaborate set up they would be working with the next day and the men had to walk out to a tape on the floor and back but it was still good practice. When Redmond came out there was quite a bit of catcalls and good-natured ribbing. His face turned bright red. He kept the smile on his face and walked back and forth while Sybil talked about different woolens and grades of wool that were softer on the skin. After the final walk through there was a great deal of applause. The men who couldn't clap tapped their good hands on armrests and bed rails. Sybil had the men line up and let them know what each man did for a living.

"Now, one of these men is my father-in-law," Sybil said. "If you don't think clothes make a difference I'll let you in on a secret. He's forty-four years old."

"If you can make me look like that lot, I'll buy every stitch you got up there," one of the men with one side of his face that was severely distorted said.

"My job is to make you look handsome so the girls fall all over you," Redmond said.

All of the men in the audience laughed.

"My father-in-law," Sybil said going over to take Matthew's arm and pull him slightly forward.

"Bloody hell did you have a kid when you were nine?" one of the men blurted out. The rest of the audience tittered.

"Not quite. My daughter-in-law got a hold of me yesterday and decided to make me look like a bleeding dandy," Matthew said.

The men all broke out in laughter.

"I need those fancy riding clothes if you can make him look like that," one of the men said when he finished laughing.

"You'll have to get behind me in line," another said.

The head doctor from the hospital came up and thanked Sybil and the men for taking the time to come out and put on the show. There were a great deal of applause before the men all went off to change. Sybil went directly to mingle with the crowd.

"Sybil is doing marvelously. She'll do well in London tomorrow," Cora said to Russell when he went to speak to the family. Heath was there speaking to George and his parents.

"If this lot is any indication they should snap up every last bit," Russell said.

"How does it feel to have a wife who is well on the way to being a superstar?" George asked him.

"Odd," Russell replied. "It's the same girl who always made me shirts and yet it's not." He looked around the room. Dylan and Bradley were working the crowding handing out their sister's business cards. Hans and his father were nowhere to be seen. Russell excused himself and went to find where the men had gotten themselves off to. The garment bags with their nametags were hung on the rack along with everyone else's. Russell went out the doors of the hospital to find the pair of them sitting on a bench at the front of the building waiting for everyone else to finish up.

"What are you doing out here Dad?" Russell said. He ignored Hans.

"I've held a horse for at least a half dozen of them in there, I'm not about to socialize with them," Matthew said.

"It goes with the territory," Russell said. "There's a pub down the way. Let's go. They'll be another half hour doing the sales chitchat at least. It's painful."

Matthew got up to follow Russell then turned back to Hans.

"Come on, we might as well have a pint. It's better than sitting out here with your mouth practically glued shut so none of them will find out you're a kraut."

"As you have put it so eloquently. I will join you," Hans replied.

Hans was keeping his mouth shut in the pub as well. There weren't many patrons there as all the patients in the hospital were busy with the fashion show. The three of them sat at a table in the corner not saying much.

"How's work Dad?" Russell asked.

"Stables are stables. They're turning the track back into a race course now the air force has pulled out," Matthew said.

They could hear an argument between two older men in the bar. It was getting progressively louder.

"I tell you that picture is of a Messerschmidt," one of the men said.

"Tisn't that's an Folke-Wulf if I ever saw one. I know my aircraft," the other one retorted.

"You're blind," the first one answered back. "What do you lot think. He's telling me I don't know my planes. I spent four years on those guns. I know one from the other."

"We don't have an opinion," Russell said quickly.

"Here come on, help us out," one of the men said.

Hans leaned over to say something to Russell.

"My friend here says the aircraft in the photograph is Blohm and Voss 141," Russell said. "The aircraft in question was a prototype, quiet but underpowered."

"Why can't your friend speak for himself?" one of the older men demanded. "Is he a bleeding Gerry pilot or something?"

Russell exchanged a look with his father. The two older men got to their feet. Russell, Hans and Matthew stood up as well.

"Get out the lot of you, we don't serve German's here," the man behind the bar said. "Especially Gerry pilots."

"Seeing as you just did, I would say you do," Russell said. Matthew rolled his eyes slightly. The last thing he wanted was to get into a pub scrap.

"Why you," the barkeeper stepped out from behind the bar. Hans stepped between Russell and the barkeeper quickly.

"My friends and I are all considerably younger and in better shape than you and your friends. You would not do well against us," Hans said. "We will leave." Hans turned back before he stepped out the door. "Auf Weidersehen," he said with a slight smile.

"Awfully polite for a Gerry," one of the older men said as he took his seat and picked up his pint for a swig.

"Oh, piss off," the other man said to him as he adjusted his chair.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Russell demanded the moment they got outside.

"I gave you my word I would protect your wife's family. I will keep my word. They are stupid heads not worth our time. We will be the toast of London tomorrow. They are the dirt beneath our shoes. It is how it is," Hans said with a shrug. He headed back to sit on the bench in front of the hospital.

"He's either fearless or crazy," Matthew said as they slowly make their way back.

"No, he was born to be a celebrity," Russell said with a sigh. "Like Sybil."


	37. Coming Home Part XVII

Coming Home – Part XVII – Chapter 65 through 68

_I_ _wrote a big part of this hand written while I was away. I must admit I prefer to write on the laptop these days. Still more twists as many of the sub-stories come together._

Chapter 65 – Dear John

Bradley Branson headed upstairs to his bedroom at Evans House after returning from the London fashion show the next day. It had been a long afternoon, first walking the runway and then working the crowd with his brother and Cousin Edward. He'd had two other designers approach him about working their runway shows and another had asked him if he would be interested in catalogue work. His blonde hair, brown eyes, cross of his parents' features and medium build made him easy to fit and he was able to look good in almost anything he put on. He was considering doing the modeling, as it was quick easy money if he could fit it in around his studies and four-week summer break. He determined to talk it over with his sister first as she knew a great deal more about the fashion business than he did.

He'd noticed another designer at the show monopolized Sybil's time. The designer's male assistant had followed them around with a small fluffy dog over his arm. Hans had spent the entire after show cocktail party followed around by Colleen, Sybil's assistant. Bradley didn't know how he'd managed it but he'd had Colleen book three appointments for Sybil over the course of the afternoon. Bradley, Dylan and Edward had spent most of the time fending off female advances and talking to designers who wanted to employ the three of them for models.

Bradley didn't mind modeling for Sybil. His sister and her husband were providing him with a comfortable home and wouldn't take a cent in payment. Having his picture taken here and there and parading around in her designs once in a while was the least he could do to repay them. Bradley got out the papers he wanted to go over before class the next day. He decided he would nip down to the kitchen for a quick cup of tea before he hit the books. He was part way down the stairs when he heard raised voices coming from the library towards the front of the house.

"I don't like the way you were spending all your time with that Maurice character," Russell said. "You let him kiss you."

"Russell honestly, Maurice is French. He kisses everyone he meets. He wants to set up a supplier contract with Sybil of London for sixty sweaters before the end of the year. It will make Camilla's knitting business and it will set me up as a high end well known designer if we can work out something regular."

"You're selling yourself for the sake of your business. It's money you don't even need."

"How could you say such a thing? I've never been anything but faithful to you. I'm sick of your jealousy and accusations!"

"I know he wanted you and you didn't put a stop to his advances the way you kept touching his arm."

"You should hear yourself and how ridiculous you are," Sybil replied loud enough Bradley wondered if Hans who was up in his room could hear her. "The only thing Maurice wants from me are sweaters for his boutique. His assistant is his live in partner."

"His what!"

"Maurice likes boy, the younger and prettier the better. He's not interested in women," Sybil replied more calmly.

"It's not just Maurice," Russell said with some of the wind going out of his sails. "You're surround yourself with men who desire you."

"I make men's clothes. They're clients," Sybil replied in an exasperated manner.

"Not every man you make clothing for is a client," Russell pointed out. The anger was still in his voice.

"Do you mean the men who model for me? Enough of this! I use family and friends of family. I'm lucky you are all attractive men who can carry it off. Are you saying you're jealous of your own father?"

"What about Hans Meyer?" Russell demanded.

"What about him?" Sybil shot back. "We have a business arrangement and he gets me more clients single handedly in one afternoon than the rest of you do in two or three shows combined."

"He likes you."

"I like him in return. He's easy to get along with and he's a friend of my parents. They consider him part of the family."

"He likes you as more than a friend."

"The only thing I've offered Hans or any other man for that matter is friendship. I can't offer anything else. I'm committed to you. Is there a reason you're so jealous? Did something happen while you were in Europe?"

"You tell me!"

"I know nothing happened on my end," Sybil replied angrily. "For goodness sake your own mother lived with me for a good while why you were away. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing happened. I don't like another man sniffing around my wife!"

"I'm not listening to anymore of this. I'll talk to you when you're more rational," Sybil said.

Bradley could hear her footsteps coming towards the hall. He made his way down the stairs as quickly and quietly he could so as not to be caught eavesdropping. He could understand both sides of the argument. The man Sybil had spent the afternoon with was obviously a homosexual and Russell's suspicions had been ridiculous. Although Bradley couldn't argue with Russell's suspicions around Hans feeling towards Sybil as the thought had crossed his own mind more than once but he was pretty sure anything on Sybil's part was completely subconscious.

Hans was always polite to his sister to a fault but there was something about the two of them Bradley couldn't put his finger on. It was as though the two of them had an unspoken bond. It was there in the little things, like the way Hans would pass Sybil the salt or butter at lunch before she asked for it and the way she knew exactly how he liked his tea. Hans preferred to carry his billfold on the opposite side to the way men's jackets were made and Sybil always accommodated his preference in the clothes she made him and added an extra pocket. Their connection wasn't overt but it was there, underlying all the little things they seemed to know about each other without ever vocalizing them.

Bradley stopped at the workroom to speak to his sister on the way back upstairs. The children had gone to the zoo with Nanny and Dylan had gone out to catch up with friends. The house was otherwise quiet except for the faint sounds of Hans practicing in his room.

"Thank you for putting up with me for the last two days," Sybil said with a faint smile when she noticed her brother.

"I'm happy to help out," Bradley replied. "I need a spot of advice about something." He told her about the requests from the other designers.

"If you have time and want to take on some modeling contracts go ahead," Sybil replied. "The majority of models work through agencies, but not all. You could make quite a bit in a short time if you decide to go that direction. I can put together a list of what you can expect for payments for different types of jobs and what to put in a contract."

"Thanks, Sis," Bradley said. "Matthew Beldon could make a fair bit of change walking the runway at the shows if he wanted to."

"He's a natural as long as he doesn't utter a word," Sybil replied with a chuckle. "His wife was taken with him and that's all that matters in his eyes. His son could take a lesson from his father on that score."

"Don't be too hard on Russell. He only wants what's best for his family," Bradley said.

"We both do. Sometimes we don't always agree on how to make it happen," Sybil replied with a sigh.

-0-

Russell sat in the library stewing after his argument with Sybil. He could admit he'd over reacted to Maurice Rousseau and his assistant with the fluffy dog. Maurice had simpered and fawned over every one of Sybil's designs. He'd been introduced to all of Sybil's models. The men had all kept the smiles firmly plastered on their faces and made a hasty escape. His father had endured the man with a tight-lipped smile and a white line around his lips. The only thing that had restrained him from socking the flaming pansy on the jaw when he ran his hand suggestively over Matthew's collar was his wife securely attached to his arm. Sybil was telling the truth, he admitted to himself with a sigh. She wasn't chasing around with other men or encouraging their attentions. Every one of her models was a family member or friend of the family. He wondered if he was imagining things with Hans. The man never made a move to touch Sybil. Hans was polite and respectful of his wife. Redmond had brought along his two children and their nanny for the few days in London. The children all adored Hans as did every woman young and old the man came in contact with. He was a naturally heroic bloke who could charm the birds from the trees. When it came down to it Russell couldn't deny the man was easy to get along with and under different circumstances he would be a good mate.

Russell thought back to his time at the hospital up north and his time in Europe. Man after man had received "Dear John" letters. It had often fallen to him to talk to them and try to reassure the men they would be going back to some kind of life when things were all over. It had been touch and go with more than one that he thought would crack under the added strain of a wife of sweetheart that had been unfaithful. The last year of the war had been especially difficult in Belgium and Holland. They'd had casualties from British, American and Canadian regiments. In every mail delivery there had been at least one or two letters in every batch. "Dear John: I've met someone else. Don't bother bringing your sorry ass home to me," or words to that effect. One man had become so despondent he'd tried to cut his wrists. It had been pathetic and upsetting. The incident had made every man there with a wife or sweetheart back home question what was happening on distant shores in his absence.

He took a deep breath and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. He was being a fool. Sybil didn't fawn over her clients or models. She was never anything but professional. The biggest problem was he didn't care for the fashion crowd and they got on his nerves. He wanted to spend time with Hope but idling away his days following his wife about at these events wasn't the answer. He needed something to do with his time that didn't make him feel like a useless dandy. There were all kinds of new developments in nursing that had come out during the war and after. There had never been time to put all of it into practice. He resolved to go around his old training college and see what they had for upgrade courses. Perhaps it was time to get back to work.

-0-

Davin arrived at his parents' home at Eagle Cairn. He had been on a distant call on the old motorcycle he used to get around. He'd been able to get enough petrol for the motorcycle for sparing use of it during the war as veterinary services had been deemed essential. Ireland was a heavily agricultural country and the veterinarians played a vital role in keeping the country's meat production moving. He found his father going over paperwork in his office.

"It looks like we'll be making the trip to England with you, Da," Davin said after he greeted his father. Camilla had received a telegram from Sybil regarding the possibility of a large order. She wanted to travel over to work out the details with Sybil in person. Camilla had been making a pretty penny this last while from the sale of her sweaters in London although the bulk of her knitting was still local. If the order came through she would have to employ women she knew locally. The two of them had been saving to buy Dr. O'Callaghan out of his half of the practice. He'd made Davin a partner the year before. Camilla worked two days a week when the surgery was open as receptionist-bookkeeper. They had a village girl come in to watch the twins as Dr. O'Callaghan's sister was too old to watch a pair of young children on her own for more than a few minutes. The elderly brother and sister wanted to move down south where the weather was a bit warmer and to be near family. Dr. O'Callaghan wasn't a young man and he was leaving more and more of the large animal practice to Davin. It would be a good move for them to buy the practice outright and take over the house. With the income from the knitting from London and the higher return it would move their plans ahead considerably.

Davin didn't mind his wife's knitting constantly one bit. It had given them a more comfortable life in Scotland when he was a student and paid for all sorts of little extras. The possibility of a steady contract to supply a top fashion boutique was too lucrative to ignore and Davin had every intention of supporting his wife in the endeavor.

"Are you planning to come along for the two weeks?" Tom asked.

"I can't get that kind of time," Davin replied. "I can only be a week at the most. We thought we'd travel over with you and come back on our own. Dr. O'Callaghan will see to the surgery for the two days and any emergencies out on the farms while I'm gone. Camilla is excited. All the work she's put into her knitting business over the years looks like it's finally going to pay off in a bigger way."

"I can't fault her if she brings in business to the area and puts a few more to work," Tom replied tiredly. He passed a hand over his eyes. "All these years I've worked to improve the lot of people on this estate and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I've managed to get some things started that benefit the community but the people living in poverty never get any easier to bare."

"You've done what you could, Da. When I moved back people asked me why when I could have made considerably more in Scotland or England. All I can say is this is home. Ireland needs educated people the same as the rest. You can't fix every problem you come across. You've taken in six more children that were in need of a home on top of myself and Redmond. It's more than most would do."

"Thank goodness your mother can teach all of them elementary at home. I'd have to work until I'm a hundred to pay for private school for all of them," Tom said.

"Home school didn't hurt us older ones one bit," Davin replied. "I liked it better than private school. I still got to play cricket and associate with friends and I spent more time with the dog which suited me to a tee."

"Declan's taken to sheep dog trails and all Lorcan and Rory can think about are horses," Tom commented.

"You best watch out you might wind up with a couple more veterinarians," Davin said with a smile.

"Are you trying to kill me with two more to put through veterinary college," Tom said with a grin.

"Time will tell, Da," Davin replied with a grin.

Chapter 66 – Saying Goodbye

Hans returned to Evans House after a follow up meeting with the group he had auditioned with the previous day. Everyone had assumed he was auditioning with the London Symphony and he hadn't bothered to correct them. Russell had commented at breakfast he was taking Astrid out with him that morning. Bobby still had a few days of school. Dylan had gone to a business meeting for his company. They planned to meet back at the house and leave for Dublin as soon as they both had their business in London wrapped up. It was just after lunch and the house was quiet. Hans went to the door of Sybil's workroom, which was standing open and knocked.

"Hans what can I help you with?" Sybil asked. Russell's comments about Hans during their argument had unsettled her. She did like Hans a great deal and had always been fond of him. His presence always makes her day seem brighter but she had never allowed herself to think of him as anything more than a friend. She had realized since the argument if she were free he could be more. Possibly a great deal more, but she was not free to think that way and he had never treated her with anything but a respectful politeness.

"Sybil, I have been offered a position," Hans said. "I wish to relay to news to you at the first possible opportunity."

"That's wonderful. You'll be in London. It will make things much easier," she replied.

"The position is not in London," he said. He picked up a fabric sample from the table and fingered it absently. "It is in Vienna."

"Vienna? I thought you had no desire to return to Germany."

"It is Austria not Germany," Hans replied. "Everything there is in shambles. It was once a city of music. Many of the greatest musicians lived there, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Beethoven, the list goes on, but now it is a mess. The Americans are in charge of the reconstruction and they have put together a team of top musicians to go to Vienna and work to rebuild what has been lost. They have chosen three of us to go and start work on rebuilding one symphony to prominence and the conservatory. Once there is one symphony there will be more. It will take time but it can be done."

"This is all so sudden," Sybil replied uncertainly. "What about your place with Dylan and Garret?"

"They will have no problems find a third. Already we have had many requests for a fourth roommate. They will fill my room quickly."

"I don't know what to say," Sybil repeated. She looked at Hans again. It had never occurred to her before that he was of average height. She had read somewhere pilots had height restrictions so they would fit in the cockpit. She shook her head slightly to clear the random thought.

"There is little to say," Hans replied. "I will leave for Austria in a few weeks and you will stay here with your husband and children. I am sorry not to be able to assist you further with your efforts."

"I'll miss you," Sybil said. She realized suddenly she would miss him very much. He understood the value of her work and was comfortable in the world of high fashion in a way Russell and the rest of her family never would be.

"Please, stay in touch," Sybil said.

"I do not think that is best for either of us," Hans replied quietly.

"You've helped me so much," Sybil said sadly.

"You misunderstand me. There is a reason your husband is jealous. My presence makes this difficulty for you."

"Hans, I…," Sybil began. She paused. "If circumstances were different…"

"I understand," he replied. "I will stay in touch with your parents and younger brother and trouble you with this no more. We cannot argue with what is."

"You've never troubled me," Sybil said. She reached out and covered his hand with hers.

"I will only say Auf Weidersehen," he replied. "I will return to Dublin this afternoon with Dylan."

"Until we meet again," Sybil replied softly.

Hans left the workroom and headed upstairs to pack. Sybil went to retrieve her hat and coat to go for a walk. There was a light rain falling and she walked the streets near the house not really paying attention to where she was going. A tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek. Loosing Hans was harder than she ever thought it would be. _"How could this have happened?"_ she asked herself. She loved two men. She had always loved Russell ever since she was a child but she didn't really understand him anymore. The war had changed him and it had changed her along with it.

She hadn't set out to fall for another man. She'd never thought of Hans as anything beyond a close family friend and he'd never let on he felt anything more before today. Her feelings had snuck up on her until she couldn't lie to herself anymore. He would be gone this afternoon. She would go home to her husband and children and move on with life. The priority at the moment was making whatever time Hope had left the best it could be.

That night at dinner both Hope and Bobby were despondent.

"I wish Hans and Dylan were still here," Bobby moped.

"Me too," Hope added.

"They've gone back to Dublin," Sybil said. "Uncle Dylan has to get back for work and Hans has taken a job in Austria. We won't see him for a long time and we must all wish him the best at his new job."

"They waited until Bobby was home to leave so they could both say goodbye to you both," Russell reminded the children.

"I was hoping Hans would take me to the airfield to see a real airplane," Bobby replied sadly.

"There is no reason Russell and I can't take you," Sybil said.

"That a good idea," Russell responded. "We'll all go for a picnic on Saturday and take the car. We'll celebrate the start of summer break and then we'll move to the house in Horsham for the rest of the summer."

"We've always been happy at Hadley Hall," Sybil said. She had to remind herself to smile.

"We have," Russell replied. "It's time to go home and get back to things. The family will be over in another week."

"Yes, it's time to get on with things," Sybil agreed with resolve.

-0-

"Mary walked through the Abbey and surveyed the work that had been done. The library, drawing room and main hall were back the same as they had been before now the paintings and furnishings were back in place. The major changes were upstairs in the bedrooms and downstairs in the kitchen. Upstairs the bedrooms had been made larger and the plumbing updated. Downstairs the kitchen and laundry both had modern appliances. The old configuration with a housekeeper's private quarters and a servant's hall with a large table hadn't been replaced. Instead there were offices for managing the house and estate Elizabeth had insisted on in addition to the butler's office and a small dining/break room for the day staff. Everything was being moved back in and being made perfect for the day George returned. He wasn't expected to leave hospital to at least Christmas or maybe longer, but he would come home.

"Good afternoon, Mama," Elizabeth said when Mary entered the estate offices. Elizabeth was emptying boxes of records into the waiting drawers of the filing cabinets.

"You look busy," Mary commented.

"I am," Elizabeth replied. "I've been thinking about something. I wanted to discuss it with you before I talk it over with Papa, Uncle Michael and ultimately George."

"What is it?" Mary asked.

"I don't think we should live in the Abbey," Elizabeth said. "It is my opinion the family should use the house for entertaining and rent it out for weddings and events."

"Elizabeth, this is the ancestral home of the Crawley's," Mary replied taken aback at her daughter's business like attitude.

"Papa's estate house is the Gillingham ancestral home and it's a hotel," Elizabeth replied not to be deterred. She met her mother's look with a level gaze. "The Abbey is beautiful but it takes money to keep it up. If the building brings in an income we can still entertain and have weekend parties, but the house will balance itself."

"You've got your father's practical sense of money. Don't loose sight of who you are for the sake of business," Mary warned her.

"Mama, I could argue that it is you who are blind to the realities of finances," Elizabeth replied. "I'm saying it is a way to be able to afford a lifestyle with an active social life without breaking the coffers.

"You've changed in the past few years," Mary said.

"I've grown up, Mama."

-0-

Tom and Rose walked to the memorial garden at the site of the demolished cottage. Russell and Sybil walked over with them. The children were all busy at the house. They'd brought Aednat along to help out and Nanny Grace had arrived the day before with Redmond's two children. Bradley was on the first week of his term break and was organizing a fishing trip and overnight camp out for the boys. He Davin and Russell would take them on to a nice spot on one of the nearby farms. Tom had bowed out. After the last camp out he'd been stiff for a week.

"It's a fitting tribute," Tom commented as they stood looking at the stone cenotaph at the center of the garden. The names of all the villagers who had died in the War were carved on the stone. The garden was a peaceful spot of flowerbeds and winding pathways surrounded by the original stonewall. A tree that had survived the blast shaded a portion of the garden.

"It's hard to believe Jimmy and Abigail have been gone just over a year," Sybil said sadly. Russell put an arm around Sybil and pulled her close for a moment.

"Time keeps moving along," Rose commented. "It seems like only yesterday we took in all the children and now Niall will be four this autumn."

"Lorcan seems a slow grower," Russell commented as they walked back across the grounds to the main house. "Isn't he older than Rory?"

"Nine months older and six inches shorter," Tom replied. "We've checked with the doctor and he's completely normal in every other way. He has all kinds of energy and eats well. Dr. Reigler said he could just start growing one day and wind up the tallest of the lot."

"Or he could be naturally short," Rose added. "We never met the natural parents. We have nothing to go by."

That evening Tom and Bradley were sitting in the library while everyone else including Astrid were occupied getting the younger children to bed. Davin was busy helping Camilla get the twins down.

"Are you planning to work on your other three weeks this summer or are you planning to take it all off?" Tom inquired.

"This might sound a little odd, Da," Bradley replied rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "You know I've done some modeling for Sybil."

"It's good of you to help your sister out son," Tom replied.

"The thing is, well, umm… You know I still help out with Cub Scouts. I won't be able to in my last term though."

"Yes, you'd mentioned that in your letters. What is it your trying to avoid?"

"Da, the thing is, I'm doing a bit of modeling here and there for other designers," Bradley said in a rush. "It pays well. I make as much in a few days as I would all summer on a farm."

"As long as it's not hurting your studies, Bradley," Tom said.

"No, no. It's not. I'm still doing well. I was third in my class this year," Bradley said. "You might be a bit surprised when you see the catalogue I'm doing in two weeks. I'm umm…I'm modeling underwear, Da."

"I bed your pardon," Tom replied. His face paled slightly.

"I'm posing for pictures for a catalogue of men's underwear."

"Whatever would possess you to agree to something like that," Tom said in shock.

"Money, Da. It's easy work for two days and it will pay for my books and expenses for the next year. I have another one the week after for formal wear."

"Good grief," Tom said.

"It's only a couple photographs Da. I have one runway show to do as well. I only take the jobs when I have time."

"I had better not find your younger sisters giggling over your picture in some magazine," Tom said.

Bradley shrugged. He suddenly smiled so his dimples showed.

"It could be worse. You might find Mummy and her friends having a look."

"I'm going to bed," Tom said in disgust. "I don't know what's worse. A house full of little ones or a house full of grown ones who come up with the oddest notions."

-0-

A few days after the family had left Sybil went up to tuck Hope into bed. Russell was checking on Bobby. Hope had struggled to keep up with the other children and had to rest often but she had been overjoyed to have the cousins and technically Aunts at the house for the two weeks. The girls were all close in age and loved to spend hours in games of make believe much as they had the summer before. Sybil went to pull the covers up and reached for a book, when Hope stopped her.

"I don't want a story tonight, Mummy," she said. "Will you be sad when I'm an angel?"

"Hope where do you get these ideas?" Sybil asked her.

"Will you?" Hope asked again. "I don't think you should be sad when someone gets to be an angel."

"I would be very sad if you were an angel, Hope," Sybil replied quietly. "It would mean you weren't here with me anymore."

Russell came in and adjusted the covers giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"All little girls are angels already," he said quietly. "It's how things are meant to be."

"No, Daddy. You can only be an angel after you're dead. I would come visit you the way Grandma and Grandpa come to visit me. Hans' Mummy came when he was here visiting. There's another lady that comes to visit Mummy, but I don't know who she is."

"I beg your pardon," Sybil said.

"They're all angels. At least I think that is what they must be," Hope replied.

"You see them in your dreams," Russell told her. "They're just dreams, Hope."

"They're not dreams Daddy. They're all here now. They want me to go with them."

"Hope you're frightening me," Sybil replied worriedly. "You mustn't talk like that."

"It's pretty there," Hope said softly. She slowly closed her eyes. She sighed and then didn't move.

"Hope," Sybil cried. "Hope." She shook her. Hope wasn't moving or breathing. "You can't go. Don't leave me yet."

"Sybil. Sybil stop," Russell said. He put his hands on her to draw her away.

"Do something. You can't just let her die," Sybil cried.

"Sybil, this is not the way. We agreed to let her go peacefully. Let our last memory of her be a good one," Russell said. The tears were running down his face.

Sybil stood and put her face against him. Sobs wracked her body.

"How do I live without her," Sybil sobbed. "My baby is gone."

"We'll go on," Russell said against her hair through his own tears. "Somehow we'll find a way. She had a good life Sybil. It wasn't long but it was good. We have to hold onto that."

They stood holding each other for a long while. Russell moved to the bed to straighten it. He couldn't bring himself to pull the sheet over his daughter's face as he'd done many times when a gravely injured man had died during surgery or before he could make it to the operating room table. He smoothed his daughter's hair and laid her arms at her sides as though she were sleeping. Sybil stroked her hair and held her hand for a long time until she got up and silently left the room followed by her husband. Russell turned out the light and closed the door softly behind him. He left out a breath.

"Good night, my little darling," he said before he slowly made his way down the hall to join Sybil.

Their daughter's life had been short. There would be no first day of school, no first kiss or firsts from this day forward. Sybil wanted to scream to the heavens to give her her daughter back but it would do no good. She felt her husband's arm around her guiding her to sit on their bed.

"If her angels were real she's with them now," Russell said quietly.

"She's an angel, how could she be anything else," Sybil replied.

Chapter 67 – Remembering

Hans Meyer walked back to his flat in Vienna after spending the day in the offices of the concert hall. Thankfully the building was still standing and the Americans had committed funds to repairing the bullet holes in the walls and the hastily patched roof where fragments of other buildings had come through and ripped huge holes. There had been nine symphony orchestras in the Vienna before the war. The three person team he was a part of was hard pressed to put together one. The repairs on the building would begin next week but they were the least of their problems.

Vienna had been a cultural center before the war, but thanks to his former country's policies there was little left. The bombs had destroyed twenty percent of the city. What the bombs hadn't ruined the Nazi's had. Any musicians who were political dissenters or Jews had been tossed into prison. From the news of the Nuremberg trails that had been broadcast over the winter, they were most likely dead. As soon as the war had started every one of the men had been drafted the same as he had and later in the war the women as well. If the bombs and the genocide hadn't killed them the war had scattered them to the wind. Russia was still holding prisoners of war and it didn't look as though any of them would be released anytime soon. Where the former musicians were or if they had survived was all an uncertain blur.

The team he was on consisted of a conductor, a concert pianist and himself. Both of the others had made their way to England before the war to escape the Nazi regime. They were holding auditions the following week and were hoping for at least enough talent to show up to put together a quartet and possibly a chamber orchestra. They would cobble together enough if they had the talent to put together an outdoor concert series for the rest of the summer and into the autumn. Concerts in the parks had always been a large part of the city's history and culture. The people needed entertainment and a place to go where they could sit and relax for a few hours even if it was amongst the rubble. Someday the city would be a cultural mecca once again but that day was still a long way off.

Hans collected his mail from the box in the foyer before he climbed the stairs to his flat. Mail was still a sketchy business at only a year after the end of the war. It tended to show up in batches and he organized his personal mail by the dates on the postmarks. There wasn't much available in the shops in Vienna. He was happy he had brought blankets, sheets and a few dish towels with him from Ireland. As an employee of the Americans he had access to the commissary and could purchase basic toiletries and supplies there. Without it he would have been hard pressed to find a bar of soap in the shops let alone toothpaste or deodorant paste.

He was finding living on his own a bit lonely after Dublin. The house had always been a center of activity in their neighborhood. Students came and went. One of the three of them had friends over at least one or two nights a week and the neighbors stopped by with pies and casseroles on a regular basis determined to fatten up the three bachelors.

He sat on a chair by the window rather than waste his precious ration of electricity. He opened his first letter from Garret, which was full of news of the Dublin music community. Dylan's company had taken a contract in London and decided to send him over as head architect on the site. Dylan was going to live at Evan's House with the family for the eight months he was expected to be in London. Garret was subletting his room to a music student for the winter. The other room was let to a musician from the symphony. Garret was teaching at the conservatory and had taught two bagpipe workshops over the summer. He was continuing on with his Master degree.

Hans went through the rest of the mail and finished up with a letter from Tom. It was unusual as it was Rose who usually wrote. Hans sat for a long time after reading the letter and watched the rain drops begin to fall on the window. The news of Hope's death saddened him more than the news of his friends and family's deaths over the course of the war. Her death hadn't been unexpected. Sybil and Russell had never mentioned their daughter's illness, but the signs had been there in the way the little girl couldn't catch her breath and the times she would start to cough when she laughed at something during a game. There had always been something about Hope as though she were living half in one world and half in another of her own making that bore no explanation.

She had spoken to him a few times in flawless German. There was absolutely no way she could have been repeating snippets of conversations as her father had said in way of explanation. The second time had been even more unnerving than the first. He'd been busy with his audition and interviews for his current post. He'd spotted Hope in the drawing room playing with some toy horses when he walked past. She was sitting with a woman who had her back to him and he'd assumed it was the nanny. The woman's dress had been a light blue with a small floral pattern on it. At the time he'd been in a hurry and had the odd thought there must have been a sale on that fabric before the war as his mother had a dress exactly like that. It had been her favorite. He'd forgotten all about it until later the same day when he'd seen Nanny Marjory. Her dress was a plain brown and he'd realized he'd never seen her wear anything other than one shade of brown or another.

He'd gone out to the garden to find Hope busy with a small watering can tending to the flowers she had planted.

"Hope, who was the lady with the blue dress I saw you with earlier," he'd asked.

Hope had looked directly into his eyes and said, "Sie wurden sehr geliebt." You were loved dearly. There was no mistaking the tense and it wasn't something she could have overheard in passing.

"Who is telling you these things to say to me?" he'd asked.

"The lady. She was there at Grandmamma's house in Ireland too."

"What lady?" he'd pressed.

"You won't believe me, it's a secret," Hope said. She continued pouring water on the flowers.

"Can you share your secret? I promise I will not tell and I will do my best to believe you."

Hope had set her watering can down and come very close to whisper in his ear.

"Herzchen, sie ist diene Mutter," she'd whispered.

"Is someone telling you to say these things to play a joke on me," he'd said. "If they are it is a very mean thing to do."

"You promised to believe me," Hope said with a pout. "Grownups never understand."

"I believe you and I will not tell anyone," he'd said quickly to comfort her.

"She showed me a picture of the place where your sister lives. There are peppermint sticks sticking out of the water."

"My sister is not alive. She died in the War."

"No she didn't. The lady said she lives in the place with all the water. Can we play knights and dragons when Bobby gets home from school," Hope had asked him.

He'd agreed and sat watching her play around the garden talking to her imaginary friends.

He hoped wherever Hope was now his mother was there to take care of her. He folded his stack of correspondence and placed them in a box on the mantle. It was time to make a small meal then head to the conservatory to check how the lesson schedule they had set up was progressing and how the teachers were getting on. There was time enough when he returned home that evening to write his letters of condolences.

-0-

George Crawley slowly pulled on his civilian clothing. Today would be his first day up and around out of pajamas. He'd been walking slowly holding onto a pair of bars. His left hand didn't grip that well. He used it for steadying himself more than anything. He needed one more surgery on his arm. Once he was out of the hospital he would wear long sleeves and glove to cover his hand, which was a mass of scars with no fingernails. The only outward signs he had ever been injured to the general public were the scar on his face where his beard would never grow again and the stiffness in his arm.

At the moment he was convinced his right cuff link was a torture devise that had been put on earth to torment him. He finally managed to get it through the cuff of his shirt and secured with the aid of his teeth. His tie was almost as bad. His old head master from Eton would have had a fit if he saw it but George was frustrated enough he finally settled for tied and in place rather than appearance. His shoelaces were loosely knotted and looked like a tangled ball. All in all he thought he looked rather pathetic.

"How are you getting on?" Trisha his therapist asked as he was pulling on his jacket.

"I could never understand why my grandfather employed a valet until today," George replied ruefully. "At the moment I'd give my eye teeth for one."

"That's rather old fashioned," Trisha said with a smile.

"I'm going to turn completely old school the moment I set foot on the old place, complete with a walking stick and a retriever at my side," George replied.

"The perfect country gentleman," Trisha quipped. "I've brought you a gift. Nothing quite so fashionable or courtly as a walking stick I'm afraid." She produced a can with a pronged bottom. "We'll try this for your first day up and around."

"I'd rather have my great grandmother's cane than that ghastly looking thing," George said disappointedly. He was looking at the ugly, ungainly looking cane with trepidation.

"Crawl before you can walk and walk before you can go home and pretend to be the lord of the manor."

Trisha demonstrated how to tie his shoes with one hand. She waited until George had it mastered before she had him stand with aid of the cane and try walking with it.

"Lot's of pract and you'll be graduated to your walking stick in no time," Trisha said. "The lord of the manor will come after you for pretending to be him."

"That would be a fine trick," George replied. He slowly walked the length of the ward. Trisha was by his side incase he lost his balance. "I am the lord of the manor."

"And I'm the Russian Czar's long lost daughter Anastasia," Trisha replied she wasn't really paying attention. She'd worked around men long enough to have heard more than one convincingly told tall tale. "The next thing you'll tell me you a big house and vast holdings."

"The house is a little on the large side," George said. "My father and uncle are running things. My sister will join the family business when she finishes uni next spring."

"You fly boys never stop do you? I had one tell me last we he was related to the King of Greece."

"Maybe he is," George replied.

"Files don't lie. He's the son of a police inspector from Birmingham. No mention of a royal family connection I'm afraid."

"What does my file say?" George asked.

"I haven't read your family history," Trisha replied. "Time to find a chair and take a break."

"Too bad the other bloke wasn't from a royal family. We could have swapped stories about the family loosing the servants during the crash. I can still remember the look on Mama's face when she had to clear the table after a meal for the first time. You'd have thought she was asked to feed the piglets in the piggery," George said with a grin.

"Clearing a table isn't a great accomplishment," Trisha commented.

"For a Countess it is," George replied.

"I think you are ready to practice on your own once you've had a break," Trisha said. "Feel free to go on with your day dreaming until you feel ready to get up. I have to get to my next patient."

"_These flyboys are all the same,"_ Trisha thought as she went to note her time with George Crawley on his chart. _"They would say anything to impress a girl when they were in sorry shape. She knew George Crawley was a distant cousin of Dr. Branson. She'd heard the two of them use each other's Christian names more than once. The dark haired woman who was the Doctor's sister and had put on the fashion show stopped by to visit fairly often. There was no doubt they were all from a well of family but a Lord with a Countess for a mother was a new one."_

-0-

Tom returned home from a visit to one of the tenant farms and hung his hat on the rack by the door. Sean had gone to retrieve Rose from the train. He headed into the main part of the house to look for her. Rose had gone back to England for the funeral. He couldn't make the time to go back right away after just being gone for two weeks. They'd made the decision Rose would go to be with Sybil and Russell while Tom stayed home with the children and saw to business on the estate.

"How are things in England?" Tom asked when he found Rose unpacking her cases. The children were all out to the Donnelly's to play with the group of visiting grandchildren.

"Sad, as you would expect," Rose replied tiredly. She rested her forehead against him for a moment after he'd kissed her hello. "They all seem so very lost without her. How are the children here?"

"It's been a hard loss all around," Tom replied. "The children are mentioning Hope less and less as they get back to their usual routines. Bedtime has started to even itself out again."

"It's past time for the school year to start. They've started Bobby at his day school in London again before I left. They'll be doing weekdays in town and weekends in the country. They're all trying to keep busy and let time work it's magic."

"It's been busy here on the estate. I've been letting the children fill their days up with Mrs. O'Rinn, Aednat and Sean. Lorcan has decided fast is the only way to ride. Sean had to threaten him with no riding for two weeks to get him to slow down."

"Good. He's not old enough to riding overly fast," Rose replied. "I'll get them all back to their lessons as soon as I've had a bit of a rest."

"Speaking of on the go, Camilla was out twice while you were away. She had the ladies working for her come to the house the last time. There's quite a bit of chitchat going around about her having some of the local women working for her and their work going to a fancy shop in London. Camilla's finicky as the devil. She won't accept anything less than perfect. They're almost ready to ship the first half of the order."

"She did half a dozen sweaters herself before we got back from England," Rose commented.

"Six is a long way from sixty," Tom replied. "I hope for her sake and Davin's it all works out and she gets a steady business out of it all."

"I barely recognized our sons in the photographs Sybil had taken of them in all the different styles of sweaters," Rose said. "The men all looked quite dashing."

"Don't tell anyone Bradley took a notion to model men's drawers in a catalogue."

"I brought the catalogue home so you could see it," Rose replied. "He really is quite handsome."

"Let's hope Bradley doesn't get Dylan involved in all this modeling nonsense. His head would be so swelled he wouldn't be able to get in the door."

"Dylan is busy with his own work," Rose said calmly. She showed Tom the pages of the catalogue with Bradley's picture. "It isn't all that dreadful. He's wearing an undershirt in every picture."

"Not one of a father's prouder moments," Tom said. "He does pull it off well, I must admit." He put the catalogue to the side and pulled Rose onto his lap where he was sitting on the side of the bed.

"Tom the children could come in at any moment," Rose said with a smile and a glance towards the open door.

"Not expected back until tea time," he said with a small grin. "I'd like to see how Bradley's mother models her unmentionables. He must get it from somewhere."

"He gets it from his father," Rose said then burst out laughing at the look on her husband's face.

Ten days later Tom arrived at the Farmer's Association meeting a few minutes early. Modernization seemed to be the topic on everyone's mind these days. The war had pushed the demand for agricultural products and with it there had been all kinds of developments in machinery. Tom was hoping to organize a collective purchase for some of the machines that would speed up different parts of the operation but were only used once a year for a few days.

Not two hours later he was back at home and looking for Rose. He found her just finishing up for school for the day with the children. The girls were old enough for half days and she included Niall as well in much of the classroom activities so he wouldn't feel left out. They were looking up a list of countries in the atlas and finding the capitals at the moment.

"Rose, I need to speak to you," Tom said soberly after he greeted the children.

"Declan and Lorcan, take turns writing the answers on the board," Rose instructed. "I'll just have a word with Daddy."

Rose closed the door behind her once they were in the hall.

"What is it, Tom?" she asked in concern.

"Just who did you tell about Bradley being in that catalogue?" he demanded.

"One of the Ladies Auxiliary members asked me how Bradley was making out and I mentioned he was managing quite well on his own, especially since his sister has him involved part time in her fashion business. One thing lead to another and the catalogue was sitting on the side table and they all saw it," Rose replied. "I didn't think it was all that important."

"The paper in Galway City does," Tom said. He thrust the paper towards her that had been folded to page ten. They didn't have paper delivery where they were. Tom usually picked up the paper when he was out.

"Oh my," Rose exclaimed. She opened the paper to reveal a full-page article on Bradley complete with five images. There was a small one of him in his school uniform, one of him wearing a tuxedo and three of the underwear. In two of the images he wasn't wearing a shirt. The headline splashed across the top of the page read "Local Boy Finds New Career in London."

"We didn't get a thing accomplished at the meeting," Tom complained with disgust. "All they wanted to do was talk about Bradley and poke fun at me."

"Oh, Tom, it's not like he's a criminal. It will blow over."

"You should have heard them. One asked if he's a puff. Another asked when I was going to show up in a magazine. Another told me his daughter has the page from the catalogue and the newspaper article tacked to the wall beside her bed and every one of their wives has decided she wants her husband to look like Bradley in a pair of drawers. They're all blaming me."

"It's rather comical don't you think. I wonder how they got these pictures. He had an undershirt on in all the catalogue images."

"They've written to the company. I know enough about papers to know advertisers will jump at the chance of free publicity, especially an entire page," Tom said.

"The article isn't all that bad. It's just a bit of background and it does say he's found a creative way to earn money while attending medical school."

"They left out humiliate his father," Tom gripped. "Just wait until you go out."

"You're overreacting," Rose stated calmly.

"You're turn is coming," he replied.

Chapter 68 – The Rehearsal

The next morning Rose sent the oldest three boys to the stable for a riding lesson with Sean. She'd had to scold Lorcan again about riding too fast. Both she and Tom had warned him they would back up Sean's decision if he wasn't minding and add another week of no riding if he didn't slow down. The girls at five and Niall just four weren't really old enough for full days of lessons. She was including Niall as she had done Garret in the classroom activities so he wouldn't feel left out.

"Oh Mrs. Branson, what a handsome son you have," the woman behind the desk at the shop said the moment she spotted Rose.

"I have nine sons. They're all unique and handsome in their own way," Rose replied.

"Don't be coy. We've all seen Bradley's picture in the paper. He's quite striking. He and Garret are a great deal alike aren't they?"

"They're quite similar in looks," Rose replied disdainfully. "I have a list of the items I require. If you could fill it, please."

"Bradley is good at fishing. He took us camping," Niall said suddenly.

"Your older brother certainly takes a nice picture," the clerk replied with a smile indulging the little boy.

"Bradley said if the prancing puffs are stupid enough to pay lots of money to stand in front of a camera, he's in," Yseult blurted out. "I asked him how a marshmallow prances but he told me to ask him when I grow up."

Rose's face turned bright red. All of the women in the shop tittered at the little girl's comments.

"It's not polite to discuss your brother's business in public," Rose scolded.

"It's what he said," Aisling confirmed.

"We need two boxes of chalk and a large box of crayons," Rose said to distract the children. "The three of you may pick them out from the display over there."

"We're all waiting for Bradley's next visit," one of the women waiting in the shop commented. "We all want autographs."

"I'll be sure to mention it next time I write," Rose replied as she collected her parcels and the three children to exit the shop. "Why did I ever show anyone that catalogue," she muttered under her breath the moment they were back on the lane to head home.

-0-

Sybil walked along the paths in the garden at the hospital with George in late January. There was a break in the rain and they were taking advantage of the chance to get a bit of fresh air. It would be their last visit before he headed back to Downton in a few days. George couldn't help but notice how tired Sybil looked since Hope's death. There were new lines around her eyes and mouth that hadn't been there six months before.

"Are you looking forward to going home?" Sybil asked him.

"Yes and no," George replied. "I haven't set eyes on the place in over two years. I'm sure it will be quite different after the fire and all. Elizabeth has been putting her oar in so things are bound to have changed."

"She knows how to run a business," Sybil commented. "Who would have thought it after the way she vexed us when we were children."

"Once Mama took more interest in her and she attended a good school she changed quite a bit," George said. "She mentioned in her last letter she's broken things off with Heath."

"Is it a wonder? She's in her last year of university and the way Bradley is studying at the moment is unbelievable. He's barely home and when he is all he does is bath and sleep. He's fallen asleep over his dinner twice in the last few months. I realize now why Redmond felt he should have waited to get married."

"I'd like to see Dylan again before he heads back to Dublin," George commented.

"You should. He'll be another three or four months at least before he heads back. There is plenty of work going on in London. It's possible the company he works for will take on another project."

"It's starting to rain again. Let's go across the way to the pub."

"I'd rather the tea shop in the village," Sybil replied.

"Tea it is," George agreed. He had their great grandmother's cane. He used it more for show and for something to lean on when his leg got tired. "How are you holding up?" he asked as they made their way down the lane to the shop and found a seat.

"One day at a time. We're keeping busy. Russell is taking upgrading. They've increased the requirements again in nursing. He'll be qualified to teach when he's finished this round next year." The waitress came around to take their order.

"Bobby is happy at the day school we have him at in London," Sybil continued. "He still wants to be a gardener. He's going to Boy Scouts and wants to learn to fly when he turns sixteen. Russell is encouraging him although neither of us knows the first thing about it."

"As long as he never goes to war," George commented thoughtfully.

"On a completely different topic, I almost forgot to tell you, the ladies at Eagle Cairn were so taken with Bradley's catalogue pictures, they've arranged a fashion show fundraiser. They've got the well off daughters acting as models and Brown Thomas is supplying the clothing. They couldn't find a man on the place who would consent to act as a model."

George couldn't help but laugh. "I could just imagine the look on your father's face if they tried to spruce him up like you do those poor blokes you get ahold of."

"I'll have you know my father is still a very handsome man even if he is fifty-seven," Sybil replied. "You could do with a little of my sprucing up yourself. An expensive haircut, manicure and fixing up your eyebrows a bit can work wonders. What are you going to do first when you get out of here?"

"Come to you for a make over," George said with a grin. " Do you see that girl sitting by the window sipping her tea?"

"Yes, she's very pretty," Sybil replied.

"I'm going to ask her out."

"Cousin George, you do have a cheek."

"Have you got any money with you. I'll pay you back."

"George what are you up to?" Sybil questioned.

"I'd like to send her a rather large bouquet of flowers. She doesn't believe I'm a Lord."

"Hasn't she met the rest of the family when they visit?"

"She's always missed them. She thinks I'm some spoiled rich boy who makes up stories to impress the girls."

"You are rich and somewhat spoiled," Sybil replied with a smile.

"We'll finish our tea and then find the flower shop," George said with a wink.

-0-

Trisha Strudwick went to the files at the main office and pulled out the drawer marked Co – Cr. She had just received the most enormous bouquet of hothouse roses she had ever seen from George Crawley. They must have cost a pretty penny and they were an usual color of yellow with flame red tips. George had left the hospital that morning and here it was not two hours later and she was searching for his file. It wasn't in the cabinet, which meant it was still being processed for discharge. She made her way to the discharge clerk desk and finally got her hands on what she had been looking for before it was sent back to the military for permanent filing. She quickly flipped to the back of the file for family particulars.

"Birthplace: Downton, Yorkshire, England," she read. "Father: Matthew Crawley, Deceased. Mother: Lady Gillingham. Other relatives: Step-father: Lord Gillingham, Sister: Lady Elizabeth Gillingham, Brother: Edward Gillingham, Additional Personal Information, Official Title: Seventh Earl of Grantham, Education: Eton College, Oxford University."

"Oh my," Trisha said aloud. She had to sit down for a moment. She hadn't believed a word George Crawley had said about his family. She heard so many lines from the different men she'd forgotten all about the things he'd said. She was a vicar's daughter and had come from a fairly sheltered background. When she'd first started work as a therapist she'd had some romantic notion about meeting some terribly wounded man and they would fall in love at first sight. The reality of her work was that many of the men were too ill to have any thoughts in that direction and were more worried about what was going to happen when they arrived home than anything else. The ones that made passes and had glib talk usually had a girl waiting for them back home and string of others they had hood winked and dropped at a moments notice.

George Crawley had been different. He'd been at the hospital a long time and never once tried to pinch her bottom or make a pass at her. He'd never made any off color remarks of any kind. She pulled the card out of her pocket and read it again. He thanked her for all her help during his recovery and hoped to renew their acquaintance soon. Yellow roses were supposed to signify friendship but she wasn't sure what the red tips meant.

As soon as she finished up for the day she made a beeline for the local florist. The giant bouquet was on the desk at the main nursing station for everyone to enjoy. There had been quite a few comments on the unusual color of the flowers and people looking for the card to see who the lucky recipient was but Trish had the card firmly tucked in her pocket out of sight from prying eyes. The bell above the door of the flower shop tinkled when she stepped through the door.

"I wanted to inquire about a bouquet of roses I received this morning," Trisha said.

"You must be Miss Strudwick. We've only had one bouquet of roses go out today. They were special order. Was there something amiss?" the lady at the shop asked.

"They are stunning. There's no problem," Trisha said. "I was wondering if you might know the meaning of the color. It's quite unusual."

"The young gentleman who ordered them was quite specific about color and when he wanted them delivered," the lady replied. "I have a book with the meaning of different flowers. It will just take a moment to look it up. The young man in question checked the same book."

"Here we go," the lady said once she had found the page. She turned the book so Trisha could read it.

_The yellow rose with red tips signifies the sender is falling in love with the recipient usually after a friendship has already formed._

"Oh My," Trisha said for the second time that day.

"I would say you have an admirer," the clerk commented.

"It would seem so," Trisha said. She left the shop wondering if George Crawley was playing games or if she would ever see him again.

-0-

Tom felt relieved when the day of the charity fashion show's dress rehearsal finally arrived. The entire ordeal would soon be over. There had been repeated meetings at their home with a dozen young women in attendance. Rose had been elected as the modeling coach due to her years of teaching dance. There had been so many afternoons of feminine discussion of clothing and tittering over this and that he'd hid in his office for most of it or taken the children on educational excursions to escape it all.

His children were all quite taken with the entire rigmarole and Rose had put them to work for the fundraiser. Garret was home from Dublin for two days to provide live music. The children would have baskets of corsages and boutonnieres to sell to the crowd during the preshow cocktails the day of the actual event. They were in two groups of three with Declan, Rory and Aisling in one group and Lorcan, Yseult and Niall in the other. Ticket sales had been brisk despite the steep price tag and almost every one of the tenant farmers was coming to the do at their wives insistence. There wasn't a woman on the entire estate that wanted to miss the show. Once the tickets had sold out for the actual show they had put on tickets for the dress rehearsal to allow those who couldn't afford the higher prices to attend. The rehearsal would have a pay as you go refreshments table and a raffle to help with the fundraising for the clinic. It was still every bit as important to make everyone feel they were contributing to their community medical center as it had been when they first started.

The fundraising and clinic had done well over the years. They now had a portable x-ray machine and a few other specialty pieces of equipment that reduced the need for trips into the city hospital. Garth McGuire the owner was talking of coming over to retire and taking up residence in the main house when the Donnelly's lease ran out the next year. He was busy advertising for a second doctor in the hopes there was someone released from military service who was interested in a country practice. There was more than enough work for two doctors and it was time to recruit a second before Dr. Riegler got too old and needed to retire.

"You're not wearing your tuxedo," Ysuelt scolded Garret when he was ready to go to the dress rehearsal.

"It's a rehearsal. A nice suit will suffice for today," Garret replied tweaking the end of her nose.

"I get to watch today, because tomorrow I'm going to sell flowers," Yseult informed Garret.

"A very important job," Garret replied. "Are you all ready to go to the rehearsal?"

"Aednat said I have to sit here and not move until we go over so I don't rip my tights," Yseult replied with a sigh. "This is my last pair Mrs. O'Rinn didn't have to mend. I have new ones for tomorrow."

"I think we'll collect up everyone who's ready and head over," Garret said. "Maybe we'll have a glass of punch before things get started."

"Are you the one from the catalogue," one of the girls doing the modeling asked. A group of them had come over as soon as Garret arrived at the main house with four of the children. The staff from the house was following in a bit with the other two. His mother was already here somewhere. He didn't recognize any of the young women.

"No, you would be thinking of my older brother," Garret replied with a smile. "I'll be supplying the music during the cocktail party and meet and greet afterwards. I don't recognize any of you, but then I've been living in Dublin for almost five years."

They all introduced themselves. One of the young women wasn't wearing a dot of makeup and Garret thought she was rather plain despite her polished manners and hair that was an usual shade of blonde-red. They went off as a group when someone from backstage called the one with no makeup for her turn with the hairdresser. Garret gave his younger siblings a handful of change so they could buy a treat when the refreshment table opened. He arranged his sheet music and played a warm up on the piano.

A number of people Garret knew from his years at Eagle Cairn stopped by to say hello to him as the hall filled up. The men had long suffering faces as their wives and girlfriends came into the hall on their arms. The majority made a quick dash to the raffle table and the refreshment stand before they took their seats.

Once the rehearsal was ready to start, Garret turned the music over to the man who had set up the speakers and microphone. His mother came out and welcomed the guests. She motioned for the music and after a brief pause the recorded music began while Rose narrated the show. Garret had to admit the girls were doing quite well. Some had the smiles and audience attention from the moment they stepped out. Ysuelt and Aisling had managed to worm their way onto the piano bench on either side of him to watch the goings on. Garret's jaw dropped suddenly when a pretty young woman came out wearing a swimsuit. She was carrying a bag with a towel artfully draped from the bag. She had a scarf on her head and was wearing a pair of sunglasses. He skin was milky white and her hair stood out with the fire of the setting sun when she turned. Garret unconsciously sat up a little straighter while she did her routine. He was straining to spot her again in another outfit.

He wasn't disappointed. She came out a bit later in a dress and then again in an evening gown. As the girls did a final walk through his mother thanked them each by name for their participation in the show. Her name was Kyna. It couldn't be the same plain, uninteresting girl he'd met before the show but yet it was. The audience was invited to stay and meet the girls who would be coming out in the clothes for a closer look. Garret was on again as he would be with the real thing the next day. Garret had more than one inquiry if it was him in the catalogue. By the time he'd finished playing the last piece the crowd was starting to thin. He looked around quickly to see if he could spot Kyna before she left.

"You did very well," he said to Kyna when he found her waiting for her ride to finish changing.

"I was terribly nervous. I thought it showed," Kyna replied. She smiled up at Garret. She still had her hair done and had redone her makeup in a simpler style. He was transfixed when he looked at her.

"I don't remember ever meeting you before I left," he said slightly nervous.

"Boarding school and then finishing school afterwards. My mother only got involved in the Auxiliary recently. We live on the next estate to the east. My brother broke his arm when we were little and had to go all the way into the city for treatment. It was a terrible trip. We're all so grateful to have a clinic and emergency assistance closer."

"I was wondering if you would like to go for a ride this afternoon and join me for a picnic meal," Garret inquired. "We could go out and take a look at the plane that crashed in the pasture. I'm sure it's still there."

"Well, I…I would love to but with the show and all."

"We won't stay out too late. I'm heading back to Dublin first thing Monday," Garret coaxed. "I do know my way around the countryside. I won't get you lost or anything. My parents can vouch for me."

"I don't have anything to wear," Kyna said.

"My mother has all kinds and there are some riding clothes of my sister's kicking around I'm sure."

"They're little girls," Kyna said with a smile.

"My older sister," Garret said smiling back at her. "Please say you'll come. I'll get you home later."

"Alright, I will since you're being so persuasive," Kyna replied. "I'll just let my ride know where I've got to."

"Lovely," Garret replied.


	38. Coming Home Part XVIII

Coming Home – Part XVIII – Chapter 69 through 72

Chapter 69 – A Family Announcement

George Crawley pulled his car to a stop in the garage at Downton Abbey. He sat and rubbed his left leg for a few minutes before he got out of the car. He had the use of it but it still tired quickly. He did as much walking as he could over the winter. Now that it was the summer of 1947 he had every intention of taking an inner tube down to the swimming hole they frequented when they were children as soon as it was warm enough to swim. He was determined to get his leg stronger and Trisha had told him swimming would help, especially kicking.

He got out of the car and went inside the old chauffeur's cottage. His mother and step father had a fit when he'd decided to fix the old cottage up and live there. He couldn't stand living with them at Chesterholme House. His mother's clucking had been suffocating. He'd left a wet behind the ears schoolboy. He'd spent most of his teenage years at boarding school and then straight to university in an all male class. The war had changed all that. In the short time he'd served as a pilot and then the two years in hospital had forced him to think for himself and form his own opinions. He was a man now, not a boy and he was not about to accept being treated like one.

The housekeeper who came in days greeted him. George asked the woman for a sandwich and cup of tea in the sitting room then went to sit for a few moments in his armchair. The cottage was large. It was almost as big as the Dower House where his grandmother still lived with his Aunt Edith, Uncle Michael and their daughter, Violet. Back in the day when there had been coach drivers and liveried footman for every coach the cottage had housed ten men plus any visiting coachmen. The cottage had been painted and decorated to his tastes. It was plenty bright and cheerful. The cottage garden now extended to a gate that joined a path in the gardens that took him around the front of the Abbey if he so desired. If there was any entertaining to do he used the main house. The library which had always been a center of family activity when he was younger was still his favorite place to meet with friends or have meetings to discuss activity on the farm and estate business, but it was here at what was once a simple cottage, he preferred to sleep and take his solitary meals.

Coming home had been a lot more difficult than he had thought it would be. As soon as he was back the pressure was on to select a _suitable_ bride and produce an heir. The dinners with the parade of young women with titles had started almost the minute he'd gotten back. He'd tried to tell his mother that he was already interested in someone, but she hadn't chosen to listen.

He'd been seeing Trisha now for months. They'd gone to the races, the theatre and had more than one dinner with Sybil, Russell and Redmond. Some of their dates were simple dinners and others were drives in the country. Sybil approved whole-heartedly of Trisha. George only wished his immediate family were more liberal in their opinions. Trisha was a nice girl. She still lived at home with her parents and went in to work days at the hospital. She was polite and well mannered and knew exactly how to put a man who got too cheeky or fresh in his place. He'd seen her do it more times than he could count. They'd been friends during his recovery and now they were more. She wasn't titled but it didn't matter to him. He was crazy about her and she had accepted his proposal with conditions, which had surprised George.

Trisha had told him in no uncertain terms she would not accept a marriage of convenience to produce an heir. With her there would be no mistresses or dalliances on the side of any kind in their marriage. She wasn't the type to run around and expected her husband to be as faithful as she planned to be. George had been a bit taken aback with her straightforward talk, but at the same time he admired her. Her father must have told her what went on in many of the aristocratic circles and she had decided that side of things wasn't for her. George's family had never been into that type of thing and it had actually been a relief to know the girl he planned to marry felt the same way as he did.

He was going to go over after lunch to tell his mother and the rest of the family about his engagement. He wasn't looking forward to the announcement. His mother had told him more than once over the years it was imperative he marry someone with a title who could fulfill their place in the community. Just last week she'd started on about it again when Edward was home. George had cut her off. Edward had rolled his eyes and made a quick retreat out the door. Even Aunt Edith who was liberal in the extreme seemed to think he should be marrying someone to uphold the title. It was what he had been raised with, but this last two years had changed his mind for him. What he wanted was someone who could love him and live with him despite the mess under his clothes. He wanted someone he could depend on and laugh with through thick and thin. He really didn't give a damn if they had a title or knew every place setting. The manners and dinners and all the rest could be learned.

He had asked himself more than once since he returned whom were they all trying to impress. Almost every man he'd considered a close personal friend outside the family was dead. There were more decease friends and acquaintances in the last few years than he could count. Others were trying to pick up their lives as he was or still serving on the reconstruction teams. He didn't even want to think about the fliers he'd served with and a good deal of blokes who had been taken prisoner by the Japanese were in such rough shape they were still in hospital. He'd heard through the grapevine Nigel Hawkington had just returned back to English soil and was in a hospital somewhere near Oxford. George would like to get to see him when he had a chance. Altogether he couldn't think of anyone outside the family whose opinion really mattered to him anymore.

George found his mother in the drawing room at Chesterholme House going over a stack of correspondence.

"George, how nice of you to come over," Mary said. "We weren't expecting you. Shall I ring for some tea?"

"No tea. I've just finished lunch," he replied. "I wanted to have a word. Is anyone else home?"

"All out running things, I'm afraid," Mary replied with a smile.

"The thing is Mama," George said after he had taken a seat. "There is someone I'd like to invite down next weekend for a few days to meet the family."

"A female someone I presume after all the times you have headed south."

"I've asked her to marry me and it's time for her to meet the family."

"Wonders," Mary said with raised eyebrows. "May we know her name?"

"Trisha Strudwick, I adore her. I hope you will too."

"Where did you meet this girl?"

"I met her while I was in hospital. She works there before you ask."

"Works?" Mary questioned.

"How many girls do you know these days who aren't married who don't work?"

"Please tell me she wasn't delivering the meals or pushing a tea cart."

"Mama, give me some credit," George said in exasperation. "Trisha is a physical therapist. She's a nice girl who still lives at home with her parents."

"What does this girl's father do?"

"He's a vicar," George said.

"A vicar's daughter," Mary said in surprise. "I'm sure she's a nice girl then. We'll have to roll out the red carpet."

"Nothing elaborate," George replied. "I'd like to have a simple family dinner, perhaps an outing or two to show her around the estate."

"The house and all that goes with it are part of the family."

"Simple Mama. Don't bring in too many staff. I thought we'd stay at the main house for her visit but no over the top parties with fifty people, please," George reiterated. "Cousin Sybil has met Trisha on more than one occasion. She thinks she's lovely."

"Sybil thinks the grooms in the stable are lovely. She's like her father," Mary said with a sniff."

"Mama, please accept my judgment in this. I've chosen someone who can accept me as I am."

"George you speak as if there was something wrong with you. I don't want you to settle."

"I'm not settling. I'm being realistic. Would you like to see what's under the glove and shirt?"

"Don't be vulgar," Mary admonished.

"Trisha has seen what I look like and it doesn't bother her one bit," George said. "She's a lovely girl who will make a wonderful Lady Grantham."

"I'm sure we'll all find her just as wonderful as you do," Mary said. George narrowed his eyes at his mother. She was a master of saying one thing and meaning another. He could feel his anger staining his cheeks. He got to his feet and headed to the door.

"Where are you off too?"

"I'm going over to speak to Grandmamma and Aunt Edith. I'll leave you to your mail."

"George you have everything going for you. I don't want you to settle for someone who isn't worthy of you."

"I'm settling for someone who loves me and I can love in return. I should think that is sufficient," George replied. "I'll say good day."

-0-

Dylan looked up when he heard the key in the lock at Evans House. The job in London had taken longer than expected. They had the crew in from Ireland, which gave them an advantage, but the demand for building materials both in England and on the continent had created a shortage and slowed things down considerably. He was ready to head back to Dublin. He hadn't minded the delay really. He didn't want to share with Garret until his room was free again. Garret had written the student in his room was rather messy and they were planning to give his room a coat of paint and the house a good clean before he got back. If Garret thought the other man was messy, it had to have been bad. As it was Dylan was just sorting the morning post before he left to catch the train.

"Astrid, what are you doing here?" Dylan said. He went to take her case from the taxi driver.

"I've been back a few days from school at Horsham with the family. I wanted to come up and surprise Bradley on his first day free from medical school," Astrid replied. She exchanged a kiss on the cheek with Dylan.

"Sleeping beauty is upstairs in bed," Dylan said. "He came home at midnight after thirty hours straight through. They like to work them to the bitter end. I'm heading back to Dublin in a few minutes."

"Say hello to the family for me," Astrid said.

"I will."

"Sleeping Beauty is awake. He was just catching up on the papers," Bradley called down the stairs. He appeared at the top of the stairs in his robe. "I'll be down in a minute."

"I've got to get going," Dylan called back.

"Hold your horses," Bradley replied.

"The staff are off today and Colleen has headed to Horsham to work with Sybil for a few days. You probably passed her on the train. It will be the two of you on your own," Dylan said as a bit of a warning to Astrid. He was still quite protective of her.

"I'll only stay over if we go out late," Astrid said. "I've a bit of news. I wanted Bradley to be the first I told but I'll tell you both at the same time."

"No final report card?" Dylan teased her.

"Maybe," Astrid replied with a smile.

Bradley arrived in the drawing room still doing up his shirt. He was freshly shaved. He gave Astrid a quick kiss. There was time enough for a more thorough one once he got his brother out the door.

"Once I get the modeling done over the summer I'll be over to see the family for a week before I start at Cambridge," Bradley told Dylan. "I'll let you know for sure when I'm coming."

"Give me enough time to get a couple days to go out to Eagle Cairn," Dylan replied. "Astrid says she has a surprise to share with us."

"You're repeating your final year of secondary?" Bradley guessed to tease her. She swatted him. He knew very well she was doing incredibly well now that she had all the techniques in place that worked to deal with her dyslexia. He'd been sending her every article he could find on dyslexia in the journals over his years in medical school.

"This is my surprise," she said withdrawing an envelope from her handbag and handed it to Bradley. It had a Queens' College, University of Cambridge return address in the corner.

"Your tenacity and determination to overcome a significant learning disability and receive honors in your final two years of secondary school makes you an excellent candidate," Bradley read aloud. "It is my privilege to offer you a seat at Queens' College, Bachelor of Arts in Education with English and Drama."

"Congratulations," Dylan said in surprise.

"It's wonderful news," Bradley added. "You never said you were even thinking of applying."

"I didn't want to say anything until I got word back," Astrid said. "I haven't told Russell and Sybil yet. I wanted you to be first."

"We'll be at Cambridge at the same time," Bradley said with realization suddenly dawning on him.

"I've got to get to the train. I'll leave you two to make your plans. Congratulations again. Now you'll be around to keep this one in line, I won't have to worry about him," Dylan teased.

"Like you're such a good influence," Bradley shot back with a laugh.

Astrid put her arms around Bradley's neck when he pulled her close for a proper kiss once his brother had left.

"It is a good news. I can hardly believe it," he said against her mouth when the kiss finally ended. Astrid kissed him again.

"I came to London to celebrate the end of your course and the end of my school days," she said. She was fiddling with the collar his shirt. "What do you think?"

"I'm very, very proud of you," he said.

"I'm rather proud of you too," she said. A blush crept up her cheeks. "All the girls at school were quite envious of me when I had your picture out."

"Not the one in the drawers," Bradley groaned.

"No, the tuxedo. The other one was for me. I shouldn't admit it but I had some rather naughty thoughts about you when I look at that picture."

"Did you now," Bradley replied. He kissed her again taking his time to taste her mouth and lips. They were completely on their own in the house for the first time in he couldn't remember how long. They'd been going out for two years and never had the opportunity to do more than some heavy petting. If they had wanted to go all the way they could have found a way, but they were both taking their time and his last year of medical school had left him little time to think of anything else. She had been at her private school for the winter and had spent the Christmas holidays with the family in Horsham while he worked through most of it. It hadn't set the most romantic of moods. "What's the first thing you want to do to celebrate?" Bradley murmured against her neck where he was nuzzling it.

"I want to do something we used to do when we were little," Astrid replied slightly breathless.

"What's that?" Bradley said. He raised his head questioningly. He had something he wanted to do on his mind and it certainly wasn't going out.

"I want to play doctor," Astrid said. "I miss my old medical bag."

Bradley couldn't help but smile. "I am a doctor," he said. "My license will be through in a few weeks."

"I've never examined you without your clothes on," Astrid said looking down. Her face turned bright red.

"My medical bag is in my room," Bradley said. He was still smiling.

"I thought you'd never ask," Astrid replied.

"You're sure?" he asked. He had paused at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sure," she replied. "I don't want to wait any more."

"Astrid, I love you," he said as they climbed the stairs.

"I love you too, Bradley. I always have," she replied.

Chapter 70 – Introductions

Dylan was surprised by the scene that greeted him when he walked in the door of the house in Dublin. Garret was standing on a stepladder rehanging curtains. Harkin the professional musician from the Dublin symphony who occupied Hans old room was sitting on the floor polishing one of the legs on the piano and there were two girls in the sitting room as well. One with bright red hair with a scarf tied around her head was handing Garret the curtains, while the other with equally red hair was sitting on the sofa going through a stack of towels.

"Dylan, you're back," Garret exclaimed. He finished the last hook on the curtain he was hanging and got off the ladder.

"When you said spring cleaning I didn't think you were going to this much trouble," Dylan replied. He hugged his brother quickly, then greeted Harkin who he'd known for sometime as a friend of Hans.

"We had a lot of cleaning up to do after the nuisance moved out," Garret replied. "This is my girl friend, Kyna and her sister Kate."

"How do you do," each of the girls said as they took Dylan's hand.

"Quite well now that I'm home," he said. Kate was the elder of the two girls by what Dylan thought to be two or three years.

"You wouldn't have been if you'd have seen your room before I got a couple of cleaning ladies in. The blighter burned a hole in the rug in your room. The cleaning lady took it home to see if she could take it apart and put in a new bit."

"I notice the watercolor of Eagle Cairn is missing as well," Dylan commented with a quick glance around the room.

"He had a bit of a party before he moved out," Garret said. "They got beer all over the piano and rug. They ruined the watercolor. I hope you've got a new one we can put up."

"If you go out of town again, we go it with an empty room," Harkin commented. "The nuisance informed me I was playing the piece I was working on with the wrong interpretation." He let out a snort. "I've only been with the symphony for six years."

We're all planning to go to the pub when we get this done," Garret said. "Why don't you come along and tell us the news from London."

"I'm back for at least six months unless they tell me otherwise when I go into work," Dylan replied. "You've got me dreading the sight of my room. I'll just go up and take a look first."

"It's pretty well back in order," Harkin commented.

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief to see his room was freshly painted. The quilts and sheets were freshly laundered. The cleaning ladies must have washed down the chest of drawers and armoire and polished them as well as washed the curtains. The entire upstairs looked clean and tidy and from what he'd seen downstairs the place was almost back in order. He met Kate coming up the stairs carrying a stack of towels. It struck him that she was a very attractive girl even though she was dressed for cleaning not going out. Dressed up she would be a stunner.

"Allow me," Dylan said taking the towels from her.

"From what Garret said they certainly had a time of it with a cigar smoking room mate," Kate commented while Garret put the towels away in the linen cupboard. "He even damaged some of the linens."

"I'm not looking forward to working out of town again," Dylan commented. "Ireland is home."

"You don't prefer England then?" Kate asked him.

"No, not really. I stayed at my sister's in London with my next youngest brother. Really Garret, Bradley and I prefer Ireland. We were raised partially in England."

"Which accounts for Irish boys with an English accent," she replied with a smile. "Are you joining us for dinner?"

"I'd love to. I can't imagine Garret has the icebox well stocked. I tend to be the one that does the cooking and I don't fancy going to the grocers at the moment. What do you do with yourself, other than help my brother straighten out our digs?"

"I do a bit of secretarial work for my father. He's a horse breeder. I'm afraid our parents are terribly old fashioned. No university or occupations for their daughters, finishing school then straight home. They almost had a fit the first time Kyna went out with Garret without a chaperone, even though they took three of your younger siblings along with them. They only let her come down today since I'm along for chaperone. We'll be over to our aunt's tonight."

"They sound like some of our English relatives," Dylan replied with a smile as they returned to the sitting room.

-0-

"_I can see Sybil's fine finger in this," _Mary thought to herself as George introduced his fiancée down the line of relatives waiting to receive her at the Abbey. The girl was impeccably dressed in something Sybil had put together if Mary didn't miss her guess. The girl was certainly pretty enough. Mary couldn't help but wonder if she was interested in George to elevate herself in rank or if she legitimately had feelings for him. Trisha Strudwick's greetings were passable if they lacked the polish of someone raised with receiving lines and formal receptions. Sybil, Russell and their ward had arrived with Miss Strudwick to make up the remainder of the family party. Mary had wanted to invite a few of their old friends from around the estate, but George wouldn't hear of it. She wondered where her son had gotten his stubborn streak. It certainly had shown up since he'd gotten out of hospital. He wouldn't listen to one word about his personal life and he'd taken a notion to live in a chauffeur's cottage of all places.

"George had told me the house was rather large and that you don't live here except when there's a weekend party," Trisha was saying to Cora. Cora was walking beside her with the aid of a cane.

"It's slowly gone out of fashion to live in these large houses. When I came here as a bride we lived in the Abbey. Now we're only here for the occasional party," Cora replied. "It's still a lovely house, but quite different from my day."

"I'm very pleased you invited me, Lady Grantham," Trisha said.

"You need to learn the ropes if you're to be the next Lady Grantham," Cora said kindly. She patted Trisha's hand.

"George tells us you're a therapist," Elizabeth said as soon as the housekeeper had delivered the tea and left the room.

"Yes, that's how we met," Trisha said. She smiled at George. "The only one of the unmarried RAF patients who didn't try to get fresh."

"There are other patients aren't there?" Russell asked to try and help out. He knew how intimidating the Crawley clan could be. They were like an impenetrable wall behind a polite façade.

"Yes. I work at a civilian hospital. We have a number of civilian patients as well. Most at the moment are from the last of the London bombing raids," Trisha replied.

"Did the two of you fall in love at first sight?" Edith asked.

"Nothing so terribly romantic, Aunt," George replied with a smile. "I noticed Trisha right off. Then she put me through an ordeal of exercise that made me dread the very sight of her."

"Friends first, then sweethearts," Trisha added. She reached over and took George's gloved hand in hers. "So many of the men tell tall tales about their backgrounds, I didn't believe George for a second when he first told me he was a Lord."

"And when you found out he was telling the truth?" Anthony inquired. Mary and Edith were holding the polite façade and sitting straight in their chairs.

"Shocked at first," Trisha replied. "I wondered how such a lovely man could possibly be part of the aristocracy." She covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be my dear," Anthony said with a chuckle. "There are some of our lot that are quite dreadful, I assure you."

"What do have you on the agenda, Aunt Mary," Sybil asked to change the topic.

"Riding tour of the estate this afternoon, family dinner here tonight," Mary replied. "Market day in the village tomorrow, followed by swimming and a picnic dinner in the gardens and church on Sunday. Otherwise you're on your own. Young Violet has a full itinerary lined up for Bobby. I suppose the two of them are already off exploring."

"Violet's taken him down to see the fishing hole and feed the ducks," Michael commented. "She's the tiniest bit of a tom boy."

"Quite a bit more than a bit," Edith added.

"Can you manage the horse?" Trisha asked George with concern.

"I need a mounting block like an old woman, but otherwise I'm fine," George replied reassuringly.

Later that afternoon Mary was busy stewing.

"If I mention one thing about him not being able to manage something I get scolded, but his fiancée comes along and he reassures her everything is fine," Mary complained to Anthony.

"She expresses concern, you tell him what he can and cannot do," Anthony replied calmly. "No man likes to be dictated to."

"I do not," Mary replied indignantly.

"Let George make up his own mind, Mary. He's a fine young man and he's chosen a girl who obviously adores him and has for some time. He keeps saying what is under the clothing isn't overly appealing. You'll see for yourself tomorrow if you attend the swimming party. She doesn't seem to mind the scars and the glove one bit."

"I can't help but worry," Mary replied.

"You're a mother. It's your prerogative," her husband reassured her with a kiss on the forehead.

-0-

Anthony found his wife hiding behind a tree away from the main group late the next afternoon. He silently pulled her into his arms and let her cry.

"My poor baby boy," Mary sobbed against him.

"I think we can understand now some of what George has to say," Anthony said soothingly. Seeing the condition of George's arm, hand, leg and foot had been a sobering sight. The surgery had repaired a great deal of the damage but his skin was still a spider web of scars and some areas looked as though great chunks had been gouged out. "He's alive Mary and able to continue on. That's what counts."

"That stupid, stupid war," Mary cried.

"We didn't loose him," Anthony soothed stroking her hair. "Now dry your tears and put on a smile. You need to go back and make a very pretty girl who is polite and somewhat reserved into the next Countess of Grantham, even if she does lack the exact breeding. If anyone is up to the job it's you."

Mary nodded and dried her tears. She straightened the sundress she was wearing over her swimming costume. She went straight into the water as soon as she was back with the group to splash water at Edith's daughter and Bobby. George was sitting on a blanket with Trisha. He had on a pair of swim trunks and a short-sleeved shirt to cover the scars on his torso where they were the worst and protect his skin from the sun. He was carefully keeping himself in the shade.

"I think the two of you should think about getting married here. I don't see why Trisha's father couldn't come up and perform the ceremony if you really want him to," Edith commented to George and Trisha.

"Aunt Edith we don't want a huge wedding," George said.

"You can't get married without inviting at least a hundred," Edith said aghast.

"You got married with a family only wedding," George pointed out.

Edith's cheeks flushed slightly.

"There were circumstances as you well know," Edith replied. "Even with just family there were still thirty people or more. The town folk will have a street party and we can have the reception at the Abbey."

"We can't deprive the village from a street party," Trisha said with a twinkle in her eye. George took her hand in his.

"How many guests Aunt?" George said with a sigh.

"Mary if we only invite our closest friends to George's wedding how many do you think?" Edith called to her.

"If we drastically reduce the guest list and limit it to family and those we absolutely have to invite," Mary thought for a moment. She had come out of the water and was holding a towel to herself. "Two hundred possibly give or take fifty. I don't want to invite the Queen Mother. You know she has a terrible yen for antiques. We would be liable not to have one left when she was done."

"Mama, no royals," George said with a sigh.

"Isn't that what I just said," Mary replied archly.

"Think about it George," Edith said. "Just Sybil's parents, brothers and sisters, their children, spouses and girl friends make up thirty at least by themselves if they are all able to attend and that isn't counting distant cousins. There is easily another thirty or forty in that group. You're almost to a hundred before you add in Trisha's family."

"I'd like simple," George said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Mummy and Daddy's wedding lasted two days," Sybil commented. "Ours was simple, it was only a few hours and it was still very elegant."

"You didn't have a title to worry about," Mary pointed out.

"Only by the skin of my teeth," Russell piped up from where he was lying on a blanket getting warmed up in the sun on the far side of Trisha and Sybil. He generally didn't say much when he was with this part of Sybil's family.

"What do you think?" George asked Trisha.

"I think we should let your mother, aunt and grandmother do what they know best, but no two day wedding." Trisha replied. "You still get tired when you stand for too long. Can we agree to two hundred guests and allow them the rest of the choices. My only preference is that my father perform the service."

"Very well," George replied with a groan. "Can we make it fairly soon. I don't want a long engagement."

"We'll start the planning after dinner tonight," Edith said. "Mama will want to be included."

"I was planning to wear my mother's wedding dress," Trisha commented.

"Sybil will help you with the dress. Won't you dear?" Mary said.

"Certainly Aunt Mary," Sybil replied.

"Do I get any say in this?" Elizabeth asked. She had been sitting back not saying much.

"You can arrange the staff and the menu," her mother informed her.

"Mama, I do that at least once a week or more when there are weddings in," Elizabeth replied disdainfully.

"Then you'll have no issues coming up with something spectacular," Mary informed her.

"We're in for it now," George commented to Trisha.

"I love you and it will make your family happy," Trisha commented softly.

"Can we at least forgo the honeymoon tour," George asked.

"You can't mean to spend your honeymoon in a chauffeur's cottage," Mary said mortified.

"I find George's cottage quite lovely and somewhat romantic, Lady Gillingham," Trisha commented.

"Young people," Mary said in exasperation.

"They have their own ideas, my dear," Anthony said taking Mary's hand to lead her back to the water.

-0-

Russell Beldon walked into the building where his first lecture of the fall term was to be held. It was the start of the third term of his upgrade course. He didn't regret going back to school. It had given him something to think about instead of dwelling on his grief over the last year and made him feel as though he had a purpose. He hadn't managed to bow out of Sybil's fashion circle completely. He still went with her on Saturdays and weeknights when he was free. The whole thing was a lot easier to bear when he had something else to occupy his time. Dylan had been there last winter and she had drug him with her to more than one event as well. Dylan had complained bitterly when Sybil would only let him wear the suit she had made him to events and not everyday until he'd headed back to Ireland.

Sybil was doing well with her business and the sweater orders had worked out well. Camilla was shipping over ninety sweaters a year now for Maurice Rousseau's boutique plus the ones Sybil needed for her individual designs. She and Sybil exchanged drawings and once they had settled on a design, Camilla got to work on it.

Russell stopped dead in his tracks. "Gerald Bothwell. What in heavens are you doing here?" Russell said in astonishment.

"Putting some advice an old acquaintance gave me to use," Gerald replied. "I'm going to do my training properly and finish it this time. I heard through the grapevine about your daughter. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you for that," Russell said.

"What are you doing here yourself?"

"Upgrading to nursing instructor," Russell replied.

"You always were a go getter. I'm married now to Beth Wilson, Bothwell now. Do you remember her from your original training?"

"Congratulations. I remember her quite well. I hope you'll be very happy together," Russell replied. He was thinking there couldn't be a better match under the sun. "I best get to my class. Wouldn't do to be late the first day."

"Likewise," Gerald replied. "Take care of yourself."

"Beth Bothwell," Russell said under his breath and then shuddered. It sounded like a bad joke but at the same time he wished the pair of them well. He hoped for Gerald's sake Beth had decided to stick to one man. He made a mental note to check the roster at any hospital he would be working at to make sure he avoided her at all costs. Redmond had been right about that one when they were younger to a fault.

Chapter 71 – Family

Hans Meyer sat with his face in his hands just before Christmas 1947. _"How could she have known?"_ he asked himself. _"There was no way anyone could have known." _His violin from his days with the Berlin Symphony lay on the desk in front of him. It had come in a parcel with no return address. The only thing to say where it had originated from was a postmark from Venice. Hope's words of a year and half before rattled around in his head. _"Your sister lives in a place with lots of water with peppermint sticks sticking out." _It was a child's description of Venice. The violin had to have come from his sister there was no other explanation.

Over the summer there had been many newspaper articles about the symphony in Vienna and the rebuilding of the music culture that was ongoing. He'd gain quite a bit of notoriety in the press as a concert violinist as well. His sister must have seen his name in a newspaper and decided to send his violin to him. It was strange that she would have kept it. Frieda had never been a sentimental person, but she had held onto his violin. She had worked at German high command. She had to be living under a false name and afraid of arrest. She had taken a chance in sending him the instrument but with no return address or letter included there was no way to trace her and no name to search for her by.

The Vienna symphony had still existed through the war but the seats had gone to card carrying Nazis and been based on political persuasion rather than talent. As they had come out of the woodwork to audition for seats the team he worked with rejected the majority of them on professional grounds and tried to avoid the political. Just the other day they had a fourth chair cellist who had been first chair during the war was carted off for _denazification_, in other words at least two years of prison for subversion. As the police had taken the man away one of the musicians who had spent the war in England had blurted out, "bloody stupid blockhead," in English. Which had made those who spoke English laugh then immediately turn their minds to how they would fill the seat.

Every city that had been a music center in Europe was struggling to rebuild, Rome had lost most of the operatic societies. Many of the major cities had lost conservatories and symphonies. They were better off than most as they could get strings for the instruments sent from England but it took a long time. Some cities didn't have that much.

He looked at the violin lying on his desk again. He picked it up, tuned it and played a few notes. It was like silk to his ears. It was an old instrument with a deep rich tone that only came from years and years of being played. He couldn't believe it was back in his possession.

As he walked back to his flat from the concert hall that evening his mind couldn't help but turn back to Hope. She'd known. He'd humored her and half believed she was talking to her angels. He been a grown up about the whole thing and thought there must be a rational explanation for the things she said. Now he believed without a doubt her visitors had been there to watch over her.

He'd heard from Rose and Tom and received a package with a wool sweater and scarf in it. Bradley was engaged and continuing his studies at Cambridge. His fiancée was studying there as well but they were waiting to get married and lodging separately. The family had been to England for a large wedding for the burned flier who had been at the hospital where they had done the fashion show. Dylan and Garret both had girlfriends. It was the longest Dylan had ever stayed with one girl and they were expecting an engagement announcement any day. Davin was now the owner of a veterinarian practice. The younger children were all busy with this and that.

The letter had made Hans feel as though he was in a rut. He was thirty-one years old and his career was moving along at a dizzying pace, but his personal life was a mess. He'd dated two women over the last year and both had fizzled out after a few dates. He wasn't content anymore to go through the motions. He wanted a deeper connection and it just wasn't happening. He'd felt that connection once with a married woman. It was a waste of time thinking about her and what couldn't be, but it didn't stop him from wanting the type of relationship that went beyond words to an intimate level of understanding.

He had to admit after a year and a half in Vienna he was home sick for Ireland and his adopted family there. He got to his flat and didn't bother to turn on the light. He put one violin case on the table and took the other in his hand. He would go down the street to a café where musicians gathered and sometimes played for the crowd. If no one else was there tonight, he would entertain the patrons and maybe share a meal with someone from the neighborhood. He'd visited Vienna when he was a boy with his parents. He could still remember the music pouring out of open doors. It had seemed to hang in the air like something you could taste. It was what had prompted him to become a musician in the first place. For tonight the music in his small part of town would flow through the street even if just for a few hours.

-0-

Tom sat back Christmas Day and watched the children while they set up a board game they had received as a gift. It seemed like just yesterday they had come through the door as babies and here they were with Declan already nine with an assortment of ages down to Niall at five. The three dogs were lying by the tree watching the goings on. Tom shook his head at times when they'd wound up with three dogs. Trix was old but still going. She would come out to the fields with them if they took a cart and then join in the herding with the younger two dogs. It was almost as if she were telling them "_This is how it's done. I may be older and slower than you, but I still know more about sheep." _

Declan had taken the two younger dogs to two of the trials in the autumn and had a pair of second and third place ribbons in the junior classes to show for his efforts. Lorcan still wasn't growing very fast but he was a demon for speed and could ride like the wind. Rory was crazy for all things horse and had been over to Garret and Dylan's girlfriend's parents more than once to see the horses when the older boys went over to see their girl friends. At the moment Garret was helping the children with their game while Dylan was in the kitchen with Rose putting the pheasant in the oven. The staff had all gone to visit family for a few days. It didn't look like Sean and Aednat were going to be able to have children. Personally Tom thought they should adopt one or two and be done with it. In his world children seemed to keep coming through the door whether they were your own or not.

There had been another family on the estate that had lost the parents without relatives to take the children this last summer. Tuberculosis was still rampant in Ireland. By the time the victims sought medical attention it was usually too late. It had taken some talking around but he'd finally managed to get one of the better families to take the three children. They'd been at mass last night with the two little boys scrubbed and pressed sitting with their new parents. The youngest was just a baby and wearing the laciest dress Tom had ever seen while the nanny jiggled the little girl to keep her happy. It might not be the life the parents had envisioned for their children, but it was one not in an orphanage, with plenty to eat, decent clothes to wear and the promise of an education.

Their own two girls didn't seem to have any distinct interests yet. They were happy learning to cook with the other children, doing their lessons and attempting small jumps during their riding lessons. Aisling had taken to the violin and Ysuelt seemed to be making out with basic piano lessons. Niall had gotten ahold of Bradley's old recorder and could play a passable tune. He had caught Bradley's love of fishing and the outdoors this last summer when the boys had come home for a visit. Digging for worms had become the boy's pastime much to Rose's dismay and Bradley's delight. Tom was thanking his lucky stars none of the younger boys were old enough to take his motorcycle apart yet. It was the one thing about parenting that had always irked him. They could dig for worms, wear his boots when they'd misplaced their own or sneak into a pub when they were underage and it didn't bother him one bit, but the moment they started taking apart his motorcycle, it drove him around the bend. He'd never let on to Redmond that it bothered him.

Redmond was the one Tom was worried about at the moment. Sybil had teased him he missed the boat with Trisha at George's wedding. Redmond had smiled slowly and there had been a hint of sadness in his eyes. He'd given his standard reply that he was busy with work and his children and didn't have time to pursue a relationship. Tom knew only too well the guilt Redmond was going through and the pain of grief from the loss of a wife. He couldn't talk to Redmond about it. The second anything was mentioned about Sarah or him finding a new wife he clammed up. A number of women had approached Redmond at the wedding reception. He'd been polite but distant. There was a shortage of men in post war England. All around when they'd been to the wedding there were pregnant women whose husbands had returned home and the church had been booked solid with weddings. There were plenty of young widows and women at a loose end. Redmond seemed distracted from it all. He clearly wasn't ready to find a new relationship. He was only twenty-nine years old. There was still plenty of time for him to find someone. Tom just hoped he didn't leave it too late.

"I've saved a special package for when we were all here," Rose said that night once dinner was finished and they were all back in the drawing room ready to sing Christmas Carols. Davin and Camilla were visiting overnight. Rose produced a box from a high shelf still wrapped in brown postal paper with Austrian stamps and Hans return address on it. "Who gets to do the honors," she said.

"Garret and Niall," Davin said quickly. "The two babies."

"Garret isn't a baby," Lorcan said quickly.

"He was my baby brother until you lot came along," Davin replied ruffling Lorcan's hair.

"You can all help," Garret said. He took the parcel from his mother. The younger group including Davin and Camilla's two crowded around. Garret made a prolonged effort out of opening the parcel with each child getting to take off a piece of tape.

"Garret you're torturing us," Rory complained. Garret laughed and moved on to the next one in line. When the box was finally open it was full of items carefully wrapped in tissue.

"Everyone sit down and you can each open one if you're careful," Garret said. "Then we'll open the larger part.

The children unwrapped the items slowly to reveal delicately carved pieces of a wooden nativity set.

"They're beautiful," Camilla commented.

Garret unwrapped the manger that had a span of wood over the top with places for candles.

"It's lovely," Rose added. "We'll get a cloth and set it up on the piano."

"Can I come with you to see the horses tomorrow?" Rory asked as he crawled onto Dylan's lap. Aisling and Niall had already squashed themselves into a chair with Tom.

"I need a bit of time on my own with Kate," Dylan replied. "How do you expect me to ever get a kiss if you're around all the time."

"Eeew," Rory exclaimed.

"You're not to old for a kiss from Mummy," Rose said. She leaned over and kissed Rory then Dylan once the nativity was set up.

"Time for a few songs," Garret proclaimed.

"I'll join you," Davin commented. He produced his flute case from behind the sofa.

"I'm surprised you still play," Tom said.

"Best thing for getting two fractious little ones to fall asleep," Davin replied with a wink.

"_Who could ever be lonely in this house?"_ Tom thought as they sang familiar songs and built up a store of memories for another year.

-0-

Nigel Hawkington sat with his eyes closed in Redmond's sitting room. When things got too much for him he would close his eyes and listen to the sounds around him and let his mind rest. The clock on the mantel ticked loudly. The rain pattered on the roof and the panes of glass in the windows rattled slightly when the raindrops hit them. Beyond that he could hear the sound of the boiler heating the water for the radiators and the sound of the metal expanding slightly as the heat was delivered to the room.

He had been in hospital two years after being a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp. He'd been worked and starved almost to death. Men had died in droves around him. The Japanese had given them little choice, work or be beheaded. He'd estimated he probably had another month before the end when the camp was liberated. The Americans had arrived, loaded those who could no longer walk onto stretchers and processed them through in under a day to a hospital in Manilla. He'd been there over a year, then to a hospital ship for another stint at a hospital just outside of Oxford. He was having a hard time readjusting. He couldn't remember most of his time in the camp. The smell of the jungle and humidity seemed to be stuck inside his head coupled with the disinfectant odor of a hospital. It was only in quiet moments like this he could focus on the sounds and then the smells of a normal English life that he could dispel the sense of dread that seemed to permeate his quiet moments.

Nanny was back from getting the children to school and making a cup of tea. He could hear her moving about in the kitchen and the clink of the china as she took it from the cupboard. The tea had an earthy odor that was somehow distinctly something of home that he had missed during the three years as a prisoner. He opened his eyes and went through to the kitchen to give Nanny Grace a hand. Redmond had gone into the hospital early for surgery. He would go in to join him later for rounds. It had been five years since he practiced medicine. He had barely finished his residency when he was taken prisoner. He wasn't even sure if he could still be a doctor. Coming to stay with Redmond at his invitation had seemed like a good idea and a way to ease himself back into things and decide if it was still what he wanted to do.

"Dr. Hawkington. I can bring the tea through. There was no need to trouble yourself," Nanny Grace said. Nigel looked thin and worn to her. There were streaks of grey in his hair and the robust young man she remembered from her days shepherding medical students at Evans House when she first worked for Mr. Beldon was gone. She still thought of the men who had gone through the house as her boys and to see him as a shadow of his former self made her heart bleed.

"No trouble, Nanny, I need to move around a bit," Nigel replied.

"Will you be going home to Leeds soon?" Nanny inquired once they had taken a seat with their tea and biscuits.

"My parents have both passed on and my brother and sister have both moved on as well," Nigel replied. "There's no sense in going back to Leeds now."

"Times do change," Nanny Grace commented.

"How about yourself? Any plans for retirement?" Nigel inquired.

"This is my retirement," Nanny Grace replied. "I've been with the children since they were born. There is no sense in moving on. Dr. Branson has offered me the post for life and I've accepted. They'll take me from these children feet first."

"Dr. Branson tells me Lady Astrid is engaged to his brother Bradley. It's hard to think of either of them as anything but children. Bradley was always splashing about in the water or trying to catch a fish when I knew him."

"My first charges could very well be grandparents by now," Nanny Grace replied. "Time keeps moving on. I'll be almost eighty if I last long enough to see these two grown and married. You'll need to think about getting yourself settled and finding a wife."

Nigel smiled. "I've never met a girl yet who'd have me," he replied. "First I need to get my career sorted out a bit, then I'll think about the rest of it."

"Just don't think about it too long or you'll wind up with none," Nanny Grace said knowingly. She'd played it straight laced and been the proper servant with no young men when she was a young girl. Now she thought how foolish she had been in her youth. There had been more than one young man who had caught her eye, but she hadn't accepted their advances and invitations and wound up an old lady taking care of other people's children. It was what the cards had dealt her and it wasn't a bad life. She had two children to raise and a young man who was her employer who needed a bit of mothering from time to time himself. Life could be worse.

Chapter 72 – A New Start

"I had forgotten about this place," Nigel commented as he and Redmond arrived for the weekend at Hadley Hall.

"It's not exactly the same as it was before the military was here. The grounds have had quite a few changes from the old days. My sister still insists on growing vegetables in the gardens during the summer. She's busy feeding veg to everyone they know in London half the year."

"They don't know how lucky they are," Nigel commented distractedly.

The children made their way to the nursery to play as soon as they were in the door and Nanny went up to get settled and have a rest. Redmond's family was over to Sybil and Russell's often enough they made themselves at home. The trip over had been a typical cold soggy February day. The adults all moved into the library for a warm drink. George and Trisha were down with Elizabeth. Bradley and Astrid had managed to get a weekend to come home as well.

"You're grown up," Nigel blurted out in surprise when he saw Bradley.

"I would say," Bradley replied with a smile while he shook Nigel's hand. "You remember Lady Elizabeth and my fiancée Lady Astrid don't you?"

"I can hardly believe it," Nigel replied as he greeted the women.

"Believe it," Elizabeth said. She brushed Nigel's cheek with a kiss. George introduced him to Trisha.

"You've all changed so much," Nigel said again slightly shocked.

"Tick tock, says the clock," Elizabeth quipped. Everyone laughed. "I for one am quite glad to be grown up."

They visited for a time before Sybil took the women off to look through the latest items Camilla had sent over, plus the scarves gloves and sweaters the women had ordered. Elizabeth had a shrewd eye when it came to money. She wasn't about to pay full price in the boutiques when she could buy direct from a supplier. Trisha was learning the ropes of wearing couture clothing without having to pay full price. She was still astonished by the amount of clothing she was expected to have, but Sybil and Elizabeth were helping her with the nuisances of combining basic items to create new looks and getting by with less.

"Have you thought about where you're going to apply yet?" Russell asked Nigel once the men were alone.

"Not yet. I've finally caught up on journals. I'm feeling a bit out of the loop," Nigel replied. "I really don't have that much practical experience in orthopedics since everything came to a halt five years ago with the battle of Singapore."

"I know the feeling," Russell said. "I took a year off then felt completely lost. While I was away it was get the job done. We weren't as worried about the latest developments. It was back to the books for me. I'll have that finished up this spring then make a decision."

"I'm only too glad Elizabeth is involved in the business side of things," George commented. "I'm free to run the farms and get myself up to speed. Another few years and Papa and Uncle Michael will be retired. Our younger brother has decided to read law."

"Edward always was the one to think about money and contracts," Redmond commented.

"He's planning to work at the hotel this summer and start learning the estate he will inherit," George added.

"You shouldn't have any problem finding a post when you decide to put your oar back in," Redmond said to Nigel. "The continent has created a vortex in the medical profession. They've hired so many away there aren't enough to fill the posts. Da tells me they've been advertising for a second doctor for over a year, but no luck yet on finding a doctor for a rural practice."

"There are good schools in Ireland aren't there?" Nigel inquired.

"There are some excellent medical schools, but the issues are much the same as here," Bradley commented. "Most stay in the cities or the lure of better pay else where takes the younger men away."

"A country practice where it's nice and quiet almost sounds like heaven," Nigel commented.

"Sounds like a place where there are plenty of babies being born, which is anything but quiet," Redmond replied with a chuckle.

"Obstetrics is my least favorite part of the job," Bradley commented.

"Anyone up for a game of billiards?" Russell asked.

"I can still beat you, George," Redmond ribbed him.

"Not anymore. My left sits still as a rock for balancing the cue. You'll have a devil of a time beating me now," George replied.

"I should have given you a built in tremor," Redmond teased.

"Might have been useful for mixing martinis," George joked with a grin.

-0-

Tom got to the station in plenty of time to meet the train. It had stopped raining yesterday and the roads had dried out slightly. There were times he wanted to bring the car, but petrol was too dear. He had bundled up against the cold and set out to pick up the new associate doctor for the clinic. He could hardly believe it when Redmond had contacted him with Nigel Hawkington as a candidate. Garth McGuire was moving over in another two months and had taken care of the interview and checking Nigel's credentials in England.

Tom was shocked when he greeted Nigel Hawkington when he stepped off the train. The last time Tom had seen him he was a young man in his mid twenties in good physical condition and in the prime of his life. The man he was today looked thin and to be somewhere in his mid forties although Tom knew he had to be somewhere in his early thirties.

"Hello, Nigel," Tom greeted him. "I'm still surprised you decided to come over and join our small clinic. There's no flash of the big city around here."

"It sounds peaceful," Nigel replied shaking Tom's hand. "I think I can deal with a few babies being born, the odd broken arm and a host of upset tummies. The doctor you have here wrote there are regular clinics and lectures at the hospital in town. It sounds like a good fit for someone who is a bit out of practice."

"You'll find the people in these parts a bit leery of strangers. Once they get to know and trust you they'll take you into their hearts. Don't be surprised if they don't try to feed you up and marry you off first thing."

"Lovely countryside from what I saw from the train," Nigel commented.

"Tis beautiful. Quite a few tourists about in the summer," Tom replied. He showed Nigel to the buggy he had brought to retrieve him. "There are quite a few differences here from England. Petrol is harder to get and more expensive so you'll find most use horses to get around. A motorcycle works well to get somewhere in a hurry without burning up too much fuel. You'll be covering a large area over three estates, but Dr. Reigler will bring you up to speed on all that. He'll have something worked out I'm sure."

"I'm looking forward to getting started. Redmond mentioned you were responsible for getting the clinic started here."

"Partly," Tom replied. "There were quite a few involved in setting it up and still more in the ongoing fundraising and upkeep. It's a point of community pride to contribute to the clinic. How are Redmond, Sybil and Bradley?"

"Busy with life," Nigel replied with a smile. "It's hard to believe Bradley is a doctor now and doing a residency in neurology. He and Lady Astrid were getting ready to do a lecture at Cambridge for her faculty on her experiences with dyslexia."

"Wait until you see Garret. He's grown and independent to a fault. He and Dylan are chasing a pair of sisters on the neighboring estate. They're out every chance they can get. Garret took a notion to go to university early the same as Redmond. He was out the door at sixteen and hasn't looked back."

"You're family has grown?"

"It has. We have five grandchildren and six more ourselves." Tom laughed at the look of shock on Nigel's face. "Adopted, not natural." He added with a chuckle.

"I was wondering," Nigel said with a rueful smile. It didn't take long to cover the five miles from the train station. A group of women came pouring out the door of the cottage that had been prepared for the younger doctor's arrival.

"Here we are," Tom said. "You're new digs. You're right across the way from the clinic. The Riegler's cottage is to the right across the lane. Looks like the Ladies Auxiliary is out in force to welcome you."

"Lady Rose, how nice to see you," Nigel said once he was down from the buggy. There was a crowd of ten women waiting to welcome him. He spotted a man he thought must be the doctor wearing a white lab coat heading over from the clinic across the street.

"Mrs. Branson. We're in Ireland," Rose corrected. "It's so good of you to come to our small corner of the world Nigel." She introduced the ladies of the auxiliary. The mix of upper class and country accents in the group surprised Nigel, but then as Mrs. Branson had pointed out they were in Ireland and Mr. Branson had hinted they had their own way of doing things on the estate.

"Well now, you look like you need fattening up," Mrs. Sheahan said the moment she was introduced to the new doctor. Nigel's eyes opened slightly wider when half the group of women's heads nodded in agreement. Lady Rose was off to the side with a knowing smile on her face.

"There isn't a Mrs. Hawkington, is there?" another of the women inquired.

"No, I'm on my own," Nigel replied.

"He'll need meals and introductions around ladies," Mrs. Sheahan informed the group. "Now don't you worry young man, we'll fix you right up in no time. Do you like blondes, redheads or brunettes? Redheads are the easiest in these parts."

"I beg your pardon," Nigel stammered.

"Ladies, I must show my new associate around first. Time enough for the social introductions in a few days," Dr. Reigler informed the group.

Tom helped Rose into the buggy with a grin on his face.

"We'll leave you to get settled," Tom said. "Dinner at our place tonight at seven."

"Oh, Tom, the poor thing. He hasn't even seen his lodgings yet," Rose said with a smile once they were well out of earshot.

"He won't have a chance to dwell on the past or any of his own troubles between work and that lot match making," Tom replied still smiling. "From the looks of him they're exactly what he needs."

-0-

Russell Beldon collected his satchel at the end of his lecture and headed to the medical library at the college. He had another month to go on his upgrade course and then he would decide what to do with his career. Nigel's visit almost three months before was weighing heavy on his mind. Nigel had been a shadow of his former self and had aged well over ten years past his real age. Nigel had never been loud but now he was quiet and withdrawn. They'd lost many of their close friends in the war and seeing those like George who would be scared for the rest of their lives was difficult. Nigel had even been more so. Whatever had happened to him during his captivity had left great gaping holes in his memory of anything to do with the majority of his imprisonment. The day he'd been taken prisoner had been blotted out of his memory and there was nothing much until he'd woken up in a hospital in Manilla. Whatever had gone on at the hands of the Japanese had been horrific enough it had caused long lasting physiological scars as well as aging the man a good ten years.

Russell spoke to the librarian at the desk to inquire if there were any articles on the treatment of prisoners released from the Japanese POW camps.

"There isn't much in the medical journals," the woman replied. "A few articles have been published on the treatment of edema due to starvation. I'm afraid it's still too soon for many of the more scholarly works. There are a number of articles though in some of the American magazines we carry on the non-medical side of the library. They may be able to shed some light on the information you're looking for."

She went to retrieve the medical journals and the magazines.

"Please leave the material on the trolley for shelving when you're finished with them," the librarian said. "All of the materials are reference and not available for loan."

"Thank you for your assistance," Russell replied. He went to find a table where he could sit and do his reading.

Nigel's visit had made him feel his own mortality acutely. He'd made love to his wife more often. It was a way to affirm that he was indeed alive and had something to live for. He'd dealt with some horrible cases in Holland but they had been minor compared to the shape Nigel must have been in. Last month he'd brought up the topic with Sybil of having another child. She hadn't thought it was a good idea after Hope inheriting the family heart problems. She hadn't wanted to listen to the possibility of another child being born free of it. In Sybil's own siblings Garret had no sign of a heart murmur, Bradley only the faintest tick when he was over tired and Sybil had no sign of any problems. Dylan, Davin and Redmond had murmurs but Redmond and Dylan's were completely under control through diet and Davin was avoiding problems by sticking to his diet and guarding against colds. Russell was planning to bring the topic up again in a few months once Sybil had a bit of time to think it over.

He laid out the articles and started with the medical journals. They were clinical descriptions of swelling from malnourishment and a syndrome to do with pains in the feet with an unknown cause and no clear diagnosis. Other articles dealt with malaria and the treatment of a number of other tropical diseases that had been discovered and named with limited results from different treatments. Russell sighed as he finished with the journal articles. It didn't paint a pretty picture. The majority of the articles had estimates of how many allied prisoners had been suffering from the different conditions. There wasn't a one that wasn't suffering from malnourishment and the majority of the other conditions were prevalent as well.

Nothing prepared him for what he found when he read the articles in the magazines. The majority of allied prisoners were suffering from memory problems. It was believed the Alexander Hospital in Singapore had only four survivors from all the staff and patients. The Japanese had bayonetted every last one. There were accounts of human experimentation and work camps where the prisoners had been worked to death. One article that had been reprinted from an Australian publication noted doctors who had attempted to aid other prisoners and spoken up against the treatment had been ritually beaten and fared worse than other prisoners. There were further accounts of camps that had been liberated in other parts of Asia where the prisoners and the guards had been starved from lack of supplies. Men had been reduced to animals and little was known about how they had survived.

Russell put the magazines down with shaking hands. There had been a great deal said about what had been found in Germany. British troops had been amongst the liberators and the stories had made it back. The concentration camps had been widely publicized with the trials, but this. It was largely an American operation that had dealt with the surrender and military occupation. The stories weren't coming through as much and those that had survived were in no condition to relate what had happened to them.

Nigel Hawkington had been a young man when he'd been sent to Singapore. The ship Russell had been on had been captured by the Japanese late in the war as well. He wondered if those he had worked with had survived. If they were still alive what kind of shape were they in today. If not for an ear infection he could have very well wound up in exactly the same situation. The entire thing was a shock and made his head swim.

He stood up, collected the journals and magazines and returned them to the cart. He buttoned his overcoat and turned his collar up against the cold rain that was coming down in sheets outside. He was going to miss the train if he didn't get a move on. Walking under his umbrella in the rain, made Russell feel as though he were incased in his own cocoon of dry in a world that had gone crazy. His mind couldn't help but turn over what he had learned. _"Could the things people thought up to do to each other get any worse," _he thought while he waited for a break in the traffic to cross the street.


	39. Coming Home Part XIX

Coming Home - Part XIX - Chapter 73 and Epilogue

Chapter 73 – Full Circle

"_Change is everywhere. Does it ever stop,"_ Sybil thought to herself as she walked back to her parent's home from Nigel Hawkington's wedding. Bobby, Niall and the other boys were off to get changed for yet another fishing adventure. It was an afternoon wedding with a luncheon reception at the church hall where people could drop in to offer the couple their best wishes. It had been just over a year since Sybil's husband hurrying to catch a train on a rainy day in London had stepped out into the street and been struck by a taxi. Russell had been rushed to hospital but he had never regained consciousness and died two days later. She had thought they were back on track at last. They had both survived the war and struggled through the early days when they were reunited when it had seemed like they had grown apart and didn't know each other anymore. Their shared grief at the loss of their daughter had brought them closer. Life had seemed bright and full of promise once again. They had even been throwing the idea back and forth about having more children. She had been resisting but was almost ready to try again, then tragedy had struck and she was thrown into a pit of grief, meetings with lawyers and settling the estate.

People had come to stay and gone barely registering in Sybil's consciousness. She and Astrid had each inherited half of the estate. Bobby and Russell's father were both left a considerable allowance to ensure a secure future and there had been a bequest to a medical research fund for pediatric cardiology research. None of it had really registered with Sybil. Colleen was taking care of the business and was more than capable of running things until Sybil decided what she was going to do. Redmond had been approached to head up the reconstructive surgery department and burn ward at St. James Hospital in Dublin. He'd come over for the interview in January and moved over with the children and Nanny Grace in June when the children finished their year of school. Sybil had come over with Bobby in January and they hadn't returned to London.

Despite her grief the world in 1949 kept moving on. Today Nigel had gotten married to a local girl. Dylan and Garret were getting married in a double wedding in another six weeks. Garret had been offered a teaching position at the university and decided to take it. Dublin was his home. He had no desire to go running off to another country to for his career. He wrote music, taught private students and performed as a soloist at concerts and benefits through out the region. He was happy right where he was.

Dylan, the brother who no one had ever thought would settle down had fallen for Kate in a big way. She was an old fashioned girl and didn't let him get away with a thing. They had decided to share the house in Dublin with Garret and Kyna as a home base and travel wherever Dylan's job as an architect took them.

"Penny for your thoughts," Tom said as he came into the kitchen to join Sybil.

"I was just thinking about change and how things are moving along," Sybil said.

"I learned long ago you can't stop it," her father replied. "The sun rises and sets and nothing ever stays the same."

"Astrid wrote they're thinking about getting married at Christmas," Sybil said. She turned and put her arms around her father's waist. "I feel like I've lived a lifetime and I'm not even half way yet."

"None of us know what our lifetime will be and it's a good thing we don't," her father replied. "Things do get better. It takes time but they do."

"Another month and I'll have to head back to England and get Bobby back into his school," Sybil said with a sigh. "He'll be old enough for flying lessons next summer. He still wants to learn to fly a plane and I can't see a reason to stop him."

"No reason at all," Tom replied patting her back. He looked out the window and spotted the boys leading the horses from the stable. They had them at the blocks and were mounting bareback. "I better get out there and remind Lorcan no racing. Talk about a short life. That one will break his neck one of these days. Danger and caution don't enter into his vocabulary."

"He's a bit like Mummy, wouldn't you say," Sybil said smiling at her father suddenly.

"Too much so," Tom replied with raised eyebrows as he headed to the back door to remind the boys about privileges and consequences.

"Things change, but they stay the same," Sybil said out loud. She went into the dining room and got out a bolt of fabric and patterns for shirts she was making for the younger boys for next winter. They were all so close in age they went through enough clothes that by the time things got to Niall they were pretty well worn out. Bobby could use a few for fall as well. Aisling came and sat on a chair. She smoothed out the pattern pieces and handed Sybil the pins as she worked. Sybil let her cut some of the straight lines.

"I like sewing," Aisling said.

"I've always found it relaxing," Sybil replied. "The minute Dylan finds out I'm back to sewing he'll be trying to talk me into a bunch of new clothes. Is Mummy back from the hall yet?"

"No, she's still there with Ysuelt," Aisling replied.

Sybil was almost done cutting out the third shirt when they heard a knock at the front door.

"I wonder who that could be," Sybil commented.

"Don't know. I can answer it," Aisling said. "Mrs. O'Rinn is visiting at the wedding. She'll be there all day."

"No I had best answer it," Sybil replied. "Daddy is out back somewhere."

Sybil set down her things and headed for the front door. She opened the door and looked up into a pair of blue eyes that were as clear as the sky.

"Hans. What are you doing here?" Sybil exclaimed in surprise.

"I was auditioning musicians in London. I came for a few days for a surprise," he replied with a smile.

Sybil didn't know if the sun had broken through the clouds or if it was his smile that had suddenly lightened her heart.

"Welcome home," she said. She stepped out the door and straight into his arms.

"Daddy," Aisling called as she ran outside. "There's a man at the front door. He's kissing Sybil."

Tom frowned and set down the bucket of feed he was using to fill the feeders for the chickens and pheasants. He took Aisling by the hand and headed around the corner of the house.

"It's Hans," Tom said to Aisling. "He's come home."

_Epilogue_

Easter Monday 1959 dawned bright and clear. Tom Branson was sixty-nine years old. He and his wife who was now fifty-seven were staying with their son Redmond and his wife, Anna who Remond had met and married after only six weeks eight years ago. Ysuelt and Aisling who were both sixteen were staying with Redmond as well. Niall and Lorcan were staying with Garret and Kyna and had most likely left for the track at Fairyhouse in County Meath on the first train at 5:30 in the morning. The two other boys Declan and Rory had stayed over with the horse they had entered in the Irish Grand National. The boys had pooled their money and bought a horse, Rory and Declan had trained it. Lorcan was the jockey.

Lorcan never had grown very much. At four feet eleven inches and ninety-eight pounds or seven stone he was the perfect height and weight for the sport. He'd never slowed down one bit and had a lean athleticism about him that made him strong and light. He'd started working as an exercise boy at the track when he had turned fourteen. He'd apprenticed and received his jockey's license two years later. He had wanted to quit school and there had been a family row. Camilla had finally stepped in and convinced him to stay in school and take bookkeeping and business classes. She pointed out that a jockey was self employed and needed to know how to keep records, manage money and treat the job as a business. Lorcan was now almost twenty and would be finished a two-year business and bookkeeping course this spring. He had plenty of rides lined up for the summer. He was well on his way in his career as a professional athlete.

The boys had gotten the bright idea to enter their own horse in the Irish Grand National and Tom had told them repeatedly it was a long shot and a bad investment, but nothing would deter them. Their horse was such a long shot it wasn't required to carry extra weight. It hadn't discouraged the boys one bit. They had a grand scheme in their heads that one day they would raise enough money collectively they would buy a place and have their own breeding and training operation.

It made Tom shake his head more than once. Declan was a farmer through and through. He'd already been offered Tom's old job as Estate Manager when he finished Agricultural College in another year. Rory was horse crazy as ever and planning to make his way as a trainer. The girls were going to become teachers and would start their university courses in the fall. Niall was looking like he was going to follow in Davin's footsteps and become a veterinarian. He still had another year of secondary school. If it didn't work out he would most likely head to Agricultural College to study animal husbandry. Every last one of them had no interest in leaving Ireland or ever living in a city.

"I wish Sybil and Bradley were here to cheer the boys on," Rose commented as they were getting ready to leave for the track.

"Sybil and Hans are busy with their lives and our two grand children in Austria, as you well know," Tom replied. "It's a wonder Bradley, Bobby and Astrid didn't pile in that plane of Bobby's and fly over for the weekend."

"Astrid can't get away from the school at the drop of a hat and Bradley said he was on call this month at the hospital," Rose replied with a sigh. "Bobby is busy with some horticultural show display coming up this spring. We'll send pictures."

"I've been retired for four years and I still feel like I'm caught in a whirl wind," Tom commented.

"Life isn't boring, Da," Redmond said putting his hand on his father's shoulder. "Fifty to one odds should prove interesting. Either Lorcan will have Morning Mist miles out front or be running at the back of the pack eating mud."

"I never could get him to slow down," Tom said. "Now he's making a career out of it."

They made it to the track and found a place for the larger group in the stands. It wasn't long before Garret, Dylan , Davin and their wives and children joined them.

"I don't know how you can all be so calm," Redmond's wife, Fiona exclaimed. They were two minutes into the race and the horses hadn't started to move out of the starting pack yet. Lorcan had moved the horse he was riding up to fifth position and was holding him there for the first part of the race as they had planned.

"I've never watched Lorcan in a race before," Rose replied. "I'm always afraid he's going to break his neck."

Half way through the race, mud was flying and the brightly colored silks weren't looking as bright anymore as the horses and riders were becoming covered with mud. Lorcan had moved Morning Mist up and was running the horse in third position.

"I don't think I can watch," Kate said. She had her program balled in her gloved hands. Dylan, Tom, Garret, Davin, Redmond and the two younger girls and Davin's children were on their feet cheering Lorcan on at the top of their voices.

"You're going to be hoarse," Rose scolded. Her warning fell on deaf ears. Her three younger sons were at the rail. She could see them cheering their brother on the same as the group in the stands.

At the six-minute mark, Lorcan had the horse vying with two others for second and third position.

"He bloody knows what he's doing. Come on son. Show them what you're worth," Tom yelled.

With three hurdles left to go, Lorcan moved the horse up to second position. The men, their two daughters and all three of their daughters-in-law were cheering so loud Rose had to clap her hands over her ears to keep from going deaf. Rose was suddenly on her feet as the horses and riders headed for the finish line. Lorcan had Morning Mist neck and neck with the lead horse.

"Come on, son," Rose yelled with the others. Tom looked at her with a huge smile. He looked back to the course to see Lorcan finish in second place, only a few feet behind the winner. He looked down at the rails to see his youngest three sons with their arms around each other jumping up and down cheering.

"Drat," Rose said. She sat down with an unladylike thump.

"Would you look at that," Dylan exclaimed. He was pointing at the board with the payouts for the tickets. Morning Mist had taken second place with fifty to one odds. The tickets they were all holding were worth a considerable chunk of change. Lorcan rode by the grandstand cooling the horse. He was standing in the stirrups with a huge smile on his face waving his crop in the air.

Declan and Niall came scrambling through the crowd pushing their way to the family. Rory was at the paddock waiting for Lorcan to bring the horse in.

"Mummy, Da," Declan exclaimed. "He did it, he bloody did it. We're bleeding rich. We've got the stake."

"But Lorcan lost the race," Rose said in confusion.

"Second place, Mummy," Naill said. "We just took a thirty percent cut of the purse. First takes fifty percent, second takes thirty and third takes twenty. It's more than enough to get our own place and get us set up. Everybody and his dog will want Rory as their trainer and Lorcan as a jockey. It's everything we've ever dreamed."

"Come on, everyone down for pictures. They're just doing the winner. We'll be next," Declan said excitedly.

"Could our lives get anymore exciting?" Rose asked Tom as they followed the younger crowd at a slower pace.

"Ask me again in another month or two," Tom said to her with a smile as they headed towards the paddocks to congratulate their sons.

-0-

Sybil opened the envelope from her mother and withdrew the letter and a picture of the family with her younger brothers holding up a second place trophy. Lorcan was mounted on a horse, covered in mud with his goggles pulled down and smiling broadly.

"It looks like the boys did well," Sybil said to her husband of eight and a half years. It had taken Sybil time to work through her grief and they had spent over a year in a long distance relationship. When the time was right she and Hans had gotten married and set up house in Vienna. He'd made no bones about the fact that no matter how well he did in music he would never be a rich man. Sybil couldn't have cared less. Bradley and Astrid had the house in Horsham and Astrid was running a small private school for children with dyslexia from it. Bobby had decided to stay in England and attend a boarding school. He had been so involved in gardening he was happier staying at Horsham in the summers than travelling over to Austria. Bradley and Astrid had been happy to have him and he was leading a happy productive life in England.

"Everyone looks well and happy," Hans commented looking at the picture. "There are always angels watching over them."

"You always say that," Sybil replied. She smiled at him. No matter what they were doing her second husband's presence always brought a smile to her face.

"I say it because it is true," Hans said putting and arm around her and sneaking the letter out of her hand so he could read it first.

_the end_


	40. Sybil of London Part 1

So here we are with Book four. I just couldn't leave this one alone. I had a lot of questions about why Russell died in the last book. It's a strange twist for many military members to live through dire circumstances and then die of some unrelated accident and it happens all the time. I based his death on an American pilot who founded a branch of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in his home town, was a community leader and served in two war zones. He died in a car accident after he had been home about two weeks. He was so well liked a museum was named after him.

Season four is here soon. From the spoilers I have to say I am sure they read the fan fics and take ideas. I've spotted one of my story lines in there clear as day, slightly altered of course. Busted! but then we are using their story and characters for our own amusement.

Sybil of London – Part 1 – Chapter 1 through 4

Chapter 1 – Reunion

The intense green of the Irish countryside was something his eyes had never adjusted to. He'd spent a long time here in Ireland during the war first as a wounded fighter pilot recovering with a family that had adopted him. Then as a prisoner or "detained guest" as the authorities preferred to call them and finally working in Dublin for a year. He'd had a lot of time to think while he lay in the bed in the clinic recovering from two broken legs and a broken arm after he'd bailed out of his plane over western Ireland. While he lay there he'd thought about the war and his part in it. He'd thought about his sister who believed whole-heartedly in the Nazi message and the Hitler youth and he'd thought about his parents. His father had been a patriot and believed in a strong fatherland that would rise again to a world power. A musician for a son was not what he'd wanted at all.

Hans Meyer averted his eyes from the fields dotted with sheep and cattle moving past the train window in the summer of 1949. The war in Europe had been over now for four years and he'd spent the last few years working in Austria as a violinist where he still lived and worked. Over the years he'd asked himself why he had stayed in Germany when he was younger and gotten sucked into the whole mess that was the war. He hadn't agreed with the policies his government had put out, but like so many others he'd thought the government would get voted out and things would change for the better. He'd been busy with his career and it had been easy to screen out what was going on around him.

He'd been a disappointment to his father. Growing up his father had insisted on fencing lessons and trying to make him into the perfect upper middle class gentleman. His father had told him there was nothing more useless than a musician and scoffed at him for attending university to train as a violinist. He could still remember his father's stern look and voice when he said, "Someday, you will wake up and get a real job suited to a man." As far as Hans was concerned he had a real job as a violin soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic. He had more than enough private students and was one of the managing musicians of the symphony. He had so many requests for appearances he couldn't fill them all. His father had been old fashioned, believed in the Fatherland and talked endlessly about German superiority. Hans had put up and shut up to keep him happy.

His mother on the other hand had been a kindred spirit. It was often said opposites attract and his parents couldn't have been more different. She was as kind and caring, as his father was stern with a soft voice and kind word for everyone she met. It had been his mother who encouraged his musical career and been in the audience at every one of his performances. His father and sister had been alike and were often off involved in one of her pursuits during some of the most memorable moments of Hans' younger life. He couldn't help but sigh when he though of his family and how the two parts hadn't really fit together. The war had taken its toll. Germany had been defeated and both his parents had died as result of it. He'd heard his sister was hiding somewhere in Venice but she could have easily moved on by now. He had no idea where she was. They had been so different, they wouldn't have a thing in common any longer if they ever met again.

He'd been in London for the last week auditioning musicians and arranging the Austrian portion of a concert tour with two top opera stars. It had been too good an opportunity not to come the rest of the way to Ireland and visit his adopted family and catch up with some old friends. As soon as he'd finished his business he'd headed for Dublin. He had two weeks before he had to be back in Austria. Hans first stop had been the house he had shared with Dylan and Garret Branson. The three of them had been as brothers when they lived together. His friend Harkin who had taken over his room at the house had told him the brothers had gone to their parents for a wedding of an old friend in the village and he wasn't expecting the pair of them back for another three days. Hans had visited with Harkin and some of the old crowd then taken the train the next morning.

He had kept in touch with regular letters with Rose and Tom. They had always made him feel like part of the family. They were an unusual couple from different backgrounds. They were obviously in love after many years of marriage. They had enough room in their hearts to take in six young children in midlife and they'd taken him in along with the rest. Rose was formal and gracious, a true diplomat's daughter while Tom was quick to smile with a Dublin brogue and a kind heart. There wasn't an arrogant bone in the man's body although he'd worked his way up to a prestigious position and provided a more than comfortable life for his family.

Rose had written Sybil their oldest daughter was home since January. Hans was nervous about meeting her again. He'd been crazy about Sybil in the past, but she had been a married woman and deeply committed to her husband. He'd thought it best to move on and try to forget about her. He'd done that or at least he'd hoped he had, although his girlfriends never lasted long and he was currently at a loose end. He'd sent a letter of condolence when her husband had been killed when a car struck him just over a year earlier. He'd only received a short note thanking him for his kind thoughts in reply. He hadn't expected anything else. Sybil's husband had been a decent man who had made it through the war and then struggled to readjust to life as a civilian like so many others. His death had been senseless, but at the same time was more common than people realized. It was as though the war had used up the men's luck and there wasn't enough left for one more time.

The train pulled into the station an hour late. It had stopped for over half an hour for a flock of sheep across the tracks and then for what appeared to be a mix up with some freight at one of the stops along the way. It was nothing new for this part of rural Ireland. It was lush, green and quaint here in County Galway. It was a place where everyone knew everyone else's business. If there had been a post here suitable for a concert musician, Hans would have made it his home. The place and the people had wormed their way into his heart and this is where he truly felt at home. He got off the train carrying a violin case in one hand and a suitcase in the other then set about asking the drivers of the horse drawn buggies if there was anyone headed towards Eagle Cairn. In these parts you walked, asked about to find a ride or called ahead to where you were staying to have someone meet you. He wanted his arrival to be a surprise and for Rose not to make a huge fuss and family party as he knew she would. His deepest wish was to be part of the family again if only for a few days.

Hans stopped at a horse drawn wagon that was being loaded with freight.

"Lollan, are you heading to Eagle Cairn?" he asked.

A young man with red hair wearing rough work clothes with a cloth tied around his neck turned with a start at the sound of a German accent.

"Hans Meyer, as I live and breathe what are you doing here?" Lollan O'Daley replied breaking out in a smile.

"I'm here to visit a few days with the Branson's. I need a ride out that way if you're going."

"I'll be heading past the village once I'm loaded," Lollan replied. "Throw your kit in back."

Hans stowed his things in the wagon, then went over to the nearest pub to purchase two bottles of beer for the drive out to the estate. One thing that hadn't changed about the train stop, it was surrounded by no less than four pubs. Hans arrived back just as the last of the cargo was being loaded.

"I thought I was going to have to come looking for you," Lollan said as he took up the reigns once Hans was on board and seated for the trip.

"A drink for the dust," Hans said with a crocked grin. He wisely left the beer in the paper sack until they were out of the whistle stop and away from the collection of buildings. He noticed there was another pub on the way out of town that hadn't been there on his last visit. He handed Lollan a bottle of beer once he knocked the cap off, then opened the second one for himself.

"You've couldn't have come at a better time, everyone's in the village today. The new doc is getting married. I'd have gone myself if I didn't have to work," Lollan commented as they drove.

"Is Dr. Reigler gone? Mrs. Branson didn't mention it in her letters."

"No, he's still there," Lollan replied. "We have two docs now. The younger one is an English bloke. Went through some rough treatment in the war and came over for the quiet. Looks like a bloody scarecrow despite all the women trying to fatten him up since he got here. He took up with Ruth Halaran a few months back. She'll be Ruth Hawkington by this time. The reception should be in full swing."

"Are you married yet?" Hans asked him.

"Not me. Haven't found one that could run fast enough to catch me. How about yourself? You're not getting any younger," Lollan said with a wicked grin.

"Dating a musician seems romantic until they have to listen to you practice," Hans said. "Once or twice when I am rehearsing for an appearance and they run."

"Still sawing that fiddle then?"

"Are you still playing with the others?" Hans asked with a chuckle.

"When the opportunity presents itself," Lollan replied with a wink. "Which is whenever I get the chance and pretty well every Saturday night at one pub or another. Not you're high brow stuff though."

"I play at cafés and bars once in a while in Vienna when I don't want to spend the evening alone," Hans commented. "It is not the same as Ireland. They want the standard tourist fare of waltzes. The sing-alongs and get-togethers where everyone invites themselves is something I miss from this place."

"Then you should move back," Lollan said seriously.

"I must go where there is work like anyone else," Hans replied with a return smile. "I would return more often if I were able."

"This is as far as I can take you," Lollan said pulling the wagon to a stop at the outskirts of the village. "How long are you here?"

"Six or seven days unless the family throw me out on my ear," Hans replied still smiling.

"Not much hope of that happening. Tell Garret I'll be around after seven or so. He's busy chasing that girl from the estate east of here. Him and his brother have two sisters on the string. There out all the time these days. We'll get together and make a bit of racket like old times while you're here."

"I will do that," Hans replied. "Thank you for the ride."

"Anytime. Thanks for the beer."

Hans walked along the lane towards the house. The streets were quiet. If the wedding reception was still going on at the church hall everyone in the village and from most of the estate would be there. As he walked towards the house, he couldn't help but think how much it was still the same. It was obvious the family was all home. There were two tents pitched in the yard for extra bedrooms as there had been in the past to accommodate the extra bodies. He would bet the younger boys were all sleeping outside and had left the older ones to stay in the house. He didn't see a soul about when he went to the front door and knocked. He was just thinking about leaving his bag and going around to wait in the garden for someone to get home when the door opened.

Sybil stood staring at him with her mouth open for a moment. She was speechless with what he hoped was surprise. He couldn't help but notice her serious expression and the air of fatigue that seemed to hang around her.

"Hans. What are you doing here?" she asked. He couldn't tell if she was happy to see him or wanted to slam the door in his face. Whatever her reaction was, he felt his heartstrings pull at the sight of her. He felt like a tongue-tied fool in her presence.

"I was auditioning musicians in London. I came for a few days for a surprise," he replied with a smile.

Sybil's face suddenly lost its serious expression as she broke out into an answering smile. She stepped out the door and wrapped her arms around him before he knew what was happening. He quickly set down his violin case on top of his suitcase and pulled her close.

"I'm so glad to see you," Sybil said against him.

He looked into her eyes and forgot what he was going to say. The pull of her blue eyes and her soft lips curled in a smile were all the invitation he needed to lay his lips against hers in a tentative kiss. He'd wanted to kiss her for years, but hadn't out of respect. He'd known any type of physical advance would be unwelcome on her part as she'd honored her commitment to her husband. At thirty-three he was no boy kissing a girl for the first time. As he felt Sybil respond he deepened the kiss without pushing it. He slowly released her but didn't let go of her entirely.

"I am very glad to see you as well," he said at last.

"I well… I," Sybil stammered. She fingered the collar of his shirt. It was a warm day and he wasn't wearing a jacket. "Wherever did you get this shirt? I can see you haven't kept your wardrobe up."

"I am but a humble musician. All I really need is a tuxedo for performance."

"You Hans Meyer are anything but humble," Sybil replied. She smiled at him as she took his hand. He couldn't help but feel relieved as their old camaraderie fell back into place.

"Hans," Tom called from the corner of the house where he was with one of the younger girls. Hans assumed it must be Aisling, since the girl had dark hair. He remembered Yseult having reddish hair. She had grown considerably since he had seen her last.

Hans quickly released Sybil and turned to greet Tom who took his hand and put a hand on his shoulder. Tom looked much older with his hair streaked with white, but his smile was still the same as always.

"You should have sent a cable. I'd have come to the train to meet you," Tom said.

"I wasn't sure which train and I wanted to surprise you," Hans replied. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"You couldn't have come at a better time. Everyone is home at the moment except Bradley and Astrid," Tom replied. "He couldn't get away. You remember Aisling."

"Of course, but I do not think Aisling remembers me," Hans replied.

Tom glanced from Aisling who was naturally shy to Sybil. Sybil was smiling and looking happy. It was the first time since she had come home in January that Tom had seen his daughter look relaxed.

"I remember," Aisling said with a shy smile. "Hello."

"Let's go in," Tom said. "The boys have all gone fishing and the others are still at the wedding."

"I'll just finish up what I was doing and then we can walk up to the reception," Sybil said.

"I would prefer not to intrude," Hans said.

"I'm sure the ladies would be happy to provide you with a large helping of potato pie," Tom said slapping Hans on the back. They still had a good laugh from time to time over the story of Mrs. Sheahan pinning him down and shoveling potato soup into Hans when he was injured and before he could speak enough English to tell anyone he didn't like potato."

"I think I will respectfully decline," Hans replied with a sheepish grin. "I understand the groom is a former British officer. Perhaps it is not the best to mix at his wedding."

Sybil agreed with a slight nod.

"I'll make some tea," Tom said.

"Back to sewing?" Hans inquired. Sybil and Aisling had moved back to the table to clear up the mess.

"We're making shirts for our brothers," Aisling replied.

"The first I've done in quite a while," Sybil said. A slight shadow passed across her face but was quickly gone. "I started making shirts for my brothers years ago. It seemed like a good place to get back into the swing of things."

"All of our brothers keep asking for shirts, especially the older ones," Aisling said. "I'm helping."

"Perhaps I will add my name to the list," Hans said with a slight smile. He touched the bolt of fabric Sybil was working with.

"I can see you need my help," Sybil commented. She smiled at him across the table as she put her tools into a box. "It's been what, two years and you've managed to undo all my work on your wardrobe."

"Almost three years," Hans said with a slight grin. "I haven't undone all." He didn't want to say the last woman he had dated had picked his shirt out. He hadn't like it either but it was clean when he was packing and at the moment it was one of his last clean shirts. He hadn't time to do his laundry when he'd been in London. If Sybil wanted to dress him up and pick up where they had left off, he wasn't going to complain.

Chapter 2 – Of Two Minds

Tom was lost in thought as he walked back to the reception with Aisling after they had finished their tea. He wanted to let his wife know they had another guest. Hans and Sybil had decided to go for a walk to one of the swimming spots along the creek. Tom had known years ago his daughter and Hans got along well and had a business relationship but walking around the corner of the house to see them in each other's arms had come as rather a surprise. They way the two of them looked at each other it was obvious there was something there. Whatever it was Tom could only feel relief that Sybil seemed to be coming out of her grief at least a bit.

He could sympathize with Sybil's grief, as could her older brother. They both knew what it was to loose a significant other early in life. It had taken Tom two years before he was ready for another relationship. Redmond had been much longer. Since he had moved to Dublin six weeks ago he seemed more open to the idea of another relationship and was over at the wedding reception of his long time friend busy chatting up one of the local women. It seemed as though his heart and mind were starting to open to new possibilities at long last. The one thing Tom knew about grief was that it didn't last forever. Sybil had more than her share in this last while and Tom couldn't help but worry. Life had a way of pushing you. It was almost cliché to say one door closed and another opened but in his experience it did. It took time to heal and courage and heart to take the opportunities life threw your way.

"I'm going to ask Claire and Yseult if they want to go swimming," Aisling told her father. "Sybil said we could join them if we came together."

"It's good of you to invite the others," Tom replied smiling at his eight-year-old daughter. The younger children were growing up in leaps and bounds. Another few years and they would all be teenagers. Time had a way of marching ahead. It was what you did with it that counted.

-0-

"How is Bobby?" Hans inquired as they walked towards the swimming hole.

"Hurt, confused and a bit lost," Sybil replied honestly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to unload on you."

"We are friends still I hope," Hans replied. "Friends who can speak honestly."

Sybil nodded.

"Thank you for that," she replied.

"Tell me about Bobby," Hans said quietly.

"He and Russell were getting to know each other and becoming closer. Russell had settled down quite a bit and things were going along quite well, then the accident." Sybil sighed. "Bobby has had too much grief in a short time. I finally gave up on his schooling in January and decided to come over to be with the family. He's close with Bradley, but he's in Cambridge studying and working constantly. It's not the male presence on a daily basis Bobby needs. He's settled down quite a bit. We'll head home soon and I'll get him back in school."

"He's always been a good boy," Hans commented quietly.

"He still is," Sybil replied. They had reached the pond and were sitting side by side on the blanket Hans had been carrying. "He wants to take flying lessons next summer and I plan to let him. I don't think the garden here has ever looked better than it does under his care."

Hans had his arms looped around his knees. He was looking at the water thoughtfully.

"Sybil, I was very sorry when I heard about your daughter and then your husband," he said slowly. "I have never wished anything for you but happiness."

Sybil didn't reply. She looked at him then suddenly put her arms around his neck and began to sob. The grief she had been holding in for the last six months since she had arrived in Irelan came pouring out in a torrent. She hadn't seen Hans for almost three years and then he was here beside her. It was though he had never left only different. The though filtered through her mind while she cried that he would think her a great bloody fool and probably never speak to her again after her erratic actions today. At the moment he was holding her and letting her cry on his shoulder and there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

"How do I go on without them?" she sobbed. "I don't know what to do."

"You live and go on like so many others," he clucked. He rocked her slightly. "You should see Austria. There are women in every job there." He kissed her hair before he continued. "A great many of the men are gone. It is strange here to see so many men on the streets, but life goes on and the world heals itself. You are brave. You will find your way."

"You must think I'm a fool," Sybil said as she started to settle down. "Kissing you at the door one moment, then crying on your shoulder the next."

"I think you are exactly what you are," Hans said releasing her slightly and wiping her cheek with his fingers. "A very beautiful woman who has had a little too much to deal with these last few years."

"Still friends?" Sybil asked him.

"Yes, still friends," he replied.

"You know this shirt is absolutely bloody awful," Sybil said. She smiled suddenly with the tears stuck to her lashes.

"One way to fix it," Hans replied. He took it off balled it up and threw it into the middle of the pond.

"What did you do that for?" Sybil asked him.

"Making a fresh start," he said with a grin.

"I think I'll make one too," she said. She stood up and tossed off her top clothes to reveal a swimsuit underneath. "Wouldn't do for my little sisters and niece to see me all tear stained when they arrived.

"Now you have to help me with getting some new clothes. My shirt has sunk," Hans said with a smile as they entered the water.

"You are so wasteful," Sybil teased him.

"I am a virtuoso. I am entitled," he informed her with a smile.

"Arrogant with an over inflated ego as always," she teased as she splashed him.

"I know what I want my lovely English flower," he said. He dove under the water and caught her by the waist. They resurfaced laughing with Sybil's hands on his shoulders. The laughter suddenly died as they stood in the chest deep water staring into each other's eyes. Her feet were floating off the bottom slightly.

"Hans, I…," she began.

"Friends," he said quietly. "Friends who will spend time together and write and visit back and forth. Three years is a long time."

"Friends who help each other," Sybil replied with a relieved smile. "Where did you get that shirt? It wasn't to your taste as I remember it at all."

"My last girlfriend chose it," Hans replied. "I had forgotten about it until I was packing. It was clean so I threw it in the case. I am glad it is gone, along with her."

Sybil laughed and jumped away from him with a splash.

"Do you have a girlfriend now?" she asked as she pushed herself away while treading water.

"Not a one," he replied with a grin. "Unless you my dear friend Sybil would like the position."

"I'd have to think about whether I want a violin toting, womanizing, show off for a boyfriend," she said with a laugh. She screamed when he lunged after her.

"For you I would give up my errant ways," he said with a smile when he surfaced. Underneath their banter he was dead serious.

"You'll always be a violin toting show off," Sybil said as she evaded him.

"I'll have you know I am a very faithful boyfriend." He swam away from her slightly to make her think he'd given up the chase. "I will not even look at another girl until you give me an answer."

"An answer to what?" she inquired.

"Whether you will be my girl friend. You could perhaps make up your mind before I leave."

"You're impossible," she said with a laugh.

"I am determined," he replied with a smile just as the group of younger girls showed up accompanied by Sybil's father and two of her brothers.

-0-

After two sleepless nights Sybil was a ball of nerves. What did Hans mean by asking her to be his girlfriend then turning around and acting like he'd never said anything? He fenced in the garden with the boys, played music with her brothers and their friends and visited with the family and friends as he normally did. Sybil had no real experience in the dating world. Her one and only relationship had been with her husband ever since they were children. They had grown up together and things had progressed slowly. Neither of them had ever dated anyone else or cared to. Thoughts kept swirling around in her mind when she tried to sleep.

"Was she being disloyal to her husband?" she asked herself over and over. He'd been dead well over a year and she'd never thought of anything with another man. One moment she would tell herself no, that part of your life is over and the next she would remind herself that she was twenty-eight years old. There was still a lot of life left and she needed to get on with it. Everyone had been encouraging her brother Redmond who was a widower to get back in the game and find a woman. Now she knew exactly what his dilemma had been. Physically the thought of being with another man made Sybil panic. She and Russell had experimented with sex trying this and that until they knew what the other had liked. At the start neither of them had known the first thing about it except that they wanted to be together. He had found things in medical books when he was in nursing school and they had tried out most of what he had found except for a few things that had made both of their noses curl up in disgust. Would another man have different expectations? Would he want something she wasn't prepared to give? Hans Meyer was a ladies man. Would he be happy with someone like her? The next minute she was kicking herself for even thinking along those lines. He lived and worked in Vienna. Her life was in London. Her assistant had been running her business in her absence only sending over packets of drawings for her approval. Did she even have a life left in London anymore? She was so confused. Her thoughts had been in turmoil before Hans arrived now even more so.

Sybil finished dressing and headed downstairs. Redmond had headed back to the Dublin the day after the wedding but Nanny and his two children were still here enjoying the country and the other children and avoiding the heat of the city. Garret and Dylan had gone back to work as had Davin and Camilla. The house was strangely quiet after the hustle and bustle of the last few days and constant coming and going of friends and family. Bobby was as taken with Hans as ever. Hans leaving for Austria years ago had been hard on him. Sybil hadn't known how to explain to a young boy a big part of why Hans had left and hadn't written was to spare her feelings and take the pressure off her husband's jealousy. Now Bobby was basking in the glow of Hans' attention even if only for a few days.

She found Hans surrounded by children in the drawing room. He had his violin out and was busy telling them a story punctuated at different places with music. Each of the children had a different bit to play on an instrument depending on what they knew how to play. For those who didn't play music at all he had them tapping lids together as symbols or ringing bells.

"They're transfixed," Rose commented to Sybil when she spotted her by the door between the dining and drawing room watching the goings on. "I wished we could have got Declan interested in music but it wasn't to be."

"Hans is rather like a handsome prince out of a fairy tale that is too good to be true," Sybil commented.

"You're sounding rather down. Any problems?" Rose inquired. She moved to the table and poured them each a cup of tea, while Sybil put two slices of bread in the toaster for her breakfast.

"I haven't slept well the last two nights," Sybil replied. "I've been thinking about my life in London."

"It won't be the same," Rose commented. "You can stay here, live in London or move on. It's up to you."

"That's just it. I'm not sure what my life in London will be."

"None of us know what is around the next bend," Rose replied. "When I first arrived in Downton you were a little girl. I missed Scotland something terrible and I missed the gay life I had led in London as well. I met your father and after a while, I realized London wasn't for me anymore. I went back, the people and the places seemed the same, but I had changed."

"Bobby needs to get back to school this fall," Sybil commented.

"He does, but remember there is more than one school in the world. I wasn't too happy at first about moving you all from school in England, but you did make friends here in Ireland and everyone of you that made the transition has a good education with a career to fall back on."

Sybil nodded her understanding.

"What have you got planned for the day?" Rose asked.

"I was thinking of dragging Hans along with me to look for fabrics. He needs different clothes and I should put in an order to take back to London. He's still wearing the things I made him years ago. They're looking shabby and he's rather short on shirts after he threw one of his away."

"You're still Sybil of London, a successful designer no matter what comes," Rose said. "You could be Sybil of Galway, Dublin or Paris and it wouldn't change the fact you still dress every last one of the men around you."

"Except for Daddy. He squirms to much," Sybil said with a smile. Mummy was right. She was worrying too much. She was doing what was comfortable and what she had always enjoyed and that was dressing her brothers. Hans was fun to dress and he did make a statement when he was dressed up.

"A rather interesting version of Peter and the Wolf," Hans commented when he came through to join the women for a cup of tea. Three of the boys had come through as well to see if he would come out to the garden for another fencing lesson.

"Boys, leave Hans alone," Rose instructed. "He deserves a cup of tea. Have any of you done your chores yet?" She arched an eyebrow at them. The three boys shuffled their feet and went off to do their chores.

"I thought I'd steal you for a bit," Sybil said to him. "I want to go and look for fabrics in town and get started on your new wardrobe. If I'm to get back to my business I need my top model looking his best."

"We will have a pack of followers," Hans replied with a grin.

"We'll take Daddy's motorcycle. There isn't room for more than two," Sybil said with a slight grin. "Do you know how to drive one? If you don't, I do."

"I do know how to drive a motorcycle," Hans replied. "I may not remember exactly which road to take. You may regret this when we get lost."

"What kind of story is Peter and the Wolf?" Rose asked. "I don't recognize the title."

"Russian," he replied. "It's a fairly recent composition for orchestra. Different instruments represent different animals and characters with an accompanying narration. I made it simple so they could all take part."

"I still remember the day you informed me you didn't teach children," Rose commented.

"As you know, I have changed my thoughts considerably from that day," he replied with a self-deprecating smile. "It is my responsibility now to teach the next generation as I was taught."

"Is it hard to find things in Vienna?" Sybil asked.

"Food is easy. Austria is a rich country and the agriculture has rebounded quickly," Hans replied honestly. "I am lucky to have access to the commissary for the occupying forces. Soap, toiletries, razor blades, some clothing and imported fruit is more difficult to get, petrol is impossible and therefore there are almost no automobiles. The rebuilding is continuing. The national art gallery will open this autumn. I will perform at the gala to celebrate."

"It seems a long time," Sybil commented. "Most of the galleries in London reopened two years or more ago."

"What wasn't stolen by the Nazis was taken during the early occupation by the Allied forces. There has been a difficulty in recovering many things, but it will come," Hans replied. "Vienna is a place of great beauty and the people are determined, it will be a center of culture and art once again."

"You make it sound idyllic," Sybil commented.

"Not perfect, but it is a nice place, with a great deal to occupy oneself. Shall we get going before I am to play the part of yet another fairy tale villain?"

"Hans you shouldn't let the children demand so much of your time," Rose scolded.

"I do not mind and they are happy," he replied before he joined Sybil to clear the dishes.

Chapter 3 – Speeding

It wasn't long and they were tearing along the roads into Galway City. Sybil had ridden on quite a few motorcycles and her father had always been a demon for speed but he was nothing compared to Hans. Russell's driving had been sedate by comparison. Sybil indicated a turn that took them north of the city. They were a ways north by the time she pointed to a building where she wanted Hans to stop.

"Could you have driven a little faster?" Sybil asked. The innuendo was lost on Hans.

"Yes, but I did not want you to be frightened," he replied seriously. He didn't look up as he put Tom's bike on the stand.

"I was being sarcastic," she replied.

"I like to go fast. It is why I made fighter pilot instead of bomber or cargo. I drive fast and I am in control. I will slow down if it bothers you."

"It didn't bother me that much," Sybil lied. She had decided it was time to try new things that were out of her comfort zone.

"Sybil are you upset?" he asked with a slight frown.

"I…darn, they don't open for another half hour," she said glancing at the door to the sales room at the woolen mill.

Hans didn't say anything. He motioned to an area where there was a bench under some trees off to the side of the building. They went over and took a seat.

"I will drive slower," he said.

"That isn't what's bothering me," she replied. "Exactly what did you have in mind when you asked me to be your girlfriend. Were you even serious?"

"Very," he replied. He reached over and took her hand. "I thought we would have an understanding. We could write, visit from time to time and see where things go. I believe the English have an expression "best girl" does that make more sense?"

"I've never dated anyone," Sybil said quietly.

"Not your husband?" Hans asked with a furrowed brow.

"Not really. We grew up together so my brothers were always about. Then we wrote and by the time we ever went anywhere together alone we were already engaged. I know little about courtship."

"I am not easy to deal with," Hans said. "I will be honest. I am occupied with my work. I practice all hours of the day and night and I am a bit of a show off." He smiled slightly when he admitted it.

"We don't live in the same place," Sybil pointed out.

"I am not asking for marriage. We have not been together as friends in a long time. Things will have changed. Perhaps we are best as friends perhaps not. I am asking for the time to find out."

"I have to be honest as well. I don't know who I am anymore or which way to go. I'm feeling rather lost."

"You need time. I understand this. We also need time to decide if we are friends, a couple or perhaps enemies," he got a wicked grin when he said the last part.

"I know being back with you even these few days feels as though something that was lost has been found," Sybil said seriously.

"You will be my girl then?" he asked. He reached over to draw her near for a kiss.

"No other women," she said putting a hand on his arm to stop him.

"No other women," he answered with a smile. He drew her forward and kissed her briefly. "What is this place?" he asked when he released her. He could feel her hesitancy and thought it best not to push her.

"A woolen mill. I wanted to put in an order to take back to London. I thought I might find something that suits you for the winter as well here. I'll have to send over whatever I come up with."

"Come for a visit and bring it yourself. You will like Vienna," Hans replied leaning back against the tree behind them.

"I can't leave Bobby while he's at school," Sybil said.

"Come for Christmas then."

"Hans…I," Sybil was about to say she couldn't then reconsidered. A trip might be just what she and Bobby needed. Astrid and Bradley would be married in early December and were staying in Cambridge for another year while Astrid completed her degree. Bradley had been so busy during the last Christmas break they had barely seen him. She supposed they would be occupied as newly weds and trying to fit in alone time around their schedules over the holidays. "What is Vienna like at Christmas?" she asked finally.

"Beautiful. There is a Christmas market, not as big as the one in Berlin but still interesting. There are concerts and ballet, parties, outdoor skating and friends to visit. The snow sits on the branches of the trees along the river. At times it is like something on a picture postcard. There is skiing not too far away if you like that as well."

"Whatever is a Christmas market?"

"Come to visit and find out," he said. He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips then stood up. "The shop is open."

"Russell used to hate shopping at the mills with me," Sybil commented thoughtfully.

"I am not Russell. As I remember he did not like the cocktail parties with the fashion shows. I thought they were rather amusing."

"Amusing?" Sybil replied in surprise. "Hardly that."

"Sybil," he said with an exaggerated lisp. He put his hand on his hip and waved his other hand around. "Oh what a darling suit you made. I simply don't know where you find these fabrics or the men you get to wear your designs."

Sybil could only laugh and swat his shoulder.

"I've missed you," she said.

He held the door open for her to walk through.

"And I you," he replied.

-0-

Hans frowned at the shirt Sybil had selected for him to try on along with a pair of trousers, shoes and belt at an upscale clothing store in Galway City. This was their second stop of the day. Once they were done here they would knock of for lunch. All morning he had sensed different times when she needed comfort. He had put his hand on her lower back more than once and felt her lean against him slightly a few times when something had triggered a memory. Now it was her turn to put a hand on his arm.

"Hans, what's the matter," Sybil asked.

"Stripes. You know I do not care for them."

"They aren't pronounced," Sybil replied. "I'll select another one or two shirts for you to try as well. If you try it and don't like it you can try another although I think the color is perfect for you."

"You are sure," he asked hesitantly.

"Yes. You know we don't have to do this if you really don't want to," Sybil said with concern. "I just thought you should have something newer in casual wear. Mummy has invited Nigel and his new wife and the Reiglers over for dinner and bridge tonight. She said casual, which means sport shirts these days. A jacket and tie would be too much. You can't tell me you don't wear casual with friends your own age in Vienna."

"I will try everything on and make a decision," he said at last with a faint smile. He had to remind himself he was not shopping with Adelaide. His last girlfriend of almost a year before had been a piece of work. She had started out seeming to be a nice girl and become increasingly more critical and demanding over the two months they had seen each other. By the time they had broken up he'd been hurt and feeling inadequate and as though he'd been through a confrontation with his father. At the moment all he could think of was the day Adelaide had insisted on that horrible shirt that now resided at the bottom of the pond. If he had mentioned he didn't like something, Adelaide had gone out of her way to force it on him. They had finally broken up when he had a concert to rehearse for and she wanted to go out. Afterwards he didn't know why he'd put up with her as long as he had.

He got changed and put on the shirt that was Sybil's first choice. He knew he was being silly. She had selected something of fine quality that was soft to the touch and wasn't insisting on anything. She had never steered him wrong in the past. He stepped out to the area with the mirrors where she and the sales clerk were waiting for him.

"Lovely," she said. "Take a look."

Hans felt himself stand a little taller as he looked at himself in the mirror. The color of the shirt made the fairness of his skin stand out and accentuated his eyes and hair perfectly. The whole look was casual, sophisticated and could take him anywhere. The faint stripe in the shirt was barely noticeable once he had it on.

"Do you like it?" Sybil asked. She moved to smooth the fabric across his shoulders.

"Yes, I'm sorry I doubted you," he replied.

"The trousers are a perfect fit as well. Do you like them? We could always choose something else."

"They are perfect, Sybil. I am being an old woman." Hans glanced at the sales clerk. "I will take it all."

"Very well, Sir," the clerk replied with a smile. "Did you need anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Hans said. "I will change and we can go for lunch."

"Of course," Sybil replied. "Do you think you can hold up to two more stops after lunch?"

"I like shopping with you," he replied seriously.

"They way you were frowning I had my doubts," Sybil said with a smile.

"I will only be a moment."

Hans changed quickly, then headed to the desk to pay for his purchases. Sybil was occupying herself with looking at some of the new fall arrivals. They found a table with a view of the harbor at a small teashop that had always been one of Sybil's favorites. It was still early and the shop wasn't busy with the lunch crowd yet.

"Now are you going to tell me why you looked so upset at the men's department?" Sybil asked him once they had placed their orders and their drinks had arrived.

"It is foolish," Hans replied evasively.

Sybil reached over and took his hand.

"You always seem to know when I'm upset. I know you're upset, I can feel it. You don't have to help me shop if you don't want to." She was feeling slightly disappointed. The woolen mill they had stopped at in the morning had seemed to go by in a blink. Hans had joked and made the stop into a pleasure rather than work. She had thought the day was going well until they got to the men's clothing shop.

"I was reminded of the girl who bought the ugly shirt," he said at last. "I could not do anything right for her. I do not know the words to describe in English what I feel."

"I'm sorry the memory upsets you," Sybil replied with concern.

"I am not always confident," Hans said rubbing the backs of her fingers with his thumb. "I have a new memory now, a good one, let the old one be gone."

"I don't know how anyone could be critical of you. You're possibly the easiest person to get along with I've ever met," Sybil said sincerely.

"I'm glad you think so," he replied smiling suddenly. "This doctor that is coming to visit tonight. Was he a German prisoner?"

"No, Japanese. Nigel is an old friend. He's quiet and very nice. I think you'll like him."

"I'm sure it will fine, if you think so," he replied.

"Hans, there is a stop I'd like to make after lunch, if you don't mind," Sybil said chewing her bottom lip slightly.

"Where is that?"

"I lost my flute years ago when the cottage was destroyed," Sybil replied. "I used to be fairly good. Not like you or Garret but I did consider teaching music as a career rather than sewing."

"It is lucky for me you chose sewing," he replied. He picked up her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers.

"Lucky for me as well," Sybil said. "I was thinking of getting a flute and getting back to playing a bit."

"Do you think everything will fit on your father's motorcycle?" he teased her.

"We'll make it fit," Sybil said with a determined smile.

-0-

"Thank you," Sybil said as they got back to the motorcycle after their last stop of the day at yet another mill.

"For what?" Hans asked her in surprise.

"For today, for shopping with me, for driving too fast and for being you. This is the best day I've had in a very long time."

"The day is not done yet," Hans replied with a grin. "You must give me good directions as I am truly lost after all the turns you have had me make."

"Perhaps I'll keep you lost so we never have to go back to the real world," Sybil replied with a grin as she got on the back of the motorcycle.

"And miss the mashed potato for dinner? Never," Hans joked.

Half way back to the house, Sybil indicated a pull out to the side of the road.

"There is a nice view at the top of this hill," she said indicating a faint path through a field at the side of the road once they were stopped. Hans took her hand as they walked along the path. Neither of them felt the need to fill up the silence with words. When they got to the top of the hill there was indeed a nice view of the coastline. It was a bright, sunny afternoon with a breeze and the water in the distance was dotted with white on the crests of the waves. Sybil took off her jacket and put it on the grass in a patch of shade to sit on. Hans followed suit and leaned back on one elbow.

"Are you having a good day?" Sybil asked him after a bit. He had picked a wild daisy and was using it to tickle her ear.

"I am," he said.

"All my shopping isn't too boring?"

"Wait until one day when I am practicing for a recital. Then you will know what boring is."

"I've witnessed it enough times with my younger brother. I don't think it will be a problem," Sybil replied. "I'm not really sure what one does with a boyfriend."

"Takes him shopping, listens to him complain about work and never feeds him potatoes."

"Oh you," Sybil said throwing a handful of grass at him then laughing. "And what do you plan to do with a girlfriend?"

"I am not sure," Hans said suddenly serious. "Since I have never had much success at having a girlfriend for any amount of time."

"Hold me when I'm sad, laugh with me when I'm happy and talk me into doing things I might not try otherwise."

"Like what?"

"Like going for a ride in an airplane, or dancing a tango the way my parents do, I don't know. You'll come up with something."

"I think I could do that," he said. He lay back on his coat then reached to draw her to lay with him with her head on his shoulder. "I could hold you when you're happy too."

"Mmm," Sybil murmured as she relaxed against him. "You smell good, like the rosin from a bow."

"Not the most romantic odor," he said with a chuckle. He glanced at her and realized she had drifted off to sleep. He closed his eyes and let himself drift as well.

Sybil woke suddenly and took a moment to realize where she was. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was already half past five. They were going to be late for dinner if they didn't get a move on. The way Hans drove they would be back to the house in less than fifteen minutes if she didn't miss her guess. She glanced down at his face. He was still asleep and his lips were parted slightly. He was very good looking. There was no doubt about it. She leaned down and placed her lips against his. She allowed herself to kiss him until she felt his hand come up to stroke her hair and he was kissing her back.

"We have to get back. We're going to be late for dinner," she said as she pulled back slightly.

"We are a fine pair sleeping away the afternoon," he replied. He didn't make a move to get up. He stroked her arm with his hand.

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather sleep it away with," Sybil replied with a faint smile.

"Time for one more kiss, then I will drive like I normally do. We will not be late."

"You are so…" Sybil murmured as she leaned towards him again.

"What?" he asked a hair breath from her lips.

"Tempting," she said before her lips met his. This time he took control of the kiss. She could feel the barely restrained passion in his body as his mouth and tongue took control of hers. He released her after a minute, gave her a quick peck and got to his feet drawing her up with him by the hand. Sybil was feeling slightly dizzy and flushed after the kiss he had just given her.

"Dinner with your parents and their guests awaits," he said. He pulled a strand of grass from her hair. "What is this business with your parents and a tango?" he asked as they walked back to the motorcycle.

"You won't believe it," Sybil replied. "It's as my great grandmother used to say _scandalous_."

"Now you have my curiosity," he said with a grin before he started the bike.

Chapter 4 – The Unexpected

"Sybil has told me of a dance you do, a tango," Hans said to Tom over dinner the next evening. Sybil had spent the day working on drawings and getting the shirts sewn up for her younger brothers. The younger girls and Rose had all volunteered to help and had been busy pinning pieces together and pressing seams open as Sybil assembled the shirts. By the end of the day she had the back to school shirts for the boys almost finished. Hans had spent the day out on the estate with Tom.

"What did she say?" Tom asked slowly.

"That it can be rather scandalous and I'd like to try, Daddy," Sybil contributed. "I remember when you and Mummy used to do elaborate tangos in the Great Hall back at Downton. I can't remember you dancing like that since we moved over."

"This is the country, Sybil. Something like that wouldn't be understood," Rose remarked. "You're father would probably get a hernia if he tried any of the more elaborate lifts now a days."

"I'm not that old," Tom replied. All of the younger children were watching their parents intently with their ears perked up. It sounded like something was up.

"They used to enter dance competitions and win every time," Sybil said with a smile. "I remember Great Grandmamma saying how scandalous it all was and Grandpapa grumping about it."

"It is just a dance. It was popular back in the twenties," Tom said. "We performed in public enough times."

"Perhaps a demonstration?" Hans inquired.

Tom looked down the row of hopeful faces of his children and grandchildren. He couldn't help but smile.

"After dinner and chores, but I'm not flipping Mummy over my shoulders these days," Tom said. "I would most likely drop her, but I think I can still manage something fairly dramatic."

"Tom you're going to regret this, but I do miss it," Rose replied.

Chores were just finished when Tom went through to the drawing room to find Sybil organizing all of the children plus Hans to move the furniture to the side and roll up the rug. Rose came through and picked out a recording.

"Stay well back, children," Rose reminded them. "Bobby could you put the record on please."

"And you want to do this?" Hans asked with his eyes slightly wider when Tom spun Rose around in a fancy turn with only the tips of her toes grazing the floor. The next moment Rose was arched over his arm with her leg hooked behind his.

"I've always wanted to try and never had a partner who could carry it off," Sybil replied. "It's not exactly something you do with your brother and my late husband danced but not well enough to pull off anything requiring this kind of skill."

Tom and Rose ended off with a low move as the music ended. All of the children in the room stared at their parents for a moment in stunned silence then clapped along with Sybil and Hans.

"I'll admit it, I'm too old for that one," Tom said as he got back up slowly out of the last move.

"We used to be a great deal better," Rose commented.

"Are you ready to try?" Sybil asked Hans.

"Err," he hedged.

"You do know the basic dance don't you?" Sybil asked.

"Yes, daily lessons at my school when I was young. Dance, music, fencing and deportment were all considered essentials for a gentleman," he replied. "I am not so sure about all of that though."

"We have teachers, please," Sybil pleaded.

"I will try," Hans said at last. All of the younger children giggle at the thought of their older sister dancing with him. The older boys wandered off to play a board game in the classroom while the little girls stayed to watch. Rose and Tom gave them some pointers through a few moves.

"You did not learn this quickly," Hans said as Rose corrected his grip and had Sybil turn her head in another direction.

"I had Tom practice daily for years and we took studio lessons," Rose replied. "You could do some fairly elaborate moves if you practiced. You're not too stiff."

"Let's try the first bit with music," Sybil said. Rose and Tom exchanged a look. Sybil over the last few days was showing more enthusiasm for almost everything and she less and less upset when Russell or Hope's names were in advertently mentioned. Hans' presence certainly seemed to be doing her a world of good. Rose and Tom moved off and were dancing together once the music was on.

"You're pretty good," Sybil said to Hans as they danced. They tried some of the moves her parents had showed them. They weren't overly complex and the two of them managed to do a low dip that looked elaborate but wasn't overly difficult.

"Thank you," Sybil said when the music ended. "That was fun."

"Another day again, perhaps?" he said. He hadn't minded holding her close in the dance one bit.

"Did my real mother dance Daddy?" Sybil asked as they were putting back the furniture.

"Yes, but not anything as complicated as Mummy prefers," Tom replied. "We danced quite a bit before your natural mother got pregnant. Then when I first met Mummy I danced with her to keep her occupied."

"I was a bit of a brat," Rose said with a smile as she came over to put her arm around her husband's waist. "Time to send the children to bed then help my old man up the stairs."

"I told you I could still do it," Tom said quietly to Rose. He grimaced slightly as he turned to head towards the stairs.

-0-

Sybil sat straight up in bed. She'd had a dream but couldn't remember any of it. It wasn't like the nightmares she'd had over the last year of rain and screeching tires and trying to find her husband on a rainy street. It had been different but it had still unsettled her. The room was warm despite the open window and the gentle breeze blowing in. She got up, retrieved her wrap and headed downstairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. She was part way through the hall when she realized someone else was up, with a chair pulled up to the window. The fireflies were dancing in the garden putting on a show under a starry sky. As she got closer she realized it was Hans. He turned suddenly when he realized someone was there.

"Couldn't you sleep?" Sybil asked quietly.

"The music is in my head. It won't let me sleep. I didn't want to wake up the entire house by practicing in the middle of the night. Why are you down?"

"I've come for a glass of water," Sybil replied. "I'll just be a moment." She went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for each of them. She wasn't sure how she felt about a midnight rendezvous in her parent's house, but then this was her parent's house and the slightest noise was enough to wake at least four people. She turned to go back to the hall only to find Hans had come into the kitchen behind her. She jumped in surprise.

"Do you feel better?" he asked.

"Much," Sybil said nervously. She breathed a sigh of relief when he set a soiled cup into the dirty dish bin.

"It is like this for me often," he said. "I start practicing and I practice all night. It is not easy for some."

"It's how you are," Sybil replied handing him a glass of water. "I've done it from time to time myself when I'm working on a series of drawings. Let's go sit in the hall for a bit, or would you like to go outside?"

"The hall is fine," Hans replied with a shrug. He downed the water and set the glass in the pan before he moved to the leave the kitchen. He placed his hand on her back as they moved back to the hall. Sybil could feel her spine tingling from his touch through the fine fabric of her nightclothes. She suddenly realized he was only wearing a pair of light pajama bottoms. Her mouth went dry with the awareness. Hans moved to an armchair in one of the alcoves and drew her to sit on his lap. Sybil didn't protest. She let herself relax against him and put her head on his shoulder. Since he'd been around her grief had lessened. It didn't seem to bother him when her late husband's name was mentioned in passing and it hurt her less. Everyone said time made things better. The things she needed to move ahead were comfort and understanding and she was finding them with Hans.

"Your father asked me today what is going on with us," Hans said quietly. He was rubbing her back absently.

"I wish Daddy wouldn't pry," Sybil said.

"He is doing what a father should, being concerned," Hans said. He kissed her forehead. "I told him the truth. I have asked you to write and we are discussing a visit in a few months. My intentions are honorable. We are friends and need time to think things through."

"I was going to talk to Bobby tomorrow about the trip at Christmas," Sybil replied.

"If you are coming I will need a bigger flat for when you visit," Hans said thoughtfully.

"Hans, don't go to the expense on my account," Sybil scolded him.

"I have been too lazy to get a better place. There are more apartments now as things are rebuilt. My room is just that, a room with everything in one. It is not a place for company. It came with the job."

"You need to take better care of yourself," Sybil said. She placed a quick kiss on the side of his mouth.

"I fence three times a week and eat right. Not having a bigger place or minding my wardrobe won't hurt me," he said with a smile curving his mouth.

"It seems your time here has flown by so quickly," Sybil commented. "We only have tomorrow."

"We have tomorrow and that is what counts," he said. "Letters and cables and the occasional visit, the winter will be over in no time and it will be spring."

"Are you going the entire way by ferry and train?"

"No, I have a pass for military transport. Once I get to Sheffield I will get an American or British flight to Austria or Germany and take the train overland from wherever I land. It won't be a hard or long trip, only dull."

"I'm dreading going back to London in a way and looking forward to it in another," Sybil said thoughtfully. She let her finger trail across the stubble on his chin. "I walked out the door with so many things left undone. I do want to get back to work though."

"Do you still have the butler?"

"Yes, he's still there," Sybil said quietly.

"Send a cable with a list of things you want done. You must not take everything on yourself."

"Spoken like a true boss."

"I am one of three bosses. We get a great deal done but not by doing everything ourselves," Hans replied. "I don't want to talk about work."

"I don't suppose you do," Sybil whispered as his lips lowered to hers. His kiss was like strong brandy muddling her mind and pushing every other thought out except him and how he made her feel. She thought to protest as she felt the tie at the neckline of her wrapper and nightgown let go, but at the same time she didn't want to. To be in a man's arms again and feel alive was all she really wanted at the moment. She gasped slightly when she felt his hand close over her bare breast and kneed the flesh.

"Hans," she said with a whimper as she tore her mouth from his. "I don't want … I don't want to rush things."

"Only as far as you want," he murmured back. He lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth.

Sybil had to clap her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. He was no inexperienced boy. What he was doing to her should have been illegal it felt so good. He slowly returned to kissing her mouth while his fingers continued to explore her flesh. Sybil could feel the hardness of his erection pressing into her. Her mind kept telling her to leave and go back to bed but her body was telling her just a little more wouldn't hurt.

He exposed her other breast and explored it with his mouth. Sybil's hands were going crazy over his hair, chest and neck. She shifted so she could reach between their bodies and stroke his erection. Hans suddenly looked up.

"Sybil, we must stop if you do not want more," he said. She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.

"Take me to my room," she whispered. "Make love to me. I need you."

"This is not what you want. I do not want you to regret this," he said between kisses.

"I won't regret it," Sybil moaned against him.

He stood up with her in his arms and carried her up the stairs. He didn't set her down until they were inside her room with the door closed. Sybil reached over and turned the lock on the door. Hans pushed the wrapper off her shoulders and let it drop in the floor followed by her nightdress. He made to take her in his arms and take her to the bed, but she stopped him.

"No, too loud," she whispered. She gasped as he nuzzled her neck and pulled her against him. Sybil reached over and drew the quilt from the foot of the bed. He quickly grabbed the pillows and threw them down on top of it before she was in his arms and pushing his pajama bottoms lower. He stopped what he was doing and looked in her eyes.

"There will be no going back," he whispered.

"Hans, make love to me," she almost pleaded.

Despite their frantic desire for each other he slowed the pace once they were on the quilt and pillows on the floor. She was so ready for him he slipped inside easily. Sybil was squirming and pushing herself against him. He had to concentrate to keep the pace slow and was sweating with the exertion of not going too soon. More than once he had to capture her cries of ecstasy with his mouth on hers.

Sybil didn't know what had come over her. All she could think of was her desire to feel him inside her. He was full and thick and using his body to drive her to new heights, the more he gave the more she wanted, when she though she couldn't take any more, he went even slower, prolonging the moment of her orgasm. He kept her on the edge of the precipice for what seemed an eternity until he felt her body begin to spasm. He moved quickly rocking into her and reaching his own peak before hers had ended. Sybil became conscious of her surroundings slowly realizing he was still kissing her to quiet her moans of completion.

He leaned on his elbows on either side of her and looked into her face.

"Please do not regret this," he said as he gazed down at her. He was still inside her and her arms and legs were wrapped around him.

"I was so afraid you would find me lacking," Sybil said finally. She slowly released him. Her hands were shaking as she stroked the sides of his face. He kissed her wrist before he moved to the side and pulled her close.

"And I was afraid you would not care for me," he said at last.

"What did that woman do to you? You were wonderful. What we did was wonderful, almost too good to be true," Sybil said with concern. She put an arm around him and pulled him close to her. She could feel the silent sobs wracking his body while she held him. She realized in that moment it wasn't only her who needed him. He needed her as well. They fit together like two halves of the same shell.

"I do not want to be alone anymore," he whispered to her finally when he'd regained his composure.

"Hush, I'm here now," she said quietly. "Only good memories from here on between us. I guess we know now if we are meant to be a couple or not."

"We are a couple," he agreed.

"Hans what if I'm pregnant," Sybil said suddenly. She sat up straight and put her hand to her mouth. "I didn't even think."

"Then we will have a baby and we will rejoice," he said calmly.

"No, I can't go through loosing another one."

"You, Bradley and Garret are all fine. It is not every child. A different father might make a difference. Do not bring trouble by dwelling on it." He put his arm around her and urged her to lie back down against him. "We only have one more day, then a long separation. I want to enjoy every moment and do this every chance we get."

"You are incorrigible… and determined," she said before he could say it. In another minute she was up.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She had her wrapper on and unlocked the door.

"Stay put. I'm going to get cleaned up a bit and then I'll be right back. We have four hours before Daddy and the rest of the household start to stir."

He only smiled and lay back on the pillows.


	41. Sybil of London Part 2

Sybil of London – Part 2 – Chapters 5 through 8

Chapter 5 – Last Days

"Vienna for Christmas? Really?" Bobby asked the next morning with round eyes.

"Yes, Hans has asked us to visit during your holiday break from school. I wanted to talk to you first before I accepted," Sybil replied.

"Hurrah," Bobby cried. "Can we go by plane?"

"I think ferry to Calais then overnight train to Vienna," Sybil replied. "You had a bit of a mess last year at school, so I expect you to work hard and have all your studies taken care of before the holidays."

"Are there many planes there?" Bobby asked Hans suddenly.

"A few. Austria is under Allied occupation," Hans replied. "There are many things to do in Vienna. You will not be bored."

"Are there armed guards on the streets?" Bobby had seen too many American war movies and newsreels and had a vivid imagination.

"No," Hans said. He couldn't help but smile at the boy's ideas of what the city would be like. "The streets are narrow and there are few motor cars. Most people use bicycles or the streetcar to get around. There are many gardens in the summer."

"Why don't you walk down to the village lending library and look Vienna up in the encyclopedia?" Sybil suggested.

"You are so lucky," Dalaigh told Bobby as the two of them headed down to check the encyclopedia. "I have to stay in Dublin and Da will probably be at work."

"I would rather go by plane," Bobby complained as they headed out the door.

"I will be having guests then," Hans said. He smiled at Sybil.

"Did you have any doubts," Sybil replied. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips before the door to the dining room opened and Rory and Liam came in to get Hans for their fencing lesson. Hans couldn't stop smiling. He and Sybil had gone at it for a second round in the early hours of the morning. It had been everything he had imagined and more and she had just confirmed she would be joining him for Christmas. His life seemed to be going the right direction at the moment.

As soon as the table was cleared and wiped down, Sybil got out the shirts for the younger boys to put the finishing touches on them. With Bobby and Redmond's son Dalaigh thrown into the mix with the four young boys of her parents she was making twelve shirts for the group. Sewing the buttons and making buttonholes was the slowest part.

"You're looking happy this morning," Rose commented when she came through.

"Finishing touches on these shirts and I've just agreed to take Bobby to Vienna for Christmas," Sybil replied. "It's something to look forward to."

"Looking forward to no more shirts?" Rose teased her. "It's lovely news darling. Let me know when you've got the buttonholes done on the first few. I'll give you a hand sewing buttons."

"I'll have the boys shirts done by lunch at this rate," Sybil replied with a smile.

Rose went through to the office to find Tom and check he wasn't sneaking chocolates again. He was notorious for eating chocolates in the mornings especially when he was stiff. They had been teaching Sybil and Hans a few dance moves every evening. Tom was so stiff in the mornings she practically had to pry him out of bed. Tom was going through a stack of bills when she found him.

"Have you seen the look on the pair of their faces this morning?" Rose asked him with a cocked eyebrow. "I'd say our daughter and visiting musician have been making some music of their own."

"Like we're so pristine and pure," Tom said. He reached over and pulled his wife onto his lap. She let out a little squeak of surprise. "It's good for her. It's giving her something else to think about besides her problems."

"Tom, I'm serious. I'm concerned about Sybil. She might be getting into something she isn't ready for."

"Maybe she is and maybe she isn't. They're adults. We're going to stay out of it. He says his intentions are honorable and that's that. They're planning to get together at Christmas. Let nature take it's course."

"You aren't worried?" Rose asked him.

"We have one that's been a widower for more than six years and hasn't even tried to find a new wife or gone on a single date. Two getting married in five weeks to girls from the most uptight family I've ever met in my life bar none. That includes the Crawley clan and another getting married at Christmas. Two grandchildren along with their Nanny to return to their father at the end of the week, one son I have to watch like a hawk so he doesn't break his neck riding two fast and a host of other booboos and goodness only knows what to kiss better and fix up on a daily basis. If our daughter who is almost thirty years old has a healthy interest in Hans, all I've got to say is thank goodness she's normal and she could have chosen a lot worse. He is crazy about her and has been for years."

"He has not," Rose replied.

"Years," Tom reiterated. "Fathers have a sixth sense about these things."

"Is that so?" Rose questioned him with a slight smirk.

"That Mac Aoidh boy at church falls down the steps every time Aisling walks past. He's completely smitten."

"Or clumsy," Rose replied with a slight laugh.

"He splashed her with the holy water last week. He's smitten," Tom insisted.

"And Sybil?"

"Need I remind you what we got up to before we were married," he replied.

Rose's face flushed slightly.

"I remember it was rather lovely," she whispered in his ear. "I remember almost getting caught going to it against the wall in the Abbey."

Tom could only laugh.

"I forgot about that one," he said. "Sybil is happy for the first time in over a year. Let's just let her be."

"I suppose you're right," Rose replied. "I promised her I would help sew buttons."

"Sewing buttons and having a relationship with a man who has honorable intentions. There are worse things in life," he said.

"You've developed a very progressive attitude," Rose said.

"I'm getting too old to fuss over the little things," Tom replied before she hopped off his lap and headed back to give Sybil a hand.

-0-

"You had to have known Mummy would throw an impromptu party for your last night here," Sybil said quietly. She was lying beside Hans in a nest of quilts and sheets on the floor in her room. There was no sense advertising his presence with a squeaking bed. He had just come in to join her once the house had finally settled for the night.

"I remember all the parties she had when I lived here," he replied just above a whisper. "I wish I could come to London with you and help you with things there, but I must get back. I have a solo performance coming up soon. I should be practicing for rehearsals by now."

"It's only a few months and we'll be over for a visit," Sybil replied softly. "What I need to do in London is difficult. With Hope's things, we decided when the time was right together to put things away and what pictures and mementos to leave out. This time…" her lips trembled and she turned her face into his shoulder.

Hans stroked her hair and pulled her a little closer into his arms.

"It is difficult without family," he said. "You will know when the time is right. You do not need to rush."

"Unless we have a surprise bundle of joy in nine months," Sybil said. She used the corner of the sheet to dry her tears.

"Even then you will deal with things when you are ready."

"Here we are, your last night and I'm ruining it sniffling," Sybil said softly.

"You ruin nothing. You have grief. It is part of you."

"I miss you already and you haven't gone anywhere."

"Go to sleep for a bit," he said.

"But," she started.

"You need rest, we have all night." He had her turn onto her stomach so he could rub her back.

"You're so good to me," Sybil said as she took a deep breath and tried to relax. She woke a few hours later feeling better. Her emotions had calmed down. She moved over and curled herself against Hans. Her head told her she was still too emotional for a new physical relationship, but her heart told her differently. The man beside her was comfort itself. She craved him as a though he were a part of her that was missing and didn't feel complete unless he was there. She had loved him for years. She had denied it and tried to get over it for the sake of her marriage but now there was no reason not to love him. She felt guilt as though she was somehow unfaithful to her husband, but when Russell was alive he had told her many times life was for the living. Those that were left had to pick up and move on. Russell had seen too much death during the war. He believed in getting on with things and that was exactly what she was doing, one step at a time.

Sybil focused her attention on the living breathing man beside her. She reached out and traced the contours of the muscles of his chest with her fingertips. He was a fine physical specimen. He kept in shape and could turn heads in any room when he was dressed up. She wondered what the woman he had gone out with a year before had said or done to him to make him so upset and doubt himself. She would like to find her and tear her hair out, but that would most likely never be possible. Sybil ran her hand over his abdomen and then lower, touching him and committing the contours of his body to memory. Hans turned without opening his eyes and began stroking her body in return. He slid one finger through the curls of her pubic hair and let it rest against the nub of her womanhood. He continued to massage her breasts and back with his other hand. She was sighing with pleasure when his lips found hers.

The slow pace of his lovemaking was frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. Every movement was prolonged bringing her to new levels of awareness she'd never reached before. He still hadn't moved his finger when he rolled onto his back and encouraged her to lie on top of him. He let her set her own pace of moving against him. By the time she sheathed herself on him she was swollen and slick. She could feel every inch of him inside her. He pulled her forward to kiss her when she tried to sit up and rubbed her intimately at the same time. He finally released her and let her move on top of him while still playing with her breasts and rubbing her. Sybil went through her orgasm and couldn't believe it when he continued to stimulate her.

"What are you doing?" she questioned him breathlessly.

"Going for seconds," he said quietly. "You are glorious in your ecstasy."

He rolled her over so he was on top and took his time bringing her up to a second orgasm that was even more powerful than the first. His answering organism arrived at the same instant and they climaxed together.

"Hans?" Sybil questioned in the aftermath. She was lying with her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat. "You've been with a lot of women. Is it always like this?"

"I have been with a few women," he corrected. "No it is not like this with anyone else. I think about you when we are together and when we are not. I am not pretending with you. It has never been like this before." He pulled her close to him and curled himself around her. His eyes were closed and he was drifting off to sleep. Sybil placed a kiss on his neck before she settled down.

"That I like very much," he mumbled.

"I like everything about you very much," she said as she fell asleep against him.

-0-

"I like the house in Horsham better," Bobby said moodily when the cab pulled up to Evans House in London a week later. Sybil and Bobby had accompanied Redmond's children back to Dublin shortly after Hans' departure then made their way back to London.

"We have things to settle here including enrolling you in school which starts in a few weeks," Sybil reminded him. "We'll make decisions about your schooling together and I'll get my business straightened out. Then we'll think about staying in the country on weekends. One thing at a time."

"I know," Bobby replied while they waited for the butler to open the door. There was a large pile of boxes for Sybil's business on the curb as well as their bags once the cabbie had everything unloaded.

"Welcome home Mrs. Beldon, Master Robert," the butler said formerly.

"Thank you, Mr. Sheldon," Sybil replied. Mr. Sheldon had come to work for them at the beginning of the previous year. "Is Lady Astrid in London?"

"She is in Coventry for a wedding, Mam. She is expected to return tomorrow," Mr. Sheldon replied. "May I take your coat?"

"If you could bring the bags in," Sybil replied. Bobby went back out to help bring the things into the house. Sybil opened the cloak cupboard door and stopped in her tracks. Russell's hats were still neatly lined up on the top shelf, his coats were on their hangers and she suspected there was a pair of his boots somewhere in there as well. She had been so worked up before they left she hadn't been able to face sorting his clothing for donation to charity. She waited until the bags and boxes were moved into the house.

"Mr. Sheldon, would you have my late husband's things moved from the cloak closet to the wardrobe in the master bedroom, please," Sybil instructed. She caught Bobby's eye. Bobby had a relieved look on his face.

"Very well, Mam," Mr. Sheldon said impassively. "Will there be anything else?"

"That's all for now, thank you," Sybil replied.

"Go up and get unpacked," Sybil told Bobby. "Then you can go for a snack downstairs. I'll be in the office talking to Colleen for a bit."

"Thanks, Sybil, for that," Bobby gestured to the coat closet. The butler had already headed upstairs with the coats and hats over one arm and the suitcase in another.

"One thing at a time," she reassured him with a smile. It was a tiny step in letting go, but one they both needed.

Sybil found Colleen in the workroom. The two women had a chat about what Colleen had planned for the next while, pending clients and a number of business appointments that were coming up. Sybil and Colleen had very similar taste and Colleen had developed her own clientele under Sybil's label. The sweater import business from Ireland was still doing well and Colleen had delayed a meeting with the shop they sold to so that Sybil could be included.

"I've brought a good sized woolen order from Ireland and a few newer items," Sybil said.

"So many are showing plaid this year. It's really quite dreadful. Yellow plaid trousers on men look like something out of Woolworths," Colleen commented.

"Dreadful. I saw some of it in the ready to wear in Ireland," Sybil said with a slight shudder. "I do like the idea of incorporating it though. I've brought some scarves, I'll just find the box." The two women were opening the boxes and laying out the new fabrics when Bobby arrived carrying a small tray with tea on it."

"Thank you, Bobby," Sybil said.

"Mrs. O'Rinn would have boxed my ears if I didn't take you tea while you were working," he commented with a grin.

"She would at that," Sybil replied. She felt herself feeling more relaxed in the house than she had before they left. The small act of moving even a few of Russell's things was making her feel more in control of the situation. "Here we go," Sybil said. She opened a box of men's scarves. They were all in plaid and made of wool so fine they felt like cashmere.

"Very nice and very chic," Colleen commented.

Bobby helped open the rest of the cartons. Sybil asked him to carry the cartons up to the main bedroom. Sorting Russell's clothing was something she was determined to accomplish before too long. She had made up her mind to it before she left Ireland.

"Are you designing for your father?" Colleen asked as she moved a folder with drawings and fabric swatches from the stack of fabric bolts she was moving to the shelves.

"No. It's a series for an old friend," Sybil replied slowly. "Do you remember Hans Meyer?"

"No woman in her right mind wouldn't remember him," Colleen replied. "His photographs have sold more sweaters and complete looks than I can count. Is he back in London?"

"No still in Vienna," Sybil replied.

"That will make final fitting difficult," Colleen commented.

"I'm taking Bobby over for Christmas," Sybil said calmly then broke out in a smile.

"Oh my," Colleen said fanning herself with her hand and smiling at Sybil in return.

"Oh my, indeed," Sybil replied with an even larger smile before she went up to unpack.

Chapter 6 – Back in London

Sybil set her third hanky of the morning to the side and surveyed the progress she had made with packing up Russell's clothing for charity. Bobby had gone out to visit an old school chum and she knew this was a step she had to do as much for him as for herself but it didn't make it any easier. Packing up shoes, socks and underwear had been easy. There wasn't a personal attachment to shoes and socks. The task hadn't been so easy when it came to shirts and suits. The clothes had sat for long enough they no longer smelled of his aftershave and soap. They are just clothes, she had to remind herself over and over.

The last item that had set her on a crying jag was Russell's military uniform. She had decided to have that moved to the attic along with his tuxedo for storage in a cedar chest. Yesterday this had seemed like a good idea and today she was a wreck. The entire process would have to be repeated at the house in Horsham although there were considerably less items there. Sybil finally had herself pulled together enough to go to the washroom to splash some cold water on her face.

"Hans told you to delegate, you silly thing," she said to herself in the mirror. She went down to find the butler and housekeeper and give some instructions on what she wanted done. She would have their wedding picture and Russell's picture moved from the drawing room to the shelf in the library where they had Hope's picture displayed. Luncheon followed by a few hours in the workroom, working on her designs and getting back into the business would do her a world of good.

Sybil had been in the workroom for about an hour when her sister-in-law Astrid came in to say hello. Astrid was looking chic and grown up. Her mouth was a slash of bright red lipstick and her long hair was swept up into an updo that accentuated her high cheekbones. She was every bit the stylish, wealthy young woman with a good education. There wasn't a frumpy bone in her body.

"Whatever is going on with the delivery men I saw carrying boxes out," Astrid asked after they had exchanged a hug. "You're not moving out are you?"

"No, nothing like that," Sybil replied. "Let's go through to the drawing room."

"I decided it was time to move Russell's clothing out of the closets and give most of it to charity," Sybil said once they were on their own. "It wasn't easy but I needed to do it."

"Sybil, it's past time," Astrid said taking her hand.

"I know that," Sybil replied sadly. "I thought perhaps you would help me go through the rooms and decide what pictures and things to leave out."

"Of course I will," Astrid replied. "I'll be two weeks before classes start again. Bradley will be down in a few days. We thought we'd spend his break at Hadley Hall. I'll help out there as well."

"I should scold the pair of you for living in the same house without anyone else there when you're not married, but I can't bring myself to do it," Sybil said.

"We've had a long courtship and engagement on purpose. I know his hours and what it will take to be a doctor's wife and he knows my struggles as well. We're not in the same house that often. We do have separate accommodations at Cambridge you know."

"I know that and you are being sensible," Sybil replied. "I can't fault you for that."

"How was Ireland and how is Bobby?"

"Ireland was good and Bobby is back to his old self. At least he was before we got back to London. Time will tell. I have to get him registered for school tomorrow. I thought I might coerce you into being involved in that as well."

"Do you think they'll set him back a year?"

"I hope not. He had tutoring while we were in Ireland and he was happy with my father and the other boys to keep him occupied. He is a country boy at heart. We weren't even in the door and he wanted to go down to Hadley Hall."

"He can come down with me and Bradley," Astrid said with a smile. "That way we won't be on our own and it will protect your sensibilities."

"Astrid, I'm only trying to look out for the both of you," Sybil said.

"I know that," Astrid replied. "I'll go up and unpack then maybe we could look around the drawing room and hall to start?"

"Yes, that's fine," Sybil responded.

-0-

That night at dinner Bobby was quiet. He'd come home from his friend's in the afternoon and gone straight out to work in the garden. Sybil didn't want to push for what was bothering him. It upset her to see him down again. He'd done so well in Ireland especially while Hans was there. She knew coming home and the memories were hard for her, they seemed to be weighing on Bobby as well.

"Astrid has asked if you would like to go to Hadley Hall with her and Bradley when he arrives in two days," Sybil commented.

"I'd like that, thank you," Bobby said perking up slightly.

"We can go around and get you registered for school and have that taken care of and then you can spend all the time you like in the country before school starts," Sybil said.

"I don't want to go back there," Bobby said haltingly.

"What did you say?" Sybil asked him worriedly.

"I don't want to go to my old school in London," Bobby said finally.

"Can you tell us your reasons," Astrid asked him calmly. Having gone through school problems herself she knew some of what Bobby was going through.

"They'll probably put me back a year and I want to go somewhere where I can ride and fish in the winter everyday like I did in Ireland. I don't want to go to school in London," Bobby replied more clearly.

Sybil suspected there was more to it that he wasn't saying but she didn't push.

"Bobby if you feel strongly about something you need to tell us," Sybil said. "It's a bit late to find a new school but you may select a boarding school, a tutor or a day school as long as it meets with Astrid's and my approval."

"Can't I go to the village school at Horsham?" he asked.

"No, it wouldn't work. The same as my brothers and sisters don't go to the village school in Ireland," Sybil replied. "You have a trust now, that makes you part owner of the estate. You have to remember you have a position in the community."

"The boys at my old school are snobs," he said. "We're a lot wealthier than they are but they think they're so high and mighty."

"It's not polite to discuss finances outside of family," Sybil reminded him. "Is that part of the problem at your old school?"

Bobby nodded. His accent had evened out over the years. He'd lost much of the East end accent and slang he'd arrived with years ago, but he still didn't have a cultured accent like she and Astrid did.

"There are quite a few good country boy's schools that have reopened since the war's end," Astrid commented. "We'll go to the library tomorrow and take a look at the listings. We could set up a few tours of the ones you like the sound of. I'm sure Bradley would go around with us."

"You're not mad are you?" he asked Sybil.

"Heavens no, I'm not mad," Sybil replied. "You have a trust and putting it to use for the type of education you want is a clever thing to do."

Astrid nodded her agreement.

"Can we still have weekends in Horsham if I'm at a boarding school," he asked.

"Of course we can, if you choose a school that isn't too far away. And we'll still have Christmas and all your breaks together," Sybil said reassuringly.

"May we walk to the library after dinner to look at the school listings," Bobby asked.

"Eat up and we'll go to the library," Astrid replied. "Perhaps Sybil will come and we can take in the cinema afterwards. This is summer break after all."

Bobby smiled at the pair of them, then tucked into his dinner. Sybil gave Astrid a look of thanks. There was a great deal to do to get their lives straightened out and she was more than thankful for her help at that moment.

-0-

"The final decision comes down to what you want, Bobby," Bradley said. "We've looked at three schools. All of them have good academic reputations as well as things that you liked and didn't like." They were sitting in the drawing room at Hadley Hall after visiting all the schools and tossing over the good and bad at each.

"I liked the activities and the parklands at Hurst Lodge School," Bobby said.

"That school means you would have to board through the week, but it isn't that far by train from either house," Astrid commented. "I went to boarding school and I enjoyed it. You'll make friends and visit at each other's homes on weekends. There are so many activities you don't have time to get lonely or bored."

"Or you could choose Forest School or Christ's Hospital and live at Hadley Hall," Bradley said. "They both have plenty of activities and an excellent academic reputation."

"What do you think, Sybil?" Bobby asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I almost think Hurst Lodge School might be the right choice for both of us," Sybil replied. "I don't want you to think or ever feel I don't want you with me by preferring a boarding school."

"No, I know you wouldn't leave me," Bobby replied. It's only twenty-five minutes from here on the train."

"Why do you like the school?" Sybil asked him.

"There aren't that many boarders, it's smaller than the others and there are lots of activities that interest me. Why do you like it?"

"I don't like the idea of you being on your own with the servants at Hadley Hall," Sybil said. "There are times getting back to the business of design I might be late in London. I would worry myself sick if you were here alone. It will be just the two of us once Astrid goes back to Cambridge. You wouldn't be long on the train back and forth on weekends and we've already made plans for Christmas. I think a school with performing arts, sports and outdoor activities is just the thing for a boy who plans to go on for Landscape Design and Horticulture. The other schools were more oriented for engineering or pure academics. I don't like you being part of the landlord's family at the schools either since they are both on estate lands. Although I doubt the other students would realize the connection unless the administrators said something."

"There's nothing wrong with a more technical education," Bradley reminded them.

"I might decide to be a pilot," Bobby said.

"Cousin George and Hans Meyer have both pointed out there are serious drawbacks to a career as a military pilot," Sybil replied. "Russell was quite explicit in his wishes you not follow a military career as well."

"But…" Bobby replied dourly.

"Sybil is not saying no flying, she's saying no military flying. That doesn't mean you couldn't pursue a commercial career or learn to fly and someday when you're older have your own plane," Bradley reminded him.

"I didn't know you'd spoken to Hans Meyer recently," Astrid said.

"He was in Ireland visiting," Sybil responded.

"We're going to Vienna for Christmas," Bobby added.

"I was going to mention I wouldn't have time off over the holidays before I went back," Bradley said. He made a mental note to have a word with his sister in private.

"You're going to be busy going like this," Bobby said making kissy sounds at Bradley.

Bradley punched him on the shoulder. Bobby was all boy and did best with male role models. If Sybil hadn't been raised with all brothers she would have had a hard time with his constant desire for all things outdoors.

"We're off topic," Astrid pointed out. "You both seem to like Hurst Lodge School, is that your choice?"

"It is," Bobby replied.

"I'll make the phone calls this afternoon and let the schools know our final decision," Astrid said.

"Fishing anyone?" Bradley asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Bobby replied.

"I think I'll come along as well," Sybil said.

"Wait until I'm done on the telephone and we'll make it a family affair," Astrid added with a smile.

-0-

Bradley went in search of Sybil a few hours before his departure for Cambridge. He was looking forward to getting married in early December. He was done his residency and Astrid would be entering her final year of university. They'd taken their time and knew each other well enough neither of them had any doubts about getting married. He had thought they would have a bit of time on their own over his break but it was not to be, as it was obvious his sister and her ward needed both of them present as they got their lives back on track. He found Sybil in her sewing room at Hadley Hall working on a pair of trousers.

"Back at it?" Bradley asked.

"Yes, at least a bit," Sybil replied. "I'm feeling a great deal better about things at the houses now that Astrid and I have done a walk through and decided how and where we want pictures and things. There are still loose ends but no where near what there were."

"That's good. Bobby was certainly happy when we dropped him off at school yesterday."

"I do think it's the best move," Sybil replied. "I might be a bit lonely."

"We can go over for Dylan and Garrett's weddings together now. You weren't going to go before," Bradley commented.

"Your wedding and Christmas break will be here before I know it at this rate," Sybil replied.

"Sybil about Christmas break," Bradley began. "I don't mean to pry, but do you know what you're getting into?"

"I'm taking things slow the same as you have with Astrid," Sybil replied quietly. "Hans and I have an understanding."

"I shouldn't say this but he likes the ladies," Bradley said. "I like him, even admire him, but I don't want to see you hurt."

Sybil reached over and squeezed Bradley's hand.

"There are reasons to say no and reasons to say yes to spending time with Hans Meyer," Sybil replied sincerely. "He's given me his word he won't chase after other women. We're writing and spending time together when we can. I still have to get through all this." Sybil waved a hand at the surrounding house.

"I know you do. It's obvious you're still struggling. I don't want you taken advantage of."

"He's not a gold digger, he's good with Bobby and he is a good person," Sybil replied.

"He is a good man," Bradley agreed. "I've never known him to run around on a girl he was actually seeing, they normally don't last long is all."

"Everything will be fine. I'm not an inexperienced girl. He's written he's looking for a new place between rehearsals but no success yet," Sybil said. "I'll visit at Christmas with Bobby. I'll have my fifteen-year-old chaperone with me." She didn't mention that she had written as well to let Hans know she wasn't pregnant and how they were getting on with finding Bobby a school.

Bradley got a smile on his face.

"Bobby is a good chaperone at that," he replied.

"Speaking of gold diggers, there are those who could accuse you of that. You do realize once the two of you tie the knot you'll be part owner of all this," Sybil said.

"I hadn't even thought about it," Bradley replied.

"I'm happy Astrid is with you and not someone who is only interested in the money," Sybil said. "We were raised around it all but we still had to work. I think it made us more grounded."

"I'm going to say something that may sound odd coming from a brother," Bradley said. He paused for a second. "I think it's important to know a person in their good times and bad and behind closed doors before you get married. I know that isn't the polite society way of going about things, but I do think it's important. If you decide to get more serious with Hans, really get to know him. Not just on the occasional visit."

"I knew Russell or thought I did. The man who came back from war was a completely different person. Are you saying you know Astrid a little better than you should?" Sybil inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"I'll only say we know each other well enough to know she doesn't like it when I eat toast in bed when I'm reading journals and I hate when she mixes up my toothpaste and hair cream. She can't read the label's without her glasses," Bradley said. "It was rather a shocker when I got the wrong one on my toothbrush."

Sybil had to laugh. "Mummy and Daddy would die if they heard you talk like that."

"So would Redmond," Bradley said. "He's so uptight it's a wonder his knickers don't squeak when he walks."

"He's pussy footing around dating again which is something," Sybil replied. "One of these days he's going to meet someone again and fall like a ton of bricks."

"I'm glad you've met someone really. I just don't want you getting into anything before you're ready," Bradley reiterated.

"I'm taking my time," Sybil replied. "Right now I need to get my career back on track."

"A first back to it client?" Bradley asked.

"I'm doing a few outfits for my favorite model," Sybil replied with a small smile.

"Me?" Bradley teased her.

"No and you'll have to wait your turn for a hand out after Dylan," she replied still smiling.

"I need a new suit before my wedding."

"You need to get moving before you miss your train," Sybil said smiling at him as she guided him out the door of her sewing room.

Chapter 7 – An Unceremonious Welcome

Sybil dabbed her eyes with her hanky while she watched her brother Dylan marry Kate and her brother Garret marry Kyna. It was a beautiful double wedding. The church in Dublin was full with her own family taking up the first two rows of pews on the grooms' side. The reception was planned at an upscale hotel. The girl's father was a horse breeder and nothing but the best was good enough for his daughters. Both brothers had been lead a merry chase getting the girl's parents permission to marry. Kyna's father wouldn't agree to their marriage until Garret had a secure position teaching at the university on top of teaching music from home, performance requests and his latest venture in the world of music, writing and selling his own compositions. He was making a good living as a musician but her father had wanted something tangible he could recognize as a career and Garret had decided he wanted to stay put in Dublin. He liked it there and wanted to build a life with Kyna in the city.

Dylan was doing well with the architectural firm he worked at and hadn't half the issues with the girl's parents Garret had but he'd still been held at arms length with a chaperone at every turn. Dylan had always had an easy time with the girls, but Kate had been the exception and he had been taken with her since their first meeting.

Sybil's thoughts turned back to England during the signing of the license part of the ceremony. Bobby had made arrangements to spend the weekend with a friend from his new school and had contact information for Astrid and Sybil's Cousin George if anything came up while she was in Dublin. He seemed to be enjoying his new school and was settling in well. They had engaged a tutor for him to make sure he kept up with his classmates after the previous year. His first weekend home he'd chatted up a storm about the riding lessons that were part of the curriculum, the activities he'd joined and the boys in his class. Sybil had been busy with her design business going to appointments and shows to get herself up to speed on the latest trends. Word had spread quickly she was back and she already had a number of bookings from her old clients. She wouldn't have any problems filling her days until the Christmas holidays.

By the end of the festivities she was glad she had taken a room at the hotel where the reception was being held. Bradley was staying at the house with Dylan and Garret. Their roommate had moved out to make more room for the two newlywed couples. Their parents were staying with Redmond and had the six younger children in sleeping bags like cord wood on the floor in Redmond's sitting room. Sybil almost regretted staying at the hotel her first night in Dublin. She enjoyed the hustle and energy of the larger family, but tonight dealing with eight tired children and getting them settled was something she was only too happy to leave to someone else.

"Why did I ever agree to stay with Dylan and Garret," Bradley complained to Sybil the morning after their brother's wedding. The family had gathered at Redmond's house for a final get together before everyone headed back home.

"You were being a good brother getting them to the church on time and all the rest," Sybil replied.

"A good brother that had to press a pillow to his head all night to deaden the racket," Bradley said quietly. Sybil gave him a playful swat. They had all known fairly young what was going on behind closed doors with their parents all the times they had disappeared in the middle of the day. "I'm going to give Garret a belated wedding gift, a can of oil for his bed. And Dylan, all I can say is I went down to get a cup of tea this morning and found the kitchen otherwise occupied. I had to bring my shaving kit over this morning as well. I couldn't get in the washroom, Garret and Kyna were in there."

"They're newlyweds," Sybil reminded him. "We're leaving tonight. Smile and make the best of it. In a few months you won't be doing any better."

"I'll make sure the bed at my flat is well oiled before hand," Bradley replied with a grin then evaded his older sister's second swat.

Sybil went in search of her mother and found her braiding one of the girl's hair. Her mother had looked happy and sad at the same time yesterday at the reception.

"Tired after the big day?" Sybil asked her.

"Feeling my age," Rose replied. "You're all so grown up and settled. Most of my friends have what they call _empty nest. _Who has time for all that? I've got a house full to see to. There, you're all done Aisling. Go and remind Naill to wash his face and brush his teeth. Tell him I'll be out to check in a few minutes."

"I'll tell him Mummy," Aisling replied.

"I don't know how you manage six of us then six in the second round," Sybil said. "I find dealing with Bobby quite enough."

"How is he getting on with his new school?"

"Happy so far," Sybil replied.

"You have to remember we employ help to deal with the children," Rose said. "You're father is an involved parent as well. Children have a way of amusing each other and taking care of each other's little problems. We're only there to guide them along the way."

Rose tucked the hairbrush and ribbons back into her travel case.

"Have you heard from Hans?" she asked trying to sound casual.

"Yes, he writes once a week," Sybil replied. "He's bought his own place. It's a large flat. He gets the key the first of the month. He says it is unfurnished, in rough shape and needs a lot of work but he should have something livable by the time we arrive for Christmas. There isn't much selection in the area and he wants to stay close to work so he can walk."

"You're still going for Christmas?"

"Mummy, I know you're worried. I had almost the same conversation with Bradley. It's a visit and I'll have Bobby along. I probably won't be able to get a word in edgewise with him chattering up a storm."

"I'm worried about you rushing into something, but not about the man you've chosen," Rose replied. "I've always liked Hans. He can be difficult, but he's a dear once you get to know him."

"I've always found him easy to get along with," Sybil said.

"When he first arrived he was the perfect devil to take care of at the hospital, but then goodness knows what kind of propaganda the Germans were feeding their boys during the war. I think he was convinced we were going to torture him for sport and anything with music." Rose threw up her hands. "I had to threaten to take away the violin I loaned him to get him to cooperate. He's changed a great deal over the years."

"I'm not rushing Mummy," Sybil replied. "We've agreed we are a couple but there is nothing else yet. We both need to take time to get to know each other better which is difficult at a distance. How long were you and Daddy interested in each other before you got married?"

Rose's face turned crimson.

"Not long. We got married six weeks after our engagement. I just knew he was the man for me. My life had changed so much from what I was raised with. There seemed no point in holding on to the old."

"And you had a little girl to deal with right away," Sybil commented.

"You were an easy child except when you took a notion to do something. There was no stopping you," Rose replied.

"Well, I've taken a notion to go to Vienna for Christmas. You'll have to stop worrying," Sybil teased her.

"On a different note, have you ever heard anything of Astrid's father?"

"We received a death certificate about a year ago," Sybil replied. "All those years and not one word or even a note. I don't know how anyone could be so thoroughly selfish."

"His type are," Rose replied. "I'm not worried about Bradley with her one bit. It's plain to see she adores him."

"And vice versa," Sybil replied. "We're a funny little family when we're all together in England. We couldn't be closer if we tried."

"That's good dear," Rose replied. She gave Sybil a brief hug. "Make sure and take care of yourself."

"I do Mummy," Sybil replied.

-0-

Sybil and Bobby stood on the train platform scanning the crowd for any sign of Hans. It was three days before Christmas 1949. The colors and sounds of the station were vastly different from London. The porters wore green vests and reddish colored trousers. All around them were a symphony of voices speaking German, French and a number of others Sybil didn't recognize. Bobby had spent the last two days with his face pressed to the window and following their route across France and Germany and finally into Austria on a map. They had heard the names of the various places numerous times over the war years but actually seeing them through the window of the train was a surreal experience.

The crowd parted slightly. They spotted a young woman carrying a sign that read _Beldon_. She came towards them. Her braids were wound around her head without a hair out of place and her green eyes were glacial.

"Mrs. Beldon?" she inquired.

"Yes," Sybil replied.

"I am Fraulein Kukbauer. Herr Meyer has asked me to meet you. There has been a last minute rehearsal for the performance tonight. He will join you when he is available."

"Thank you," Sybil replied. The young woman's attitude was stiff and formal. She gave off an air of how dare you interrupt our violinist and myself as well without ever saying it. "Your position at the symphony?" Sybil inquired.

"I manage the office," Fraulein Kukbauer replied.

"Where we live it's called a secretary," Bobby informed her.

Fraulein Kukbauer's only response was a haughty sniff. Sybil couldn't help but wonder if her hair dared to unbend itself at the end of the day.

"Do you have your bags?" Fraulein Kukbauer inquired.

"I've already summoned a porter," Sybil replied. The man was standing by with their cases.

"It is customary here to take the street car," she informed them with a look that clearly said don't expect me to deal with all that.

"We can take a carriage or arrange to have our baggage delivered. As you obviously are employed by our host, please see to it," Sybil replied firmly putting the young woman in her place.

Fraulein Kukbauer stiffened slightly at Sybil's imperious tone then said something to the porter in German. She lead them to the front of the station and waited while a horse drawn coach was pulled up and the cases were stored in back.

"You do not travel light," Fraulein Kukbauer said once they were seated and the coach pulled away.

"Is it customary for you to question Herr Meyer's guests?" Sybil said quickly. She had been raised with servants a great deal more haughty than anything this woman could throw out. She knew exactly from her years of formal training at her mother's guidance how to put her in her place.

"Hans is going to be surprised when he sees all the presents we brought him," Bobby said to Sybil as they moved through the streets in the carriage. His head was on a swivel taking in the church steeples and elegant buildings that were lit in the early evening dusk.

"He will," Sybil replied with a smile. The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a building in what Sybil surmised was an older part of the city. They were surrounded by elegant churches and domed buildings. Fraulein Kukbauer produced a set of keys and opened the front door of a town home. It looked to Sybil as a house that had been divided into flats as many in London had during and right after the war. Larger homes like theirs in the city were becoming fewer and fewer as people could not afford to keep them up. Fraulein Kukbauer opened a door at the top of the stairs and turned on the lights.

"We have rationed power in the city. I advise you to use candles or lamps when you can. Your keys, Mrs. Beldon," Fraulein Kukbauer said. "I will pay the coachman once your bags are in place."

"There is no need," Sybil replied.

"Herr Meyer has provided the funds," she said. She turned and went down the stairs passing the coachman as he was on his way up with an assortment of suitcases.

"I don't like her," Bobby said. "I hope all of Hans friends aren't like that."

"I believe she is a secretary as you said," Sybil replied. "You don't need to concern yourself with her. We probably won't see her again."

Sybil tipped the coachman once he had their bags brought up despite Fraulein Kukbauer's earlier statement. She closed the door, then headed into the flat to investigate it. Hans had written he had bought the place but it needed a great deal of work and materials were hard to get, much as they were in London. Bobby stopped dead in his tracks suddenly when they entered the main sitting room. Sybil almost bumped into him.

The walls had been painted and there was a grouping of sofa and chairs around the fireplace but otherwise that was it in the room. It had obviously once been a grand room with vaulted ceilings, high windows with shutters and an inlaid wood floor with an intricate pattern. There was a ladder standing by one window, making it look like the draperies had been rehung in a hurry. The floor was a mess and would require sanding and varnishing to bring it back to it's former glory. The mantle was intricately carved and looked like it had been sanded and was waiting for a coat of paint. After the initial surprise Sybil could see right away why it appealed to Hans. Once the room was restored and decorated it would be elegant. The hint of the view from the floor to ceiling windows from where she was standing behind Bobby looked stunning.

"Let's take a look around, shall we," she said trying to make the best of things. "Hans did mention the flat still needed a great deal of work."

They went through another door to a small kitchen. The cupboards and flooring there all looked new. The light fixtures needed a coat of paint. The upper cupboards and the counter top were missing. In it's place were some rough boards covered by an oilcloth. Sybil noted to her relief there was an icebox and what looked to be a working gas range. The only sink was a large washbasin positioned by a set of taps with a length of garden hose for filling the basin. Further investigation revealed a washroom that was fully renovated and looked inviting with thick towels and a mat beside the tub. A bedroom they guessed was a guest room was made up with a double bed, a dresser and armoire. There wasn't a picture on the walls or a dot of anything homey about it. They investigated the last room. Sybil recognized the quilt she had chosen for Hans years ago covering the bed. There was an armoire and chest of drawers as well. On top of the chest of drawers was an old dish where he had tossed bits of paper, change and a range of things from his pockets. Otherwise the rooms looked as though they were still being worked on and were in desperate need of a woman's touch.

"I wonder where I'm supposed to sleep," Bobby commented.

"I'm sure Hans has something in mind. Let's go and see what we can find for a meal," Sybil said. They were just returning to the kitchen when they heard a key turn in the lock. Hans came in looking tired and slightly frazzled. He smiled broadly when he saw the pair of them. Bobby rushed forward to greet Hans. Sybil took one look, didn't say a word and walked straight into his arms for a hug and kiss.

"You're place is a wreck," Bobby said after Hans had hugged him as well.

"A work in progress, I'm afraid," Hans replied ruffling his hair. "I trust Fraulein Kukbauer got you here without problems."

"Yes, she did. We haven't been here long," Sybil replied. She was so busy smiling at him she couldn't think of anything else.

"We have time for dinner and to get changed for the performance tonight," Hans said. "I'm sorry I could not meet you at the station, but I had work. Always problems at the last moment."

"Never mind you're here now," Sybil replied.

"Do we have to see Fraulein Kukbauer again?" Bobby asked.

"Bobby!" Sybil admonished.

"That one is an old maid in the making," Hans replied. "She will be at the holiday gathering for the orchestra tomorrow but there are many others and girls and boys your own age that will be there. Come now. We will go out for something to eat."

Sybil noticed how distracted Hans was during the meal but she didn't mention it. It was nothing new to her. She'd seen it more than once when Garret had something important coming up.

"There is not much to eat at the flat," Hans said as they walked back. "We can shop tomorrow, I have four days with no performances."

"Won't you have to practice?" Bobby asked.

"For the one after Christmas, very little. I know it well. A short practice will be all it needs," Hans replied tiredly. "I am sorry to be so out of sorts."

"You've got a performance tonight," Sybil replied. "It's understandable. Just put on a glad face tomorrow."

He nodded and smiled slightly before he went to change.

Chapter 8 – Realities of Work

It had only been a short walk to the concert hall. Sybil was glad she had packed a number of formal dresses for herself and had Bobby's formal wear in his case as well. The lobby and concert hall were packed with people in their finest. Hans had seats reserved for them in a private box. He left them in the lobby and quickly rushed off.

The symphony performance took Sybil's breath away. Bobby glanced at her excitedly from time to time. The symphony was quickly rising back to one of the best in the world and from the caliber of the evening's concert it was no wonder. Hans played a solo that had made Sybil's heart glow with pride. She had always known he was an exceptional musician, but to hear him for the first time with a full orchestra accompaniment was a moving experience. It was no wonder he looked tired if he put in the time and dedication it took to play the complex piece he performed tonight from memory. When the lights came up for the intermission he glanced towards them in the box and smiled before he disappeared off the stage with the other musicians.

After the concert concluded they waited for Hans in the lobby. It wasn't long and he joined them with his violin case in hand.

"You were brilliant," Sybil murmured in his ear as he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

"One of the more difficult this season," he murmured back before a patron approached to speak to him. Sybil could feel the fatigue in Hans' body as he exchanged pleasantries with the man and introduced her.

"Perhaps we would be able to speak further at Herr Meyer's next performance," Sybil said diplomatically. "We've only arrived today from London. I must get my ward home and into bed. You know how the young are. They'll go until they drop."

"Oh yes, of course. Don't let me keep you," the man said.

"Sybil, I'm not tired at all," Bobby said after the man had moved on to talk to the next person.

"No, but Hans is," Sybil replied quietly.

Hans breathed a sigh of relief once they had collected their coats from the check girl and were on the sidewalk away from the concert hall.

"I could do without another week like the last," Hans said. "I believe I told you I complain about work a great deal. This last while I have complained with only the walls to listen to me."

"No thinking about work, complaining about work or anything work related for the next few days," Sybil said. "If I so much as catch you practicing before Boxing Day, I'll snap your fingers in your violin case."

"You are a boss, like your mother," Hans replied with a tired smile. "We have a party tomorrow for the holidays with the orchestra, if you wish to attend."

"Only if you're rested and have your smile back," Sybil replied.

"I am sorry for the poor start to your visit," he said to them both.

"The concert was amazing. Where am I going to sleep," Bobby said.

"Unfortunately, I have a sofa for you only. We will put on the fire when we get back and save on the electricity and heat.

"Straight into the bath for you young man," Sybil said.

"Oh Sybil," Bobby complained.

Sybil quickly changed back to her traveling dress from her formal. By the time she was back to the sitting room Hans was starting the fire and wearing casual trousers and a sweater from Ireland. He had a pillow and pile of sheets and blankets sitting on a chair.

"This will be a lovely flat when you get it done," Sybil commented as Hans came to sit beside her on the sofa.

"I hoped you would like it," he replied. He had clicked off the lights to save power before he moved towards the sofa. He rubbed his hand on his face tiredly. "My friends all said I was a fool to buy something that was damaged but there was little selection and very large prices. I like the windows."

"They are beautiful," Sybil said glancing at the wall with three windows in the main room there were another two in the master bedroom and two in the guest room as well.

Hans put his arm around the back of the sofa and drew Sybil close for a long kiss.

"I have missed you very much," he said.

"I've missed you as well," Sybil replied. "You wrote you had a busy schedule lined up for us." Her head was resting on his shoulder.

"Shopping, parties, concerts, skating perhaps, the ballet and dinner with friends Christmas day," he moved closer and whispered in her ear. "Laying around and making love."

"How do you propose we do that with Bobby here?" Sybil whispered back with a grin.

Hans shrugged. "I do not know," he replied. The warmth from the fire was starting to warm the room. Sybil was enjoying the feel of sitting close without talking until Bobby came out of the washroom wearing his pajamas and robe. He was still toweling his hair dry. Sybil went to move then realized Hans was asleep. She motioned Bobby to fetch the pillow from the chair. She pushed Hans over onto the pillow then covered him with a blanket.

"You go in the guest room for tonight," Sybil said. "I'll get cleaned up and sleep in Hans' room."

"Do you think it's alright?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think he'll be moving the rest of the night," Sybil replied. "Good night." She gave Bobby a kiss on the forehead then went to collect her things for a bath and took her nightdress and wrapper with her so she wouldn't disturb Bobby. She finished her bath then went to check on Hans. He hadn't moved a muscle. Sybil shook his shoulder slightly then decided to leave him right where he was. She was tired enough herself she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She could have sworn she felt something warm and solid next to her through the night. She curled closer and went right back to sleep.

-0-

The next morning when Sybil got up the ladder was gone from the sitting room and Hans was busy making breakfast. Bobby wasn't up yet. She went to get cleaned up then went into the kitchen still wearing her robe as her clothes were in the room with Bobby and she didn't want to wake him.

"Good morning," Hans said. He turned from what he was doing and put his arms around Sybil. "Are you rested?"

Desire ripped through her so strongly she could almost taste it. The only thing that kept her from putting her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him suggestively was the thought that Bobby could come out of the guest room at any moment and spot them.

"I should ask you the same thing. You were exhausted yesterday."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet you," he apologized again.

"I do understand you had to work unexpectedly," Sybil said. Hans lowered his head and kissed her. His hands began roaming over her suggestively when the timer on the stove rang. There wasn't time to continue the thought as almost in the same instant the bedroom door clicked and Bobby came out fully dressed.

"The realities of parenting a teenager," Sybil whispered. She gave Hans a quick peck before she stepped back. "They are up at dawn or sleep till noon. You never know."

He only smiled as he took the pot with boiled eggs off the stove. It wasn't long and Sybil was dressed. They sat down to their breakfast of boiled eggs, rolls, jam, sliced cheese and coffee. It was definitely not the English breakfast Sybil was used to but then this wasn't England.

"I was wondering how we were all going to fit at this little table last night," Bobby commented.

"A secret of engineering," Hans replied with a wink. "It folds out. We will go to a party at the concert hall tonight so we do not have to concern ourselves with dinner. I thought we could go to the markets today and purchase a tree and decorations."

"After you try on everything I brought along," Sybil said.

"We brought gifts for the tree too," Bobby added. "Will there be anyone at the party my age that speaks English?"

"Some. One or two families passed the war in England. Our conductor has two girls both raised in England during the war. They sound more English than Austrian," Hans replied.

They had the breakfast cleaned up quickly. Bobby immediately complained he wanted to go out and try his new camera rather than watch Hans try on clothes. Hans put him to the task of carefully taking the glass crystals off an old chandelier he had purchased for the sitting room. The piece needed a great deal of work to bring it back to its former glory. He gave Bobby a box of steel wool and other tools for chipping off the old paint and cleaning the metal. It was right up Bobby's alley and he quickly became immersed in wrapping the glass in paper and placing it in a box.

"You always handle him so well," Sybil said.

"He needs something to do suited to a boy," Hans replied while Sybil unpacked the clothes she had brought him and laid them out on the bed.

"Sybil you must allow me to pay you for this," he said when he looked at the amount of things she had brought.

"Nonsense, I need my star model back," she said. "I'm Sybil of London once again. You'll send me business, I know it."

"Perhaps you should be Sybil of Vienna," he said. Sybil was already digging through his armoire selecting things to discard. She pretended she didn't hear him.

"Nein, do not toss everything out. Keep things for me to work in. I still have much work to do on the flat," he scolded her.

"U-huh," Sybil replied absently. She put the older clothes in the drawer at the bottom of the armoire and continued sorting. Hans threw up his hands in surrender and changed into the first suit. He didn't bother to shoo her out of the room as she was too busy destroying his closet.

"You have a hole in this hat. Don't tell me you've been wearing it," she scolded.

"I like that hat," he said. He made to snatch it back.

"It's suited to a farmhand, not a designer's boy friend and definitely not a top musician," she said holding the offending item behind her back.

"You are all clothes," he said still trying to get the hat.

"And you're a slob under that polished exterior," she said laughing at him. He finally caught the hat but she had too good ahold of it and the hole ripped larger.

"I will wear it like this," he said stubbornly. He plopped it on his head. The brim promptly fell off and half covered his eyes. They both started to laugh. Sybil gave him a kiss as she pulled the hat off and tossed it into the trash pile. "I brought you two new ones. Don't be such a baby."

"I do not know why you insist on a fitting. Everything always fits perfectly," he said.

"I like to survey my handiwork," Sybil replied with a smile. It wasn't long and she had the new shirts she had brought him, trousers, a second suit, sweaters, hats and an assortment of ties hung up in his wardrobe after she had given them a quick pressing. He had on one of the suits and was looking every bit the styled gentleman he had been when modeling for her.

"You look," the words escaped her.

"Like a fop," he said to tease her. He had a large grin on his face and his dimples were showing.

"Hardly that," Sybil replied with a smile. "I was going to say good enough to eat. I'll have to beat the girls off with a stick at that party later."

"They will loose interest when they see I am with you and go for the younger ones," he said. "Perhaps you will become Sybil of London and Vienna if I find you enough clients."

"London for now," Sybil replied. He stuck his head out of the room to see if Bobby was still occupied with the chandelier. He gave her a long kiss when he was sure they weren't going to be disturbed.

"Ready for lunch?" he asked. "We will go to the market."

"Lead on," Sybil replied.

-0-

The range of nationalities at the party surprised Sybil that evening. The musicians had been selected for skill rather than nationality or religion. There were so many displaced people in continental Europe, borders and nationalities had become mixed. Many of the symphony members spoke English, which made mixing at the party much easier. Hans had been getting compliments on his new look left and right.

They'd had a full afternoon going from stall to stall in the market. Bobby had snapped pictures at every turn. They'd both been so fascinated by the different items offered in the open air market they'd had to make two trips back to the flat with their parcels as well as pick up the meat order Hans had put in at one of the stalls. They still hadn't managed to purchase a tree for the flat. Sybil had spotted a fabric shop selling hand-block printed fabrics and they hadn't made it a step further. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and they had all day to decorate the rooms for the big day.

Sybil was enjoying herself as Hans introduced her to his friends and co-workers. Most of the food that was served she didn't recognize. Bobby had been well enough schooled in manners that he didn't balk or make a comment when one of the women plunked a pickled herring on his plate for him to try. It wasn't long and he was off running this way and that and dancing with a group his own age. Part way through the evening Bobby appeared beside Sybil and Hans.

"Greta and Anna want to know if I can go skiing with them before we go home," he said. Hans turned to see the conductor's two daughters beside Bobby.

"What type of skiing?" he asked.

"Langlaufen," Greta replied.

"They wish Bobby to go nordic skiing," Hans told Sybil. "It is much like snow shoeing. He should be fine. I will speak to the girls' father and arrange something."

"Are you sure he won't get hurt?" Sybil clucked.

"It is not Alpine skiing. They wont go that fast," Hans reassured her.

"Then you may go skiing with your new friends," Sybil told him.

"Thank you, Mrs. Beldon," Greta said.

"I will go and ask Papa," Anna said. She had a cultured English accent, as did her sister. "You could come over after the performance after Christmas or you could come over earlier and miss the concert. The concerts are boring when you have been to as many as we have."

"I went to my first one the other day. It was unbelievable," Bobby told her as they headed off through the crowd.

"He's needing me less and less," Sybil said. "He was gone to friends half the weekends during school or had boys to Horsham for riding and fishing."

"He still needs you. He always will," Hans reassured her. "Maybe just not everyday to wipe his nose."

By the time the party had wound up they had arrangements made for Bobby to stay overnight with the Brunner family on the twenty-seventh. Hans and Sybil would join them the following afternoon for sledding and dinner.

"You will have some time on your own and my wife will be home with the children," Herr Brunner said. He was a jovial man in his late-forties. "They will be so busy playing in the snow at our home they will be exhausted and sleep well."

"You don't live in town?" Sybil asked him.

"The girls and my wife are used to the country life after our time in England," he replied. "They would only agree to come home if we lived out of the city. I make the journey every day."

"So you do get your wish to get me on your own, you sly devil," Sybil said quietly to Hans once they had a moment on their own at the party.

"On the night of a performance you may have a repeat of your arrival," he said honestly. "I am usually tired afterwards."

"We always have the following morning," Sybil said mischievously.

Hans' face flushed pink before he reached for drinks for them from the tray that was coming around.

"I will look forward to it," he said before they drank a toast.


	42. Sybil of London Part 3

Sybil of London – Part 3 – Chapters 9 through 12

Chapter 9 – A First Christmas

Sybil woke early on Christmas Eve to the sound of the telephone ringing. Once she was up and dressed the sight of Hans wearing older clothes greeted her when she went to join him in the kitchen. He was busy moving the table and chairs from the kitchen. He had the makeshift countertop partially dismantled as well.

"They have telephoned to say they will bring the countertop before the end of the day," he said. "If I did not take it today, I would have to wait until the end of January."

"We'll have a nice kitchen for Christmas," Sybil commented. She gave him a quick peck. Bobby was busy helping move boards to the storage closet.

"We will have breakfast in the other room, once all is moved," Hans said. "This is a bad day for this. We do not have a tree yet."

"Never mind that," Sybil said. "Bobby and I will go and get the tree after breakfast."

"You might get lost," Hans said protectively.

"I'm old enough and wise enough to travel all the way from London without getting lost," Sybil replied. "Besides it would be nice to see the kitchen finished."

"Not all finished," Hans said in a discouraged tone. "I think I have taken too big a bite."

"The expression is bit off more than you can chew," Sybil said with a smile. She retrieved the dishes and things for breakfast and started setting the table as soon as Hans had it set in place in what would be the dining area of the main room someday.

She and Bobby headed off after breakfast armed with a map of the area and Hans telephone number if they got completely lost. The stores were just opening as they walked by. Sybil stopped suddenly at a shop with clocks in the window.

"I know what we'll do," Sybil told Bobby. "We'll decorate the kitchen as a surprise and help Hans finish it. By the time we go home it will be nice and homey."

Bobby smiled and nodded. They went into the clock shop, then made another stop at a street vendor selling table cloths and tea towels. Sybil bought a shopping basket to make carrying everything easier. She had a feeling this wasn't her last trip to Vienna and she could put it somewhere at Hans' flat for her next visit. By the time they were half way to the tree lot they had so many items they had to make a trip back to the flat.

"Sybil you've got to stop buying so much. We'll never get it all home," Bobby complained.

"Most of this isn't for home but don't tell Hans that," she said conspiratorially.

When they got to the flat the workmen were there. Sybil took a peek in the door. They had installed a wooden counter top with a marble inlay on one end. They were in the process of placing a new sink in the top as well. It was no wonder the flat was taking time, Sybil thought. Hans was putting in high quality pieces bit by bit. Hans was busy and didn't notice her and Bobby sneak back out the door. They found the tree lot and carried the tree back to the flat with Bobby on the heavy end and Sybil carrying the lighter end. They thought they had done pretty well carrying the heavy tree slipping and sliding along the streets until they went to get it in the door. The tree was larger than it had looked and there was a lot of twisting, turning and maneuvering to get it up the winding staircase. They were rosy cheeked from laughter by the time they got the tree in the door.

"It looked so much smaller at the tree lot," Bobby said once they had the tree in the sitting room. The tree had to be easily ten feet high and filled a good portion of the room. Hans came out of the kitchen where the workers were still going at it and stared at the enormous tree with his mouth open.

"This is not quite the Christmas I had planned," he said ruefully.

"Never mind," Sybil said still smiling. "It's our Christmas. How are you making out in the kitchen?"

"The tile is going on now. It won't be too much longer," he replied. He looked tired and discouraged. "Still it will not be finished, but we will be able to make a dinner tonight."

"Dinner at home and decorating our tree sounds lovely," Sybil replied. "Rome wasn't built in a day." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before she turned back to Bobby who had gone to get the ladder and the decorations they had purchased for their tree.

By mid afternoon the workmen packed their tools and left. They were all in a rush to get back to their families and start their holiday. Most people in England got two days at most for Christmas and Sybil surmised it was probably the same here. Hans came out to the main room to retrieve the chairs and table and stopped in surprise. The tree was pushed against one wall and dancing with decorations. There were gifts piled underneath. The fire was on and the mantle was decorated with a wooden nativity set and the cards Hans had received were displayed on a ribbon above. Sybil had set out two vases of white roses tied with red bows on either side of the nativity. A festive tablecloth covered the table.

"We forgot to get lights for the tree," Bobby said.

"It is how the English would say splendid," Hans said. "We will have lights another year."

"By next year, you'll have the flat done and all the construction and mess will be only a memory," Sybil said with a smile. She went over and put an arm around Hans' waist. Their fifteen-year-old audience made anything more than a brief kiss impossible.

"You are an optimist," he said with a grin. "Come and view the kitchen. It is not done but it is better."

"Bobby, bring the box we got today for Hans," Sybil said. "He can have one gift early."

They all went into the kitchen to see the results. The new counter made of a thick slab of wood with a marble inset was in place as was a new porcelain sink and taps. There was now a backsplash of tile with a drain rack for plates over the sink. The workmen had finished installing the glass fronted upper cabinets as well.

"This looks done to me," Sybil said. "It's quite lovely and homey."

"Still the lights," Hans said with a sigh. "They will come though. The electricity is all redone. I only have to paint the fixtures and not a picture or calendar on the wall."

"We fixed that," Bobby said. He gave Hans the box. "Happy Christmas."

"You should not buy presents," Hans scolded them. "You have already brought me too much."

"Don't spoil our fun," Sybil scolded him in return.

Hans set the box on the counter and took off the ribbon. He opened the box to reveal an assortment of brightly colored dishcloths, tea towels and potholders.

"Good for a kitchen," he said unexcitedly.

"Keep looking," Bobby said. He exchanged an excited look with Sybil. Hans began taking the towels out of the box and setting them on the counter. He lifted something heavy from the box that was wrapped in a towel.

"A cuckoo," he exclaimed in surprise. "I cannot…you should not…it is too expensive."

"I was told it is exactly what every Austrian kitchen needs," Sybil said with a smile.

Hans set the clock down and pulled her into an embrace. He reached for Bobby as well. He was emotional to the point where he couldn't speak. He could remember the cuckoo clock that had been in the kitchen of his parent's home. He hadn't thought of it for years until this moment.

"It's just a clock and a bunch of towels," Bobby said.

"It is more, much more," Hans said as he released them. "I can never thank you enough."

"I liked it better than the ones with leaves," Sybil said. "It almost looks like an English cottage but I'm sure it is modeled after anything but."

"Sybil wanted one with a boy and girl that did a dance but I said that was for girls," Bobby said in disgust. "It has a bird. It's beak moves when it chimes."

"Whatever it has it is from you and I will treasure it," Hans replied.

"Let's hang it up," Sybil said. She folded the towels and cloths and put them in the drawer and while Hans got a hammer and nail and put up the clock with Bobby directing him this way and that until the placement was right.

"You will regret buying a cuckoo when he calls in the middle of the night," Hans teased Bobby.

"I'll be right back," Sybil said. She returned quickly with a rug for in front of the sink. "We'll bring the table and chairs back and the kitchen will be almost complete," she said.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly while they made dinner. Sybil and Bobby told Hans of the adventure they had retrieving the tree and getting it up the stairs. After their meal, which Hans insisted on making and neither Sybil nor Bobby recognized, Hans turned to them while they were doing the washing up.

"Not all has gone to plan but I have a surprise for the evening. You will need formal attire," he said.

"Where are we going?" Bobby asked.

"A surprise," Hans said. "Wear a warm coat. We will be out late."

"Church isn't a surprise on Christmas Eve," Bobby said when they approached a church. He had recognized the concert hall from the two nights before when they walked by.

"Not church," Hans said with a grin. "Something better." He produced tickets from an inside pocket of his coat and gave them to the girl at the door. Anna and Greta came out of the crowd mingling in the foyer followed by their parents. Another couple Sybil recognized from the night before joined them as well.

"This is a historic occasion. The first performance of the Messiah in Vienna since the end of the war," the man who Hans had introduced as Androv with a last name Sybil couldn't hope to pronounce told her. They referred to his wife as Oxy. Sybil was only too glad no one used her full name, as she was sure she wouldn't have had a hope pronouncing it either.

"Hopefully the first of many," Hans said with a slight bow. They went in to take their seats. Bobby was only too happy to be sitting with his two new friends during the choral performance. They seemed equally happy to have someone their own age to associate with at a formal affair. The church was aglow with candles. A string orchestra was seated in front of the chorus as they performed Handel's masterpiece accompanied by a range of soloists. Hans and Herr Brunner made the occasional whispered comment to each other during the recital. Sybil thought she couldn't have asked for a better way to spend Christmas Eve.

After the performance they all walked back to Hans' flat for a drink.

"This is looking very festive," Mrs. Brunner commented once they were all inside. Sybil took her through to see the kitchen that had just been done that morning.

"A cuckoo clock," Mrs. Brunner said with a smile. "It is not an Austrian home without one."

"Hans said much the same thing," Sybil replied.

"He is looking very happy," Mrs. Brunner said lowering her voice. "You are good medicine for a lonely heart. Have you known each other long?"

"Quite a few years," Sybil replied. "Hans used to model for me while he was building his career in Dublin."

"And you are only now seeing each other?" Mrs. Brunner questioned.

"I was widowed not that long ago," Sybil replied. "It will be two years in the spring."

"Oh, I am sorry to pry," Mrs. Brunner said. "And on a day that should be only happy thoughts."

They wandered back out to the living room to join the others and get a glass of wine. Bobby and the two girls were busy examining the decorations on the tree. They'd spaced out the decorations on the side that was showing. Sybil hoped it wasn't too obvious they had completely misjudged the size of the tree. The gardeners always chose the tree at Hadley Hall and her father had been in charge of the task when she lived at home. As the clock struck twelve, the cuckoo in the kitchen could be heard playing a tune while the church bells rang in the start of Christmas Day. They drank a toast and the party broke up to catch the last train home.

"Can we open presents now?" Bobby asked as soon as everyone had left.

"You need sleep," Hans said ruffling his hair. "Saint Nicholas must come yet."

"I'm too old for Saint Nicholas," Bobby replied.

"You're never too old for Saint Nicholas," Sybil responded. "Go and get cleaned up and be quick about it."

Hans pulled her into his arms as soon as Bobby was in the washroom.

"Happy Christmas my love," he said.

"Happy Christmas to you as well," Sybil replied softly before his lips met hers with the lights of Vienna twinkling through the windows.

Chapter 10 – On Their Own at Last

The morning of the twenty-seventh Mrs. Brunner and the girls arrived at the flat to collect Bobby for his overnight at their home. He was so excited to tell the girls about his last two days and all the new things he had experienced he barely took the time to say goodbye to Sybil.

"We will see you tomorrow," Mrs. Brunner said before she left. "Hans and my husband will work most of the day and tonight. That is the way of musicians, work or starve. There is no middle."

"Alone at last and I must go in to work," Hans said pulling Sybil into his arms the moment the door was shut.

"We have tonight and the morning," Sybil replied smiling up at him. "Do you know about when you'll be back for dinner?"

He gave her a time and a long kiss before he rushed out the door. Sybil smiled as she leaned against the door then set about picking up Bobby's chaos in the guest room. She could feel herself falling deeper and deeper for Hans as the days went by. She wasn't a girl anymore with rose-colored glasses. He worked long hours and had spent a good portion of the previous day practicing. He made a good living but at the same time he was not a wealthy man. The flat he now lived in she was sure he had purchased to please her as much as himself. It would take him time to finish, as his bank account would allow. She had always known him as an easygoing person who went with the ups and downs life threw his way, but underneath he had an emotional side she was only now getting to know. Odd things that to her were average like the cuckoo clock and the gloves he had received from her parents for Christmas meant a great deal to him. He'd added marzipan fruit and foil-covered chocolates to their tree Christmas Eve after she and Bobby had been asleep. It was a tradition they weren't familiar with but one he held dear from his boyhood. Other times when people fawned over him for his talent and his looks, he brushed it off as though it was meaningless.

Sybil had one realization on Christmas Day she wasn't prepared for. When Hans had said it wasn't easy without family he was speaking from personal experience. The only gift he had received that wasn't from her or Bobby was a small package that had arrived from Ireland from her parents. Half the Christmas cards hanging on the string over the mantle were from her family members while the other half were a mixture of business and personal acquaintances. It had made Sybil wonder if she would be in the same boat in a few years once Bobby was grown up. Would she become the maiden Aunt living in London and relying on her brothers and cousins for company during the holidays. She had given herself a shake. Hans was truly alone. He had absolutely no family while she had extended family galore and would never lack for cousins, nieces and nephews as long as she lived.

Sybil took a few things into the kitchen to rinse out. She had no idea where Hans did his laundry but she had spotted a cord that extended across the room to act as a clothesline. As soon as she had her hand washing done she sorted through the items in the icebox and decided on soup and rolls for dinner with a trifle. She'd had to remind Bobby a few times over the course of their visit they were in a foreign country and trying foods that were unfamiliar were part of the adventure. They had joined Androv and Oxy for Christmas dinner. Other than the fried sausage coins that were part of the meal they hadn't recognized a single dish. Oxy had told them each of the dishes served represented one of the apostles. The little crepes filled with a cheese filling had been delicious, but the dumplings served with sour cream had sat in Sybil's stomach like a rock. Hans had taken it all in stride and hadn't noticed anything amiss with the meal. Bobby was a typical hollow legged fifteen-year-old and had eaten everything presented to him and looked for seconds.

She had the meal items ready in no time and decided to take a bath and wash her hair. Everyday since they had been here they had been out to Hans' friends, a concert or something Hans had come up with for them to do in the city. This evening would be a concert and then off to the Brunner's to collect Bobby tomorrow. She went into the bathroom and took her time. She didn't bother to dress and sat by the hearth in her housecoat letting her hair dry. Her artistic eye couldn't help but look around the room and envision it once it was done with pictures on the wall, perhaps a piano for friends to gather around and a cozy rug to accent the grouping of furniture. Her daydreaming came to a sudden halt when she heard Hans' key in the lock. He rushed in breathless from the cold and running up the stairs.

"We finished early," he said. He had his coat off and was shaking the dusting of snow from his hair. Sybil didn't reply. The desire she had been keeping at bay with Bobby underfoot at every turn welled up and sent her across the room and into his arms in a flash. Hans was half way across the room when they came together. They didn't need any words as their lips locked together and they both tore at his clothes as they headed to the bedroom.

They were almost to Hans' bed. Sybil had undone his belt and trousers and the buttons on his drawers. He was attempting to kick off his shoes and the remainder of his clothes while holding onto her and kissing her at the same time. Suddenly he tripped over one pant leg as it caught, lost his balance and the pair of them landed on the bed with a resounding crash. Sybil's eyes flew open in shock. She started to laugh.

"Oh yes, laugh, you," he said as he kicked off the rest of his clothes then joined her. He had a huge smile on his face. "No one to be quiet for this time."

"Except I'm freezing to death," Sybil replied still smiling. She quickly got between the covers while still wearing her housecoat. He laughed and got into bed as well in their half-hearted game of evasion. He reached for her and pulled her close. Their passion was out of control. He loosened her housecoat and barely gave her a second to discard it onto the top of the covers. He suddenly stopped the intimate exploration of her body and raised his head.

"You have shaved?" he asked in surprise. "For me?"

"No, for all the men I encounter," Sybil teased. "Of course for you. I hope you like it."

"I will show you how much," he said before his mouth claimed hers again. There was nothing slow in their coming together this time. They had waited and thought about each other for the last four months. Sybil arched herself against him while her fingers tore at the skin of back trying to bring him even closer. His movements were quick and frenzied as were hers. It wasn't long and they were gasping through completion together.

"I have been too long without you," he murmured as he brushed the strands of hair away from her face. They were a tangle of arms not wanting to let the other out of their embrace.

"I wish we could stay here forever," Sybil replied nuzzling his shoulder. Hans looked into her eyes. His expression became serious.

"I have something for you," he said. He rolled out of bed to retrieve something from the dresser drawer.

"You did not find this when you were cleaning out," he said to tease her. He had the item in his hand and hadn't given it to her yet.

"What is it?" Sybil inquired pushing herself up on her elbow.

"I cannot imagine my life without you," he said. His serious expression was back as he slid into bed beside her. He opened his hand to reveal an old fashioned ring with two red stones surrounded with small diamonds.

"Hans, I…I don't know what to say," Sybil replied. "We agreed to get to know each other. You don't know me that well, are you sure?"

"I am sure I love you," he said disappointedly. "Is that not enough? I have been faithful to you."

"I love you as well," Sybil replied. "It's just life, everything. I'm just getting myself back together. I learned before that love isn't all there is to marriage."

"It is what matters," he said. He curled his fingers around the ring.

"Wait, I didn't say I wouldn't marry you," Sybil said placing her hand over his. "I love you very much and I don't want to live my life without you in it, but…"

"But?"

"I can't marry you right away. Bobby is only starting to do better. He seems settled with his new school but that could change. Astrid and Bradley just got married. They're talking about moving to Horsham when she's done school this spring. My life is chaotic at the moment. I still haven't sorted out what I'm doing with my business completely or the car or managing Astrid and Bobby's allowances. So help me I can't even bring myself to put my daughter's pictures into an album. I'm a mess and where would we live?"

"I did not say right away. These are questions I cannot answer yet," he said. He slowly uncurled his fingers from around the ring then took her hand. "Sybil will you be my wife?"

"Yes, someday," she replied. "When you're sure and I've gotten things straightened out."

"I am sure," he said. He slipped the ring onto her finger. There was still a mark from her wedding ring. She had only removed it before she left for Vienna. "Sybil be happy in my love."

"I am happy when I'm with you and I love you very much," Sybil said. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Are you sure you're going to be happy with a bossy wife?"

"You are only a little boss. Your mother is the big boss," he said with a smile. He lay back and pulled her close. "I will play badly tonight. My mind is not where it should be."

"You couldn't play badly if you tried," Sybil said. She snuggled against him for another moment. "I suppose we should get up and have something to eat. I need to get cleaned up all over again."

"I will cook," he said with a sigh as he moved to get up.

"I made soup, we only have to heat it. You've got to learn to be less independent as well."

"We will find answers together," he said. He kissed her briefly before he got up.

Hans had the table set with candles for their meal. They still had time before he had to be at the concert hall for the evening.

"Sybil, I want to tell you something," he said seriously over the trifle. They had been exchanging kisses back and forth over their meal.

"You don't like trifle?" Sybil joked.

"I like trifle," he said. He wasn't sure how to tell her, her late daughter had been talking to angels. In that moment he decided he would never tell her. She had too much pain and grief. She needed to be happy. "I wanted to tell you there are angels watching over you. I am sure of it."

"The only angel that will be watching over us is the one in the cuckoo clock that is going to scold you for being late if we don't get moving," Sybil said laughing.

"Yes, we must change and leave soon," he agreed with a smile.

-0-

"Children know no nationalities or boundaries," Mrs. Brunner said. She and Sybil were watching the two men and three young people rolling a huge snowball around the yard for the start of a snowman. "The young do not care if they are Jews or Christians maybe that is one thing positive that came from the war."

"There certainly seems to be a mix of people here in Vienna," Sybil commented.

"You are in a community of musicians. They only care about the music, nothing else," Mrs. Brunner said. "It would be different if you were elsewhere."

"If you ever visit England, you're more than welcome to stay with me," Sybil said. "I have a house in London and plenty of room. We have a country home as well."

"Thank you," Mrs. Brunner replied. "We wouldn't want to intrude."

"It wouldn't be an intrusion," Sybil replied. "Bobby invites friends over constantly when he isn't visiting at their homes. We would be overjoyed to have the girls at Hadley Hall."

"Perhaps one day if my husband travels with work," Mrs. Brunner said. "Bobby is a good boy. He did not say anything when he realized we are Jews. We are not orthodox," she added.

"He's an easy boy to take care of with a kind heart," Sybil replied. "He's been with me since he was six or so. How did he make out skiing?"

"Bumps and falls and chasing behind the girls," Mrs. Brunner replied with a smile. "They went through the fields and around the village and back. They were tired and asleep early."

"He'll probably sleep the entire way back to England on the train," Sybil said. They turned away from the window as the young people started throwing snowballs at the two men.

"Will you return to Vienna again soon?" The women moved to a table where Mrs. Brunner had tea things set out.

"I'm not sure. We only became engaged yesterday," Sybil replied.

"Congratulations. You seem a good match. I wish you every happiness."

"We haven't worked out the details yet. I'm not wearing my ring until we get back to the flat and tell Bobby tonight that we are engaged."

"All boys need a father," Mrs. Brunner said.

"They do but things are a great deal more complicated than that back in England. Any decision I make is going to have to involve the family."

"Hans is a good man. My husband counts on him a great deal in their work."

"May I ask you something in confidence?" Sybil asked her.

"If I can answer," Mrs. Brunner replied. She handed Sybil a cup of tea.

"Hans told me he went out with a girl a year ago last summer."

"Ah yes, the snow queen," Mrs. Brunner replied. "She had the look of a porcelain doll and a heart of ice. That was not a good match. He has not gone with any women since that summer, that I know of." She patted Sybil's hand. "You do not need to worry."

"Thank you," Sybil replied.

-0-

"You're getting married! Is Hans going to be my Dad?" Bobby exclaimed excitedly.

"Your guardian's husband, but for all intensive purposes he will be like your father as much as I'm like your mother," Sybil replied.

It only took a second for the initial elation to wear off.

"Where are we going to live?" Bobby asked. "What about my flying lessons?"

"We have not worked out the details," Hans said. "You will still have flying lessons this summer. This is what Sybil has promised you."

"Oh, that's good," Bobby replied with a furrowed brow.

"I will not lie to you, Bobby," Hans continued. "My work is here. What that means for you, Sybil I will work out with you. There are choices you must make as a man and decide for yourself."

"Sybil, you said you wouldn't leave me," Bobby said getting upset.

"I'm not leaving you, Bobby," Sybil replied. She took his hand. "We aren't getting married right away. We need to pick a time that is right for all of us. I was thinking Hans might come to England this spring and we could have a family meeting. You know Bradley is moving down to Hadley Hall in March. He's transferring to a nearby hospital and Astrid will be down in June when she finishes her studies. Dylan mentioned he and Kate might be over to London soon for a year."

"But that doesn't settle where we're going to live and what's going to happen to me," Bobby said woefully. He was almost in tears. Hans put his hand on his shoulder.

"Sybil has given her word she will not leave you," Hans said. "You must think like a man. Do you want to go to school in England and visit on vacations or do you want to finish your school here in Austria."

"Why can't you move to England?" Bobby asked.

"My work is here. I would not have as good a position in England or as prestigious. I am a British subject but I am also German. Here it is forgiven, in England not so much. You must see for me to work in England is not possible."

"I like our life in England," Bobby said with his eyes downcast.

"We aren't in a rush," Sybil said. "We won't get married until summer at the earliest or maybe even the summer after that. You're important, but Hans is right. You have to think like a man and decide what is right for you. Bradley and Astrid may have a few things to say about all this as well. We'll wait to set a date and make final decisions until we can have a family meeting and hash things out."

Bobby nodded but still didn't look up. Sybil hugged him close.

"You were so happy a minute ago that you were going to have a new father," Sybil said.

"I am," Bobby replied.

Hans stroked his hair.

"I will be a good father for you. I can promise you this. I will not force you to do anything that makes you unhappy."

"Do I still have to go to the ballet tomorrow?" Bobby asked hopefully.

"You've never been so how do you know if you'll like it?" Sybil asked him.

"I am going to check on the orchestra. It is part of my job," Hans said. "You will like it. They will fight with swords."

"They do?" Bobby asked perking up a bit.

"They do," Hans replied.

"How is checking on an orchestra part of your job?" Bobby asked him.

"I work for the Cultural Ministry. Come and help me chip paint and I will explain it to you," Hans said.

The two of them went over to the chandelier and started working on getting the years of paint and grime off it while they talked. Sybil was hoping Bobby would settle down with the news and understand that she wasn't abandoning him by accepting Hans' proposal. Everything they had told him was true. He could go to school in Vienna or he could stay in England and visit on vacations. It was entirely up to him. She had naively thought Bobby would take the news well with his existing relationship with Hans, but the slightest thing could change that dynamic and the news of their engagement had done just that.

Sybil went to put the kettle on for some tea and then went to join the two of them in the sitting room. She pulled up a chair to where they had newspaper spread on the floor for where they were working.

"Maybe I can stay with Bradley and Astrid on weekends," Bobby was saying to Hans. "Then I could visit you in the summers and at Christmas."

"You may choose that or you may choose otherwise," Hans said. "We will not decide now. We will talk with the others and then decide. Sybil still has things to do in London. There is no rush to make a decision tonight."

"How many gardens are there here in the summer?" Bobby asked.

"A great many. I am not sure of all. People hang window boxes on the grates by the windows like mine. There are flowers everywhere in summer."

"Sybil won't plant flowers," Bobby said disgustedly. "She'll plant cabbage."

Hans only laughed.

"I will have this up in no time with your help."

"If Sybil would help it would go faster," Bobby said.

"She does not want rough hands," Hans reminded him. He took one of Sybil's hands and kissed it.

"I'll wash the glass when you're ready for it," she said.

"I'm going to finish this tomorrow," Bobby said. "Then we can hang it up." He was starting to yawn.

"Bedtime," Hans said before Sybil had a chance. Bobby didn't argue and went off to get cleaned up before making up his bed on the sofa.

Sybil and Hans went to the kitchen so they could talk.

"He's still so fragile," Sybil said. She was leaning on Hans with her head on his chest.

"You both need time. I will see what I can get for time off in the spring. It will be difficult. I do not get much."

"We'll work it out, together," Sybil said. "I don't like the idea of telling him he's moving to Vienna and that's that."

"He is a smart boy. He will decide what is right with our help," Hans said. He kissed Sybil on the hair before he released her.

"You're right about not being accepted in England as easily as you are here," Sybil said slowly. "Your friends would be treated differently as well."

"Vienna is home now. I have a cuckoo," he said with a smile.

"Maybe you'll have a second cuckoo before long," Sybil said as she slid into his lap where he was sitting at the table.

"What second cuckoo?" he asked in puzzlement.

"Me," she said, then smiled when he didn't understand her meaning before she kissed him.

Chapter 11 – Growing Up

Sybil rolled over in bed and squinted against the light coming in the windows. The light was on the wrong side of the room she thought through the fog of the remnant of sleep. She sat up in bed quickly.

"Hans, Hans," she whispered reaching over to shake him. "Wake up." She could hear Bobby moving around in the bathroom. Hans woke up and covered his face with his hand. They had been to the ballet the previous evening for The Nutcracker. He had helped put together the orchestra that was performing with the ballet company and had gone to observe their progress as well as a social outing. The orchestras in Vienna were rebuilding at a slow steady pace and it was part of his job to keep abreast of their progress. After the performance a number of the dancers and musicians had come to speak to him during the after show get together. Sybil had been so insecure about her looks and that he would prefer one of the younger women to her, he had taken her to his room after Bobby was asleep and made love to her for hours.

The previous evening had been a hard one for Sybil. The ballet had been engrossing, but being surrounded by beautiful young women in their prime, some of who were obviously interested in her fiancée. She had lines around her eyes from the hardships she had been through. Her breasts had been stretched when she was breast feeding and had never gone back to their original size. They had the droop of motherhood and there were stretch marks on the underside of her breasts and abdomen. She didn't feel the least attractive compared to the dancers and she had found the first grey hair among her dark locks a few days before.

Hans swore under his breath.

"Stay put," he said. He quickly pulled on some casual clothes and went out to the main room. Bobby had been taking his clothes for morning out to the sitting room with him so not to disturb Sybil. The door to the guest room was closed. Sybil could hear their conversation through the door.

"Sybil never sleeps this late," Bobby said.

"She is tired from the trip and finally starting to relax," Hans replied. "We will go to the bakery and get fresh rolls for breakfast."

"There's a loaf of bread in the ice box," Bobby pointed out.

"They will be closed for New Year's Day tomorrow. We will get rolls and a few things. You will be leaving the day after. Perhaps there is something you have forgotten you wanted to take with you."

"I want a picture of the sign over the bake shop," Bobby replied. "It has a funny sign with a winged horse on it. No one at home will believe me if I tell them about it."

"Sybil will be up by the time we get back," Hans said.

Sybil breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the door click. She quickly got up, made the bed and dashed into her own room where the bed hadn't been touched. She got her things and went into the washroom for a bath. She was just emerging when Hans and Bobby came back.

"What are we going to do for New Year's Eve?" Bobby asked. "We usually have people at our place. Last year Bradley and Astrid invited their friends over."

"I have to work," Hans replied. "But I will be home before dinner and then we may walk down the streets with the merry makers. There will be fireworks over the square at midnight. Tomorrow the orchestra will perform at eleven am in the golden hall as is tradition. There will be a large audience and the concert will be broadcast on the wireless."

"You sure work a lot," Bobby said.

"How much do you work on the garden at your large home?" Hans asked him.

"Everyday when I'm there. There are all sorts of things to do in winter."

"There is your answer," Hans told him. "Men work. Those who wish to be good at what they do work long hours. Many women work as well in a country like this were there are fewer men. It is part of life."

"I didn't have a job last summer. I kept the gardens at the house in Ireland instead."

"It is still a job and you did it well," Hans said. "Now we will poke out sleepy head before I have to go to work. We will put up the chandelier tonight when I get home if you have the crystals on it."

"All right," Bobby agreed.

An hour later Bobby was drying the crystals for the fixture while Sybil washed them. There were a great many crystals as the light fixture was large to accommodate the room. Hans with Bobby's help had installed the new wiring in the fixture the day before.

"Sybil," Bobby started while he was drying. "Is it wrong to kiss a girl before you're engaged?"

"No, why do you ask?" Sybil replied feigning disinterest. She kept washing crystals in one bowl and rinsing in another. She wondered if Bobby had clued in to their nighttime wanderings.

"Well, if I really want to kiss a girl, should I?"

Sybil thought for a moment. She tried to remember if Russell had a talk about the birds and bees with Bobby. She was pretty sure her father hadn't and she knew she hadn't either.

"If you really, really like her as a friend and she really, really likes you in return, then you can try. If she says no, then you stop trying," Sybil said finally. "Did you have someone in mind?"

"I don't know," Bobby said with a non-committal shrug.

"Bobby, did Russell ever talk to you about girls and kissing and getting married?" Sybil asked him.

"No, he told me some stuff about getting older and he said he would show me how to shave when it was time, but then," he shrugged again. "You know."

Sybil stopped what she was doing and looked at him critically. He didn't need to shave yet but the day was rapidly approaching when he would. It occurred to her that this summer he would be almost the same age as her brother Davin when he'd gotten caught with his girl friend, now wife in a precarious situation. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out.

"We'll finish this up and then go and buy you a razor," she said at last. "Or better yet, Hans could take you when he gets back."

"The shops might be closed then," Bobby said.

They took the crystals out to the main room and began reassembling the chandelier.

"I remember when my brothers were little. Redmond started shaving and all of the younger ones kept making pirate beards with his shaving soap," Sybil said. "He used to get so mad when they used it all up."

"Oh," Bobby said despondently.

Sybil could tell he had questions that she wasn't sure how to answer. She tried to screw up her courage again to have a talk with him. This was much harder than she had ever thought it would be. She could remember her father explaining to her where babies come from and the rules of courtship. Her mother hadn't been able to get a word about the entire process either except for the bits about having her monthly and grooming and keeping boys occupied so they wouldn't think about kissing you all the time. They were just finishing up the crystals when Hans came in the door for lunch. Sybil breathed a sigh of relief. She went and told Hans what was the matter. He patted her shoulder and assured her he would take care of it.

"Could you do it now," Sybil whispered. "I'll make an excuse to go to the grocers or something. He really is quite despondent about the whole thing. I think he's taken a liking to one of Brunner girls. I open my mouth and not a thing comes out."

"I will take care of it," Hans reiterated.

"I'm going to go and look over the fabric shop down the way one more time," Sybil announced. "I'll be back before the end of your lunch break."

"Do not rush," Hans said to her with a wink.

Sybil grabbed her hat, bag and basket and was out of the door like a shot.

-0-

"So why couldn't you just tell me," Bobby challenged Sybil that afternoon when Hans had gone back to work.

"It's a lot harder to tell someone about where babies come from that it seems," Sybil replied. "My father had to tell me. My mother couldn't bring herself to do it. I think for women it is a big step in our children growing up. It's hard to let go."

"Hans said kissing and everything is a part of being a man."

"It is. When you're ready and the things beyond kissing should wait until you're married," Sybil replied. "Too many people get involved before they're ready for the responsibility that comes with having babies. Sometimes it doesn't end well. I don't every want you to be the kind of man who doesn't take responsibility for his actions. The best way to avoid that is to wait until you're married."

"My real father ran out on my mother," Bobby said.

"Bobby, we received word your father was killed in action," Sybil replied.

"That was my Uncle Jack. My Mum listed him as my Dad but he wasn't really. I remember my Aunt talking about it after my Mum died."

"They were probably too young," Sybil said placing a hand on his shoulder. "A baby is a commitment for the rest of your life."

"Hans said he would get me a razor at the commissary on his way home from work. That way I can get the blades in England."

"Did he answer all your questions?" Sybil asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Let's have a cup of tea," she said. "I'll tell you about what happened with Davin and Camilla when they were younger but you have to promise not to mention it or tell anyone."

"They're married with kids," Bobby replied.

"They were young once too," Sybil replied. "I'll tell you all about it. It certainly put me off for many years and gave me the strength to say no."

"Can I have a Pfefferkuchen?" Bobby asked.

"I think we have one or two gingerbread left to have with our tea," Sybil replied with a slight smile.

-0-

That evening Bobby's chest puffed out with pride. Hans returned from work with a parcel for Bobby and his friend Androv helping him carry a second tall ladder. The men with Bobby's help maneuvered the heavy chandelier to the top of the ladders and then attached the wires and bolted it in place. Everyone stood back and ooh and awed over it. Androv didn't stay long as he needed to get home to his own family for the festivities.

Hans put a hand on Bobby's shoulder and guided him to the washroom for his first attempt at scraping the fuzz off his face. Sybil thought it was rather a silly male ritual as there weren't two hairs on Bobby's cheeks, but Bobby was quite taken with himself. Hans was equally taken with performing what he considered a fatherly task with the boy. Sybil couldn't help but shake her head when she heard Hans' laughter when Bobby yelped when the aftershave first touched his face.

"Now you are a man," she could hear Hans say through the open washroom door. Bobby's chest was so puffed out for the rest of the evening, Sybil thought it was a wonder he didn't pop the buttons on his shirt.

"You know he's going to be shaving every day for the next two weeks," Sybil whispered to Hans while they were watching the fireworks at midnight.

"The fun will wear off," Hans said confidently.

-0-

The next day the size of audience amazed Sybil. The concert hall seated over seventeen hundred people with standing room for another three hundred and every seat in the hall was taken. Hans had mentioned many times music and culture was at the heart of the city and today was proof of that. Bobby and the two Brunner girls were seated in the second row of the box, while Sybil, Mrs. Brunner and the wife of the third manager of the symphony were seated in the front row. They had some of the best seats in the house. The radio technicians were in the next box to Sybil and Bobby monitoring the broadcast and the musicians' faces were a study in concentration as they played. There was no question this was where Hans belonged. He was at the top of the game and would be for years to come.

The symphony concluded, the encores were played and the ovations finally came to an end. They headed out into the main foyer of the concert hall where the musicians were lined up taking congratulations from members of the public who wished to meet them. The children didn't wander too far away in the large crowd. Bobby had coins in his pocket and bought the two girls a soft drink. They were standing to the side with a group of other young people who were children of the symphony members when suddenly a commotion erupted.

Sybil looked towards Bobby and the girls. Mrs. Brunner gasped. Bobby was standing in front of the two Brunner girls challenging another boy. The girls looked upset and were clinging to each other's hands.

"Whatever you said. You take it back," Bobby's voice could be heard above the crowd.

The boy said something else to the girls in German that made them cringe back even more. Security was making its way towards the commotion but getting through the large crowd was slow going.

"You take it back and stay away from my friends," Bobby warned him.

"You are a Jew loving Lime and maybe you are one as well," the other boy taunted Bobby.

"I said take it back," Bobby said again.

There was a low roar of voices and murmurs running through the crowd as people turned to see what was going on.

"You make me. You don't belong here English. Go home," the boy who looked to be a year or two older and had a good four inches on Bobby took a swing at him hitting him in the eye. Bobby staggered back. The two girls screamed. Bobby recovered and before anyone knew what had happened bashed the other boy in the nose knocking him to the ground.

"Now you apologize to my friends," he said standing over the other boy who was lying on the ground with a bloody nose.

"What is going on here?" Herr Brunner demanded as he arrived. Hans arrived at the same time as the security.

"Papa," Anna and Greta cried in unison. They both ran to their father. Hans put his hand on Bobby's shoulder. The crowd gasped and stepped back as the two well-known men from the orchestra arrived. There was a rapid exchange in German with some military officers from the occupying forces that had overheard the altercation volunteered what they had overheard. Mrs. Brunner was comforting the girls. Sybil made it to Bobby's side but couldn't make out what was going on. Finally the security guards picked up the boy from the floor and took him away with a grip on either arm.

"Bobby. You shouldn't be fighting," Sybil scolded as the crowd started to disperse.

"Yes, he should have. He did the right thing," Hans said. He had a dark expression on his face.

"I don't know what he said, but I could tell it wasn't right," Bobby said.

Herr Brunner came over to shake Bobby's hand.

"You should be proud," he said. "That boy and his parents will be questioned by the police. There is no more room in Austria for that."

Anna was gazing at Bobby like he was a sword wielding hero and Greta wasn't much better. Hans examined his eye for any sign of a cut, then ruffled his hair when he decided it was just a bruise.

"You go back with your friends now," Hans said to Bobby. "We need to finish up here." The girls were a flurry of clucking over Bobby. Their group of friends gathered around him and led him away to get a bag of ice for his eye.

"Hans what did that boy say?" Sybil asked him quietly as soon as they had a moment.

"He said something that does not bare repeating and he tried to touch Greta inappropriately," Hans replied. "Bobby was right to defend her."

"I don't want him fighting and in public," Sybil said worriedly.

Hans leaned close so he could whisper in her ear. "That boy said all Jewish girls were sluts and tried to touch her."

Sybil gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

"That's terrible," Sybil said. "Poor Greta."

"His parents will be questioned by the police," Hans said. "It is an attitude that is not tolerated here any longer. You can be put in prison for saying such things. Bobby did the right thing. He is a hero now for his friends." Hans gestured to where Bobby was surrounded by a group of young people. He was smiling bashfully with Anna gazing at him adoringly.

"I must get back to business," Hans said. He headed back to the area where the orchestra members were.

"Your Bobby is the hero of the hour," Mrs. Brunner said as she rejoined Sybil.

"Hans told me what started it all. I'm so sorry that boy said and did something so terrible," Sybil replied.

"There are those now who stand up to that type of thing. It will be stopped. The people will not stand for it. It is less and less these days. The police will take care of it."

"I didn't even know you were Jewish until you told me," Sybil commented.

"We may attend a party at your home and celebrations much as you may attend a party at our home for one of our holidays," Mrs. Brunner replied. "Greta is wearing her Star of David. The bully saw it and decided to act. He would have gotten away with it only a few years ago."

"I'm only too glad the war is done and the Nazis are finished," Sybil said.

"As am I," Mrs. Brunner replied.

Chapter 12 – Family Gatherings

Sybil and Bobby stopped in surprise when they got in the door of the house in London. Bobby needed to get his laundry done and get back to school the day after next. Astrid and Bradley were there as well as Dylan and his wife Kate.

"We weren't expecting anyone to be here," Sybil said as they entered the drawing room.

"They transferred me to London the last minute over the holidays," Dylan replied. "I telegrammed Bradley and we arrived two days ago."

"You look different," Astrid said to Bobby. "More grown up somehow."

Bobby blushed and stood a little taller.

"What did you get up to in Austria?" Bradley asked him with a smile.

"Skiing. We watched fireworks and went to concerts," Bobby replied in a rush.

"Bobby helped Hans work on his flat and took all sorts of pictures. He'll tell you all about it when he gets his pictures developed," Sybil added.

"We brought everyone Swiss chocolate," Bobby said. "I'm going to unpack."

"He does look different," Dylan commented after Bobby had gone upstairs. "It's only been a month since we saw him last."

"He's shaving although he doesn't really need to. He defended two of his new friends from a bully in Vienna," Sybil told the group. "I swear he had my hand mirror and was checking for new chest hair on the trip home. He's still sporting the faintest trace of the black eye he got for his efforts."

Bradley and Dylan exchanged a knowing look and smile.

"Your little chick is growing up," Dylan said with a grin.

"What have you all decided for living arrangements?" Sybil asked.

"Dylan and Kate here at the house in London," Astrid replied. "Bradley and I are back to Cambridge for Monday morning then moving down to Horsham in stages as we had planned. We thought you'd be back and forth between houses as you usually are. I'll leave the financial arrangements for Dylan and Kate with you."

"Are you heading over to Vienna more often?" Bradley teased her.

"We'll only stay here if that suits you," Kate added.

"It suits me," Sybil replied. "It will be nice to have the houses filled a bit. Hans will be over for a few days at the end of April."

"Any news to share?" Bradley asked her.

"He's asked me to marry him and I've accepted," Sybil replied.

There was a round of congratulations.

"When are you planning on getting married?" Kate asked.

"I'm not sure," Sybil replied honestly. "That's why he's coming over in April to discuss it. I've got loose ends to tie up and a teen-aged boy to think about. We'll get things settled then."

"Your mail is on the desk in the library," Bradley commented. "You've got quite a stack."

"In the door ten minutes and back to business as usual," Sybil replied.

"I was going to ring for some tea," Astrid mentioned.

"I'll unpack and join you," Sybil replied. "I want to hear all about Christmas in Dublin."

"We want a blow by blow of Vienna," Dylan said with a grin.

"I'll leave that up to Bobby," Sybil replied with a smile.

-0-

Bradley entered the library to find Sybil at the desk going through the mail the next day.

"Bradley, I'm glad we have a chance for a word in private," Sybil said. "I was wondering if you could have a word with Bobby about only using physical violence as a last resort. Hans spoke to him but then the girls and their parents came to the station to see us off, the girls brought flowers and he pretty well had a hero's send off. His head was so swelled it was a wonder he could pass through the door."

"I'll have a word with him," Bradley said.

"I can't say I'm sorry to have both you and Dylan closer to help with him this next while," Sybil said. "All our brothers and I'm still a bit lost when it comes to raising a boy to be a decent man."

"He's a good lad, but I did notice the new swagger," Bradley said with a smile. "From the sounds of things he earned it."

"It doesn't hurt to have an extra word from a man he knows and respects," Sybil replied.

Bradley nodded.

"A family meeting is a good idea. Astrid and I were going to call one when she gets done with her studies," Bradley commented seriously.

"Is there something amiss?" Sybil asked.

"No, not at all. Astrid has some thoughts on what she wants to do with her degree. She's thinking of starting a small private school for children with dyslexia, small classes, lots of individual attention that sort of thing."

"Goodness knows she has the funds and more than enough space. We own most of the village and the surrounding countryside," Sybil replied.

"There's more we haven't worked out yet," Bradley continued. "You know I mostly work with brain injury at the hospital, but I've always been interested in pediatric neurology. There are so many brain injuries from the war, the field tends to be slanted that direction. I'm thinking of starting a private practice in pediatrics one or two days a week. I'm finding Astrid and I are probably two of the best-versed people in dyslexia in the country. I've researched from the medical side and her from the education side. We've both read everything the other has found. We're not sure yet exactly what to do with it all. Perhaps we should start a foundation with training programs and symposiums. Neither of us knows what the answer to it all is. She needs to finish her degree first."

"More to think about," Sybil replied. "My problem is what to do about Bobby. Should he go to boarding school here and visit me on holiday in Vienna? Perhaps we should have a two-year engagement and visit back and forth. This business with the altercation he was involved in has made me think an English boy might not be as well received in an Austrian school as I would like and he does enjoy the school he is at now."

"From the sounds of things he made friends while he was there."

"His friends are all children of musicians. Most of the parents are very liberal in their thinking. The music community is a world onto itself. They don't make political or religious distinctions. I think he would have more problems than he does here with making the transition from the lower class to the upper."

"We all have a lot to think about," Bradley replied. "I'll see a lot more of the pair of you on weekends in a few months when I move down."

"Here we are, not old enough to have teenaged children ourselves and trying to parent one," Sybil said shaking her head slightly.

"You and Russell raised Astrid," Bradley pointed out.

"Nanny Grace raised Astrid. We were just bystanders," Sybil replied.

"I think you did a lot more than you realize," Bradley said. "Her brother had confidence in her that she could learn and do well and she has."

"We'll get things sorted out," Sybil said. "It's going to take a bit of time."

"It will," Bradley agreed.

-0-

"You're in for a surprise," Sybil said to Hans when she greeted him in April at the station in Horsham. She had brought the car. It was a rainy overcast day and had been raining for weeks. The roads were dotted with puddles and mud abounded everywhere. "Mummy and Daddy and all the children are over for a few days."

"A family meeting that is growing?" he asked. Hans was smiling into Sybil's face and had an arm around her all the way to the car. They hadn't let go of each other from the moment he'd stepped off the train.

"Just a bit," Sybil replied. "How was the flight?"

"Rough," he replied. "I am on a working trip instead of time off. It is faster to come with a transport and I will save my days off for later this year."

"You've flown all over and I've never set foot on a plane," Sybil said.

"That could be changed," he replied. He gave her a quick kiss once his case was stored in the back.

"I've had two clients you sent my way," Sybil commented on the short drive to the house.

"I have news in Vienna," Hans replied. "The apartment underneath is for sale. I asked the owner to hold it. I thought you might prefer it for a studio."

"It would make life easier once I moved over," Sybil replied. "Is it in rough shape?"

"Yes, the same as upstairs when I purchased. Once things are fixed the price goes high. They said they would not advertise until I return and give them an answer."

"It makes sense to me," Sybil said. "It would mean a similar set up to London where work is right downstairs. That is one decision that is easy to make." She pulled up in front of the house and switched the engine off. "I don't mean to be insulting, but do you have enough funds for the extra space?"

"Down payment, yes. I will get a loan," Hans replied. "The upstairs floors will have to wait."

"I'll pay for the downstairs outright. It's something I don't have to think about once we get married. I can have the funds transferred to your bank in Austria from the business accounts," Sybil said.

"Sybil…," Hans started in exasperation.

"No, don't say it. The downstairs is business space and so convenient it would be foolish to pass it up. I have a very successful business thanks in a large part to you. I'll let you pay for everything upstairs and do a big part of the labor downstairs, but I'll take care of the business finances."

"You are a boss," he said rubbing his fingers on his forehead.

"I've told you I'm bossy," she said leaning over to give him a quick peck before they headed inside.

"I am surprised you brought the family," Hans said to Rose when he greeted her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek after he had shaken Tom's hand.

"We're not putting Declan and Lorcan into a boy's school until fall," Tom said. "They're all upstairs working on reports about a museum we took them to yesterday."

"Where are the others?" Hans inquired.

"Bradley is at work, Astrid and Bobby will arrive home tonight and Dylan and Kate will take the train down from London as soon as he's off," Sybil said. She took a seat beside Hans.

"I hope you are not displeased we have decided to marry," he said to Tom and Rose.

"Not displeased at all," Tom replied. "Sybil is happy about the situation and so are we. We would like you both closer to home of course."

"_You'd_ like them closer to home," Rose reminded him. "You think none of the children should go more than a mile or two away."

"It would be nice," Tom replied with a smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes.

"There will always be visits," Sybil said. "I'll still have the design business in London. Hans has found a studio for me in Vienna. I'll have to change my business cards once the space is rebuilt."

"How long are you staying?" Rose asked.

"Five days. Meetings in London on three of them," Hans replied.

"Have you come to any conclusions about when you want to get married?" Tom asked.

"No, not when or where," Sybil replied.

"The where is easy," Tom said. "Choose wherever you like and the rest of us will have to work around it. Of course my vote is for Ireland."

"Daddy," Sybil said with a chuckle.

"If we decide Christmas, then it will be Vienna," Hans said. "I cannot get away, but we would have a symphony at our reception and that would not be a bad thing."

"We'd be so busy watching Bobby to see if he was off with Anna Brunner we wouldn't have time to enjoy ourselves," Sybil said with a smile. "He's still quite taken with her."

"Young love," Hans replied he carried Sybil's hand to his lips to kiss her fingers.

"I think we'll wait until everyone returns tonight and discuss it amongst other things," Sybil said. "Once we know what Bobby wants and have a decision on how I'm going to manage with him, the rest will follow suit."

"You sound like you have something in mind," Tom commented.

"I do," Sybil replied. "But it is a family decision."

-0-

"Hardly a romantic start to your visit," Sybil said to Hans. The two of them had walked down to the stable to get away from the house. It was filling up as the trains arrived. They were just waiting for Bobby and Astrid who would be getting in on the same train.

"You're visit to me started less than perfect," Hans replied. He reached up and stroked a horse's neck that had its head over the stall door.

"I called Russell's father and asked him if he wanted to come down, but he said whatever I decide with the estate is fine with him. They've moved to a farm in the Cotswolds. He's bought himself a few horses to breed and is taking it easier."

"Are you going to tell me what you have in mind for Bobby?" Hans asked. "He is welcome in Vienna."

"I know that," Sybil replied quietly. "He loves the country and the gardens. It's his decision but I think he'd be happiest right where he is."

"Sybil, you know I cannot make the move," Hans said. She could hear the discouraged tone in his voice.

"All of my brothers left home early except for Dylan," Sybil said. "I think Bobby would be happiest right here with Astrid and Bradley and visiting us on holiday. He's already picked out the horticulture program he wants to attend when he's finished school."

"You want this to be his choice?" Hans asked with relief. They moved to sit on a bale of hay.

"I do," Sybil replied. "What did you have in mind?"

"School in winter in Austria, back with Bradley and Astrid or your parents in summers," Hans replied.

"Two of many options. Either way I'm going to marry you," Sybil said moving closer to him and fiddling with the lapels of his coat.

"Good idea," he replied kissing her deeply. The sound of the groom exiting one of the stalls ended their brief encounter.

"Back to the house and all the family," Sybil said with a faint smile.

-0-

Tom was surprised when he saw Bobby that evening. It had been five months since Bradley's wedding. Bobby was shaving now. His fuzz had turned to the beginnings of a dark beard, his voice had deepened and his shoulders had started to fill out. He was only slightly shorter than Bradley.

The younger children were occupied with board games in the day nursery while everyone gathered in the drawing room for the family meeting. Bobby looked nervous but determined once they were all assembled.

"Your turn first, Bobby," Bradley said. "Why don't you tell us all what you want to do when Sybil and Hans get married."

"I want to take flying lessons this summer," Bobby said.

"Yes, I've already agreed to that," Sybil commented.

"I decided I'd like to apply to Writtle College for Horticulture when I finish school in two years. It's near Chelmsford north-east of London," Bobby added.

"That's a good choice. It shows you've thought things through," Astrid said.

"I'd like to stay at the school I'm at now. I like it there, the other boys are nice and it has good activities," Bobby continued.

"I think that is a very wise choice," Sybil said seriously. "Would you be happy visiting with either Bradley and Astrid or Dylan and Kate on the weekends if I wasn't here all the time?"

Bobby breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's what I want to do," he said. "I want to be with you and Hans, but I want to stay in England and only visit in Austria."

"You are welcome anytime if you change your mind," Hans assured him.

"I'll have my pilots license this summer and my driver's permit the summer after that," Bobby said enthusiastically. "Eventually I can get a plane, then visiting back and forth would be easy."

"One thing at a time," Bradley reminded him. "Astrid and I are happy to have you on weekends."

"You're like a younger brother," Astrid said nodding her agreement.

"You're welcome with us anytime as well," Dylan said. "It looks like I'm going to be extended here. They're talking about making this a three year post and opening a London office."

"Since the family is all in agreement," Sybil said. "That is what we'll do. I'll miss you but I will be back and forth for my business. You've made a good choice. It's the one I had in mind and we'll expect you in Vienna for regular visits."

"Your two friends have been asking when you will return," Hans added. Bobby's cheeks flushed pink.

"Sybil said we might visit when I'm done my flying lessons," Bobby said with a grin.

"That would be a good time. Then you can visit the many gardens," Hans replied.

"Astrid you go next," Sybil said.

"I've been thinking about setting up a school specializing in dyslexia here at the house when I graduate," Astrid said. "It would be more of a training facility really so children could work on ways to learn how to learn. There are a lot of people with dyslexia but people give up on them and they give up on themselves."

"I think it's a good idea," Tom commented.

"I'd also like to set up a foundation for collecting and distributing information about the condition to schools, teachers and neurologists so more people could be helped," Astrid said.

"Do you know how much you would need to get started or have any type of budget in mind?" Sybil asked.

"No, not yet. I was going to work out the details after I move down in June," Astrid replied.

"What most of you don't know is that Astrid only has control over an allowance she receives once a year until she turns twenty-five," Sybil said. "It is substantial but all decisions with the bulk of the estate rest with me, therefore anything to be transferred or set up, she'll need my signature."

"It seems to me you need a good business plan and legal advice," Rose commented. "I've been on the Auxiliary and a member of the board for our clinic in Ireland for years. It took some time to set up."

"That's good advice," Sybil said.

"I like the idea of a business plan and getting the details worked out," Astrid said. "It would help answer all the questions I have about running a foundation."

"Perhaps I could be involved in someway," Kate added. She had been quiet up until now. "I know enough about fundraising to fill an encyclopedia."

"It will be a big part of it if you start a foundation," Rose pointed out.

"I'd like that," Astrid replied.

"When you're ready we'll meet with our lawyers and get things underway," Sybil said. "My business plans are fairly straightforward. I'm planning to let Colleen run the London office as she has been since I spent part of last year in Ireland. I think she is more than ready to manage things and add her own assistant. I'll set up a studio in Vienna and bring in a new client line. I'll still need to be back and forth ordering fabrics and keeping abreast of the new trends, but I won't be the only one in the fashion world working out of more than one city."

"I have already found a space," Hans commented. "It will need much work, but it will be convenient."

"That brings us to the big question. Where and when do we get married?" Sybil asked.

"Tomorrow at the church in the village," Hans replied without missing a beat. Everyone in the room laughed.

"I do think you should get married in Ireland," Tom said.

"Now here me out," he said when everyone groaned. "Most of the family is there and it's easy enough for the English relatives and those living over here to travel over. You both know all kinds of people in the area. It will be a big celebration and you can have something as elaborate or simple as you like. Sybil you've already got more than enough to do. Let your mother and I do some of the work."

"It is where Hans literally fell out of the sky and right into our lives," Rose pointed out.

"I like that idea," Sybil said looking at Hans hopefully.

"Not in winter," he said seriously. "I cannot get the time."

"That puts you at late summer after my flying lessons or the following summer," Bobby said.

Everyone got a good chuckle out of his single-minded train of thought.

"Late summer would mean we would be able to put the tents up for guests," Rose commented.

"You mean for the children and grandchildren," Tom said with a smile.

"Do you think you could get a few days at the end of August?" Sybil asked Hans.

"I will try and it is a good time before the season starts," he replied. "I will send a telegram tomorrow and have Fraulein Kukbauer start clearing my schedule."

"She might telegram back to tell you to do it yourself," Bobby said dryly.

"She might at that," Hans said with a smile.

"It's going to be quite a bit of work shifting my business," Sybil commented.

"You do not need to work," Hans said. "I can take care of you."

"I enjoy it," Sybil replied obstinately.

"You don't need to push yourself darling," Rose commented. "You have a successful business here in London. Let Colleen manage it and build the Vienna based business at your leisure. Take some time to smell the roses."

"Speaking of roses did I mention I was thinking of expanding the rose garden since you won't be here to plant cabbages?" Bobby asked.

Everyone got a good chuckle at the look on Sybil's face.


	43. Sybil of London Part 4

Sybil of London – Part 4 – Chapter 13 through 16

Chapter 13 – A Family of Memories

"Why so glum?" Tom asked Sybil. She was sitting at a desk in the library with a photo album in front of her and a stack of photographs waiting to be mounted. Hans had gone to London for meetings and Rose was busy upstairs with her two daughters-in-law and the little girls. Bobby, Dylan and Bradley had taken the younger boys fishing.

"Trying to organize things," Sybil replied. "I've put all of Hope's pictures into an album. Now I'm trying to do one with Russell's pictures and it's not going so well."

"I know you've heard a thousand times it gets easier with time," Tom said. "It does. Mummy put together an album for me years ago of pictures from before I met your mother and of our life together. It took me a long time before I could go through it and smile at the memories."

Sybil rested her head against her father.

"How long?" she asked.

"About the time we moved to Ireland," he replied. "You would have been fifteen or so."

"In another thirteen or fourteen years I should be able to do this with no problem," Sybil said.

"That's about right," Tom replied. He rubbed small circles on her back with an open hand. "What else is bothering you?"

"Money," Sybil replied with a sigh. "Having a fortune is much harder than anyone thinks it is."

"It is," Tom replied. "Have you told Hans anything of how you feel?"

"We need to hash things out," Sybil said. "I told him I would pay for the studio space in Vienna from the business accounts. It's upsetting him. I can tell."

"He's a proud man," Tom said. "You have to find a way that lets him be in control."

"He works so hard, Daddy," Sybil replied. "You should see him after a performance. He's absolutely exhausted. A few days later he's back at it again. I have so much that he doesn't need to worry. What am I supposed to do, pretend I don't have it and let him work himself to death?"

"Let him in and tell him how you feel," Tom said. "Tell him how you feel about these photographs. He might just surprise you."

Sybil gathered the photographs and put them back in their box.

"Fishing in the rain," she said. "Bradley, Dylan and all the rest are going to come back with colds."

"Worms, and dirt and all the things boys love," Tom said with a small grin. "They haven't changed one bit on that score over the years and you haven't either. You still curl up your nose at the thought."

"Then go along and pretend I like it," Sybil said with a chuckle. "Lets go see what's in the pantry. I've a terrible craving for current tarts."

"What brought that on?" Tom asked.

"Mrs. Barrow's photograph. She always made the best current tarts," Sybil replied.

-0-

Hans reached into the box of photographs and took out a handful.

"I have told you many times I would help you with these things," he said. "I will sort them into years." All of the photographs had dates stamped on the bottoms or backs.

"I've been trying so hard to organize everything," Sybil said. "Astrid helped me a great deal. It's been two years. It's something I wanted to do for a long time but haven't been able to get done."

"What is this?" Hans asked. He handed Sybil a photograph of her two eldest brothers and Russell with her father's old motorcycle.

"Daddy's old motorcycle. The boys used to ride it around the back roads at Downton. They spent more time fixing it than riding it," she said with a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Dylan wandered into the library and came over to see what they were looking at.

"I remember that old rattle trap," he said. "Redmond and Davin broke down one time about five miles from the house. I was in the car with Lord Grantham. He had the driver stop, asked the pair of them if they needed a bullet to put it down, then rolled up the window and laughed himself silly."

"What's going on?" Bradley asked.

"Looking at old pictures," Dylan said.

"I remember that," Bradley said pointing to a picture of a group at their old swimming spot. "That was right before Davin and Camilla got together. That's Nigel Hawkington back in the day when he was still a medical student."

"Nessy!" Dylan exclaimed. "We have to get Da in here."

Tom and Rose came to join the group as well as more of the family. It wasn't long and memories were being shared as the photographs were sorted.

"That's the motorcycle I learned to drive on," Rose said. "I wonder whatever happened to it."

"Scrap for the war effort," Sybil replied. "There's a newer one out in the garage. Bradley is the only one that drives it these days."

"You were rather scandalous back in the day," Tom said to Rose. "The entire village turned out to watch your mother the day she learned to drive a motorcycle," he told the group.

"Was that in Eagle Cairn, Da?" Rory asked.

"No back when we lived in England," Tom replied.

"You?" Hans asked. He handed Sybil a picture of her Davin and Camilla from her first formal.

"I remember Davin got alcohol poisoning," Dylan said. "Why didn't you get sick?"

"I was out in the limousine snogging the chauffeur," Sybil replied. Everyone including Hans laughed. She couldn't help but smile.

"Now the truth comes out," Tom said.

"I did marry him after all Daddy," Sybil said still smiling.

Another photo came out of the pile of three boys with a pile of old car parts.

"Redmond was forever taking something apart," Tom said when he looked at the photograph. "He drove me mad before he left for medical school."

"Wonder boy did something wrong?" Bradley asked incredulously. He had been in his older brother's shadow right through medical school. He was no slouch and had done well, but at every turn he heard about Redmond's accomplishments. It had gotten on his nerves more than once.

"Redmond had two statements when he was young. How does it come apart and I don't like Dublin," Rose supplied with a smile. "Now he lives there."

"I think Bradley's first word was, why," Tom said. "He still hasn't stopped asking."

Everyone laughed at the look on Bradley's face. The stories continued as the photographs were sorted into years. Dylan took over putting the corners on the photographs and Bradley mounted them into the album. Before the night was through the album was complete. Sybil was smiling at the many stories of her youth that had been shared and her parents and brothers' impressions of different events. Hans had told humorous stories of things that had happened to him growing up as well.

"Mrs. Barrow's recipe for current tarts," Sybil said as she produced the plate of tarts when they all gathered around for a late snack. The fire was on in the library to ward off the chill from the rain coming down in torrents outside.

"We want Hans to tell us a story," Naill said while he was eating his tart.

There was a loud chorus of pleading from all of the children.

"I will tell the story of the running pancake," Hans said finally. "But when the story is done. You will all go to bed."

Tom expected a round of complaints but there wasn't a one. Hans was good at telling stories and embellishing the details. The children and adults listened with rapt attention to a version of the little gingerbread man where the main character was a pancake. The children all caught on to saying the words, _"Run, Run as fast as you can you can't catch me I'm the running pancake man,"_ at the appropriate places. The story ended when the fox caught and ate the running pancake. The six younger ones headed off for bed without complaint and Bobby went up as well. It wasn't long and the party broke up.

"Thank you for tonight," Sybil said to Hans while they sat watching the coals in the grate burn lower. "You made a very difficult job into a joy."

"When I am here, I will help," he replied. "Tonight was the family."

"You were a big part of it," Sybil said curling against him. "I struggle so much with loose ends that seem like small jobs and then turn into white elephants. I miss having someone to talk things over with. Bradley is here now which helps, but it isn't the same."

"It is hard to be alone," Hans replied. "I have had enough of it."

"The money is the worst part," Sybil said slowly. "During the war I had to learn how to manage a large allowance. The way things were left I've had to learn to make some very big decisions on my own. When I offer to pay for things I don't want you to feel insulted. I have more than enough money for ten lifetimes as long as I don't overspend on frivolous things."

"Sybil, I don't want your money," he said. She could feel him stiffen slightly.

"I don't want you to work yourself to death either when there is no need," Sybil replied. "I know how hard you work. You're more than capable of taking care of me. There may be times when we want a little extra or an emergency comes up. I draw an allowance that is substantial. I'd like you to let me use it to make things easier from time to time."

"You could allow me to purchase the studio for you," he replied.

"I've never used the profits from the design business," Sybil said. "I didn't need the money and it's just sitting there. I have quite a pile. You worked for that helping me get the business going by finding me clients in Dublin and doing the fashion shows and photo shoots. You're still finding me clients. You've more than earned the funds."

Hans thought it over for a moment.

"The studio is business. We will use the business money to pay for it, if you let me help you with the business in Vienna" he said.

"I was counting on your help," she said. "I've been getting Bradley and Dylan to help me out this last while when they're available."

"I do not want the money from your late husband."

"The money and the houses come with the package, although I think of this one as Bradley and Astrid's," Sybil replied. "I'm not saying you would become a kept man, just let me use the funds now and then. I don't use all that much of it myself. I shop for clothes twice a year and draw out enough for train tickets, travel expenses and the odd lunch out, otherwise I've never managed to spend the entire thing. Astrid's was used for her education. There can be positives."

"Garret called you cheap," he said smiling at the memory.

"He would," Sybil replied with a smile. "I can't see why anyone needs to squander away a fortune. There is more than enough there for Astrid's children for generations to come as long as it is managed properly. Her grandfather was shrewd. He kept the bulk of his funds in numbered Swiss accounts to avoid inheritance taxes."

"I will never be a rich man," Hans said. "You know this."

"I don't expect it or want you to be," Sybil replied. "But I don't want you taking on extra appearances if you think we need extra funds either. I've seen how tired you are after a concert. You are brilliant at your work but it comes with a price. If we have a family I'd like them to spend time with their father, and not have you working every minute of the day and night until you drop."

"I do rehearse at night," he said with a grin.

"We'll put some extra insulation on the ceiling of my studio and you can go down there whenever you like to practice so you don't wake anyone up," she said with a small smile.

"I need to work tonight. I have notes for my meetings tomorrow," he said after a bit.

"It is time for bed," Sybil said getting up to head upstairs.

"You have been holding out on me," he said after he kissed her goodnight at the bottom of the stairs. Sybil looked at him questioningly. "I did not know there was a motorcycle."

"There is eight inches of mud on the roads," Sybil replied with a slight chuckle. "You'd break your neck."

"When we visit in the summer then," he said with a grin.

"Bobby will probably want you to go flying with him," Sybil said with a smile as she climbed the stairs. "That comes out of his allowance, not mine."

Hans could only laugh and shake his head as he went into his room.

-0-

A few days later things were getting back to normal around their home in Horsham. Bobby and Astrid had headed back to school, Dylan and Kate were back to London and Sybil's parents packed and headed back to Ireland. Her father couldn't be too long during the spring with lambing starting and sheering coming up in another week.

"Happy?" Hans asked Sybil. They were taking the train into London for the day. She would go to her lawyers then work with Colleen for the day until Hans was finished his meeting. They would make a stop at her bank to transfer the funds before they headed back to Horsham to spend his last day in England relaxing.

"I am," Sybil replied. "I'm feeling a great deal better about a lot of things."

"As am I," Hans said. "I do not feel guilty now about taking you from your family. We will visit. Things will work out."

"I'm starting to look forward to the move instead of dreading it. I'm sure there will be a whole new aspect to design and what is happening in the industry in another country."

"You are not looking forward to being married?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"That's not what I mean," Sybil responded quickly. "I was so upset about Bobby and trying to run the business from a distance and what I was going to do with all of my late husband's things, I was making myself sick."

"I will help you when I can with your business and you may work or not. It is your choice," he said.

"Not a very romantic visit," Sybil commented.

"I have work and you have things to decide. The next time in August we will marry and then return with Bobby to Vienna and I will go back to work right away. We will pick a honeymoon when it suits us."

"Having our own room and working on finishing the flat and setting up my studio suits me quite well," Sybil replied.

"I will have to read the advertisements for you until you learn German," he said. "I remember the house in Dublin."

"That was fun," Sybil said with a smile.

"Fun when you had us to do the work." Hans smiled in return. "It was a good house."

"The house hasn't changed much over the years," Sybil said. "Garret and Kyna are planning to turn your old room into a nursery. They are expecting in November and they've bought the place."

"More nieces and nephews," Hans said.

"It's endless," Sybil replied with a smile. "You're marrying into a family with twelve children."

-0-

Colleen and Sybil were busy discussing the many things that would have to be arranged to take Sybil's company international that afternoon. Colleen was excited by the news. So many of the design houses were going to ready to wear they were moving into a more and more niche market and their work was in demand for those who wanted the best. Managing an office with an assistant was a much better career situation than being a nameless face at a ready to wear and Colleen was only too happy in her job.

"Good afternoon, Colleen," Hans said when he arrived after his meetings.

"Hans, you're looking dashing as ever," Colleen said. "It's good to see you. Congratulations on your engagement."

Hans bowed slightly.

"It's exciting to have you back helping with finding clients," Colleen said. "You've always been a wonderful representative of Sybil's work."

"There will be clients in Vienna, I'm sure," Hans said. "I have had many inquiries since Christmas. There is little selection in the shops and the commissary is American. They prefer the patterns that look like tire prints." He had a look on his face that said exactly how much he cared for jacquard.

Sybil couldn't help but smile.

"You still love stripes as much as ever," she said.

"I do not like stripes," he replied seriously. Both women couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think we can avoid tire tracks," Sybil said to reassure him. "We had best get to our stops before they close."

"Colleen seems well and happy," Hans said as they made their way to the underground.

"She's ecstatic about running the London office and having her own assistant," Sybil said. "We've already planned to take on a summer intern and then move them to assistant if they suit her."

"You are moving quickly," Hans commented.

"I'm excited for our future," Sybil replied with a smile.

Chapter 14 – Moving Forward

Sybil set the needle on the recording and picked up her language lesson book with determination. She would get her tongue around the words somehow.

"I am happy to see you. Ich bin froh, Sie zu sehen," the voice on the record said.

Sybil attempted to say the line.

"I'm not so happy to see you," she muttered at the recording before the next line played.

Bobby came wandering into the library at Hadley Hall, sat down and easily repeated the lines on the recording. After a few minutes Sybil took the needle off the record.

"You're becoming a show off, like Hans," Sybil said despondently.

"You're trying to hard. German is easy," Bobby replied with a slight grin. "Don't try so hard."

"That's easy for you to say. You won't be living in Austria permanently," Sybil replied.

"Ich bin froh, Sie zu sehen," Bobby said.

"Danke," Sybil replied without thinking about it. "Ich freue mich, Sie auch sehen."

"See you weren't thinking about it and you had no problem," Bobby said. "I don't see why you're so worried about being able to speak German. Lots of people there speak English and Hans can translate for you."

"I'd like to be able to at least order a cup of tea myself," Sybil replied. "Where is your friend Peter?"

"Getting changed. Old Mr. Taylor was showing us his technique for fly fishing and Peter fell in."

"What are the two of you doing this afternoon?" she asked.

"We're going riding after lunch and after I show him the greenhouses," Bobby replied. "His family owns greenhouses. They grow tomatoes and sell them in the winter to the shops."

"That must be tricky."

"Not really. The green houses all have wood stoves that keep them warm. He says someone has to be on duty all the time to keep the stoves filled otherwise it isn't too difficult. They're thinking about getting a new electric system. There's Peter now. We've got time to go out to see the green houses before luncheon I think."

"Try not to be late," Sybil reminded him before he was off. Sybil watched Bobby and his friend from the window as they made their way out the back of the house and headed towards the green houses. His school was a good choice she thought. Many of the boys were from upper middle class families who were involved in agriculture in some way. Most of Bobby's friends were talking about attending agricultural college or pursuing careers related to agriculture when they grew up. Every last one of the boys loved the country life of fishing, riding, hiking and camping. Bobby had gone to a hunt at one of the boy's homes but hadn't been too taken with it although he'd enjoyed the social gathering that went along with the event. In her heart Sybil knew the right decision was for him to stay in England and attend the school he was at.

She changed the record on the turntable to a recent recording of the Vienna Philharmonic with an image of her fiancée in front of the symphony on the jacket. It was 1950. Tastes in popular culture were changing as ever but there was still room for the classics and Walt Disney was incorporating them into his films and bringing the music to the masses. The symphonies still played to full concert halls and in Vienna the enthusiasm for classical music hadn't diminished one bit. If anything from what Sybil had witnessed the desire for something that connected them with the distant past and provided a symbol of the national identity was stronger than ever.

The sound of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries filled the room. It was a dramatic piece by any accounts and almost made Sybil laugh when she thought of it as resembling her headlong charge towards a new life in Vienna. She loved Hans, she had no question in her mind as to that score, but taking the step to live in a new country was a huge undertaking. It was the end of June. Bobby would be starting his flying lessons in a few days. In another six weeks they would be back together and getting married. Hans had written he had the flooring workers coming in to redo the floors in the flat in another week. He had put his name on a list to have the electricians come and rewire the studio. It would be at least four months before his name would come up.

Rationing and shortages were nothing new to Sybil. Supplies were still rationed here in England as though not as severely as they had been during the war years. Petrol rationing had ended right after the war and clothing rationing had ended a year ago but hadn't been strictly enforced for the last few years. Bobby had often complained about her insistence on plating cabbage every year, but every year since they had gotten Hadley Hall back from the military they had been only too glad of the large vegetable gardens that extended around the back of the hall and supplied both of their houses and a number of their friends and family as well through the winter. One season of constant rain had made a mess of things but they still had the supplies from the greenhouses. Beehives had been put in right after the war and they had a steady supply of honey. Sweets, meat and cheese were all still rationed and the only type of cheese available was a cheddar the government insisted on. The range of cheeses in Vienna was something they had enjoyed during the Christmas visit. Hans had mentioned the agriculture was doing well in Austria, but other industries were taking time to rebuild. Sybil surmised she was going to have to import fabric from the UK and her suppliers in Ireland at least twice a year unless she could find some in the area, which she doubted. It looked like getting the studio set up would be slow going as well. It had taken Hans all winter to get the work on the flat done even with doing a great deal of the more mundane chores himself. She had to remind herself over and over there was no rush to get the studio done and get things moving along. It would all put itself right through time.

After luncheon she went up to her sewing room. She was working on an outfit for an older man who lived in northern England and was the owner of a manufacturing company. He wanted something for weekends that would be casual and also be appropriate for informal business meetings. She had finally settled on a dark green tartan for the jacket. She had chosen a fabric for the trousers but was now reconsidering her choice since the jacket was done. So many were showing all plaid suits now. Sybil thought they were quite dreadful and made her eyes cross when the men walked. She was going through fabric swatches and had the choice narrowed down when Astrid suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I wasn't expecting you today," Sybil said.

"Bradley has office hours all day and a late shift at the hospital," Astrid replied. "I was going to stay in London and work with Kate, but I decided to come and talk to you instead."

"It sounds important," Sybil replied.

"All about the new foundation," Astrid said. "I've put the school idea on hold for a bit. I think we need to get the foundation up and running first."

"It may be best," Sybil replied.

"I'm further ahead than I should be at this point since the university let me develop an information packet for teachers and parents as my final project," Astrid replied. "I've just got my marks."

"A first class I presume?" Sybil replied with a smile.

"Yes, with a few suggestions for improvements," Astrid acknowledged. "We've scaled back our ideas for the first two years to an information package for newly diagnosed children and their schools. It's all techniques that can be used to help accommodate the condition. We've come up with two other things to do in the first two years as well."

"Being?" Sybil questioned.

"A scholarship for children with dyslexia from low income families to have tutoring once a week," Astrid replied. "Russell made sure my allowance was used to give me every advantage and opportunity. Not everyone has that luxury."

"Do you have an amount in mind?" Sybil asked.

"Yes, for starting funds. We'll be doing fund raising. Kate is a marvel at that. She has all kinds of ideas," Astrid replied. "We also thought of having a symposium here at the house in two years. Goodness knows there is room to accommodate visiting lecturers. We were planning to invite medical professionals, educators and families of dyslexics. The information is too buried. People need to know there is hope and they can learn and do well, but there is no easy fix."

"It all sounds reasonable and well thought out," Sybil replied.

"It's more than is out there at the moment," Astrid replied. She took a breath. "I'm naming the foundation after Russell. I didn't want it to upset you."

"Oh Astrid," Sybil said. She went to her sister-in-law and pulled her into an embrace. "It's a fitting tribute to your brother."

"I think so." Astrid replied after a brief hug. "I wanted your permission to move his military medals, nursing certificates and a few other mementos from the house in London to the offices here when I get them set up."

"It would be a fitting spot," Sybil replied. "I'll leave it all to your judgment."

"I thought we might pick out some rooms for offices as well."

"It really is up to you what you do with the house," Sybil replied.

"I would like you involved," Astrid said. "We'll get the offices picked out and set up in the next week or so and then go meet with the lawyers when Bradley has a day off. He reads much faster than I do."

"You aren't letting any grass grow under your feet."

"No, I'm not. Did you know there are people who have been institutionalized because they have dyslexia? Honestly how foolish! Just because I can't make out printing on a box when I'm not wearing special glasses, doesn't mean I can't live a productive life," Astrid said indignantly. "Bradley has a recently diagnosed patient. I'm meeting with the parents tomorrow to talk to them. Their little boy needs to know it is possible to learn and do well and so do the parents. My condition is severe and more dramatic than many cases but I still managed to complete a degree at Cambridge and who would know if I didn't tell them?"

"The ones who stared when your examination table was covered with Christmas wrap," Sybil replied with a smile.

"It worked," Astrid said with a nod. "My brain doesn't distinguish black on white like other people's do. There is no known reason why, but I can distinguish it if I add in red or blue. It changes the dynamic. I met a girl while I was in Cambridge with the same problem. Her parents owned a shop we used to frequent. I gave them a list of the techniques I use and she was learning to read when I saw her last. There are plenty more techniques and new ones coming up all the time. It's a matter of getting the information out there."

"You've got the drive," Sybil replied with a smile. "I suppose you already have rooms chosen for your offices."

"I have an idea or two," Astrid replied. "Do you have time now to pick them out?"

"I'll come with you as soon as I tack up these fabrics. The minute I get back to them I'll know which is the right one," Sybil said.

"I like the darker one if that is any help," Astrid said.

"You know, I do too," Sybil replied thoughtfully. "Let's go see what we can come up with for offices."

"Grandfather's old office might do," Astrid said as they walked down the hall.

"The billiards room is adjoining. It might not be the best choice," Sybil replied. "Let's take a look below stairs. There are all sorts of rooms that haven't been used since the military were here."

"There are unused rooms on the attic level as well," Astrid commented.

"We'll take a look a make a decision together," Sybil said.

"It is nice to have someone to help you decide, isn't it?" Astrid remarked absently.

"It is," Sybil agreed with a smile.

-0-

The small plane was light for the terrain. It caught a thermal draft, rose slightly then came in for a smooth landing. The pilot taxied to the hanger and switched the engine off. Hans Meyer went inside, signed off the flight log and waited while the man at the desk signed and stamped his pilot's license. Renewing his pilot's license had cost him a pretty penny with the shortage of fuel in Austria but he had thought it was worth it. He hadn't had to do full flight school. A solo flight in a small plane had been his only requirement. It hadn't been the powerful machine he'd flown in the war that made the blood rush in his veins and taken concentration to resist the urge to pass out in the high-speed maneuvers of a dogfight. Today he'd felt like he was taking an old car out for a leisurely drive.

He would be leaving for England and then on to Ireland after a day's stop in another two weeks. He was looking forward to getting married. He'd had enough of the single life. He'd given his word to Sybil he would be faithful to her. He'd had plenty of women throwing themselves at him over the last months but they no longer interested him. He wanted the woman in his bed and in his life that understood him and he could share his life with. He'd also given his word to be a good father to her ward. Bobby had always looked at him with the adoration of hero worship. Now that Bobby was growing older one day he would realize he wasn't a hero. He was only a man who had a gift for music and had put the work in to build that gift into a career. Bobby was interested in flying and gardening. Hans could share the one interest and had renewed his license to make that possible. As far as gardening it was nice to look at and he knew Sybil had a compulsion to plant vegetables where ever she went. He would have to learn to like it.

He had been busy in the few months since his trip to England. He had purchased the studio and asked his friends from work to help clear up the debris. It was a commonplace thing at their work to put the word out when they needed help at home. A group would show up. They would paint, repair fences, fix roofs or whatever else needed doing. They would laugh and talk, drink a glass of beer or two then do it all over again when the next person needed a hand. The food shortages right after the war had resolved fairly quickly in the area, but the shortages of just about everything else hadn't. Five years after the end of the war in Europe there was still construction going on and getting crews and materials could be difficult. The city planners had argued and shuffled things this way and that and finally decided to leave the older historic part of the city to the cultural set.

"_Sybil will be surprised by how much is done,"_ he thought as he got in the door of the house that held his flat and her soon to be studio later that day. The debris had been cleared from the lower floor and the back garden. The planks he had used as a kitchen counter top were neatly stacked against the wall as were some lighting fixtures he'd managed to find when a building was being torn down. The rubble and weeds in the back garden had been cleared up and the rubble stacked in a neat pile to be used as a planter or smashed up and used as a base for a walkway. Hans and his friends had repaired the fence and he'd oiled the hinges on the gate and beat on the metal with a hammer until he got it working again. He was hoping the garden would interest Bobby and give him something to do when he visited. At the moment there wasn't a tree or shrub in it, but that could all be changed in time and he was pretty sure Sybil would have him planting vegetables next spring.

He had another surprise for Sybil and he hoped she would be happy about it. Clothing was difficult to get in Austria. Much of what was available in the stores was brought in by the Americans and wasn't to a more formal traditional taste that was common in that part of the world. Country boys still wore lederhosen and the boys at private schools in the cities wore short pants. Men preferred a jacket and tie or a nice shirt and sweater for casual, not this strange jumble of stripes and squiggly lines the Americans seemed to prefer. He had a list of names and telephone numbers for Sybil for prospective clients. Ever since she had brought him new clothing at Christmas he had inquiries from men and their wives as to where he'd gotten it and how people could get ahold of the designer. Sybil would have to ship in an entire store room of woolens to meet the demand he thought to himself as the list continued to grow.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked around the main room of his flat. He still needed to paint the fireplace mantle, which he would do on his next days off. The floors were done and gleaming with the new varnish. In his mind he could imagine how their home would look one day in the near future with a grand piano for friends to gather around or for him to have people over for a rehearsal. A dining table would someday grace another area and the room needed paintings, rugs and all the little things that gave it a woman's touch. He had almost purchased a piano but then reconsidered and spent his wages on getting his pilot's license updated instead. It was a home and very soon he would live there with his new wife.

Chapter 15 – An Adventure

Sybil ran to Hans and threw her arms around his neck at the airport after he had passed through customs. He had taken a commercial flight from Vienna to London. It was terribly expensive but he had only been able to get a week off. They would fly over to Ireland the next day get married then fly back to Vienna with Bobby for the summer visit to Vienna Bobby had been promised. Sybil would make a short trip back with Bobby to get him settled in school then join Hans in Vienna for the winter. She had to admit getting married in Vienna and staying put would have been simpler but there were documents to sign for the Russell Beldon Memorial Foundation for Dyslexia and Bobby still needed reassurance he wasn't being abandoned yet again.

"Are you ready for Vienna?" Hans asked.

"As ready as I can be," Sybil replied happily. "I think the question is are you ready for a wedding in Ireland."

"Are you?"

"Mummy has made all the arrangements except the dress. I'm going to let it be what it is," Sybil replied. "I've brought the car."

"Where is Bobby?" Hans inquired.

"Over to one of his friends showing off his pictures from flight school," Sybil replied. "He's so grown up one moment and a little boy the next."

"He passed his license?"

"He did. It's a junior license. He won't be able to get a full license until he's eighteen fortunately," Sybil said. "He was flying around in an old biplane. It made my heart stop every time I went out to pick him up."

"It is a good way to learn. It's not too fast. There is not that much to go wrong."

"Says Mister I went the wrong way," Sybil teased him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before she got in the car.

"It was getting dark, the map was faulty, someone had been shooting at me and I had just flown upside down, sideways and every which way for over ten minutes. I will turn you upside down and then see if you know where you are," he said with a smile.

"That sounds rather adventurous," Sybil replied.

"Two days and I will show you all the adventure you like," Hans said leaning over to give her a quick kiss before they drove off.

"I was thinking," Hans said before they made it out of the airfield. "It would be cheaper to rent a plane and fly to the estate than to take a paid flight to Dublin."

"Bobby couldn't fly that far," Sybil said. "Nor do I trust him to."

"I could," Hans replied with a grin.

"We couldn't," Sybil replied in alarm.

"How many from here are going?"

"Seven including you," Sybil replied.

Hans quickly worked out how much the airfare would cost them.

"Turn around. We will go back to the airport and see if there is something to hire. We will fly to Galway. It will be cheaper."

"Hans, I'm nervous enough about flying as it is," Sybil said.

"We will see what is available," he said nonchalantly. "You have not purchased the tickets?"

"No, it's a first come first serve desk for the crossing," Sybil replied.

"Then it will be cheaper," he replied confidently.

"I… I suppose," Sybil replied hesitantly. He pointed to the hangers rather than the main terminal when they arrived at the airport.

"You are cheap, I am cheaper," he said to Sybil with a grin before he got out of the car and went inside the first hanger. She followed along behind trying not to curl up her nose at the smell of grease and oil from the aircraft being worked on. Hans explained what he was looking for. The man in the hanger directed them to two hangers further down the row.

"There is a cargo flight, but I do not think you would like the canvas seats," Hans said while they were walking down the line.

"Hans, we're going for our wedding not on some cheap road trip to a remote tropical island."

"I have promised you adventure," he said still grinning.

"Well now," a man at the hanger said once they had been directed to the owner of a small aviation company. "Let's see your license."

Hans produced his pilot's license.

"What have you flown?" the man asked.

"Storch, Faulker-Wulf 190, Messerschmit Emil," he kept naming aircraft until the other man held up his hands for him to stop.

"What are you doing these days that your not working for an aviation company?" the owner of the airline asked.

"I am a musician in Vienna," Hans replied.

"You're getting married near Galway?" the man said scratching his chin.

"My parents live about ten miles south east of the city," Sybil contributed.

"Hmm," he said while he thought. "Half price for three passengers if you act as co-pilot, I'm a bit short staffed at the moment and I've got a cricket team to pickup and get to Scotland. The new man will meet the plane over there."

"The number of passengers?" Hans inquired.

"Twelve," the man said.

"Model of aircraft?"

The man answered but Sybil wasn't really paying attention. She was looking at the different aircraft in the hanger being worked on. Hans thought it over and acted hesitant.

"Half price for all my friends," Hans said.

"You drive a hard bargain," the owner said.

"I can go elsewhere. We are not in a rush. The ferry is cheaper."

"All right. Four at half price and you as co-pilot, one bag each. Do we have a bargain?"

"I will be here two hours ahead for preflight," Hans said finally putting out his hand for the man to shake.

"You need to go register at the tower," the owner of the company said taking Hans hand to seal the deal. "I think you got the better deal."

"I am a good pilot," Hans replied. "You will not be sorry."

Hans left contact information with the man in case there was a change of plans and went to register while Sybil paid for the flight and received a voucher.

"Hans are you sure it's safe?" Sybil asked him as they walked to the car.

"You would rather pay full price or go by cargo flight?" Hans asked. He was grinning with pride at finding them a lower priced flight.

"I don't know," Sybil replied worriedly.

"We will be there in under two hours from when we take off. You will like it," he said confidently.

-0-

Sybil wasn't feeling anymore confident the next morning when she, Bradley, Astrid and Bobby got in the car to head for the airport. Hans had taken the motorcycle and headed off for the airport at the crack of dawn. The speed he was driving before he cleared the end of the drive, she was sure he would kill himself by the time he made it half way there. Dylan and Kate were using a small car they kept in the old carriage house at Evans House to meet them at the airport. The British car industry was flooded with small commuter cars that were easy on gas and Sybil had decided a small car for London would be the ticket after they had returned from Ireland instead of taking the sportier model she drove into the city.

Her Uncle James and his second wife Pandora had traveled over to visit with her parents and some old friends two days before. Her uncle was worn out from the war years and had quit politics soon after the war had ended. The crowd from Downton would make their own way to the wedding. Everyone was apprehensive about the plane ride except Bobby who badgered Sybil with questions about the visit to the hanger the day before until she told him to be quiet. Bradley maneuvered the car into the car park and stopped beside the car from the London house. They could see the motorcycle parked down the way.

"Looks like everyone is here," Bradley said. He and Bobby retrieved the bags from the boot of the car and found a cart to pile them on just inside the airport door. Kate came over with a worried look on her face as soon as she saw them.

"Sybil, there you are. Are you sure we shouldn't have taken the ferry?" she said.

"It's too late to back out now," Bradley said. He wasn't feeling overly confident about flying to Ireland either but he didn't want to let on. The only one who was excited was Bobby who was practically dancing in anticipation.

"I wonder what kind of plane it is," Bobby said excitedly. He was craning his neck to see out the windows.

"Large enough for twelve passengers apparently," Sybil replied.

"The luggage and ticket check is over there," Dylan said pointing to a door leading onto the runway. There were a few other people milling about waiting for someone to show up. A man finally came to the gate to sell tickets. He took people's money and passed the luggage to another man who loaded it onto a cart. Sybil handed him the voucher she had been given the previous day for the trip. A loud roar was steadily getting louder while they checked in. A large four-engine plane pulled up just outside the gate and came to a halt.

"It's a Lanc!" Bobby exclaimed excitedly. "We're going to Ireland in a Lanc. Yay!"

"Settle down," Bradley said putting a hand on Bobby's shoulder.

"We"ll get your cases onboard and everyone seated and you'll be off. Right on time," the man behind the desk said. "Stay well clear of the propellers on the runway. Follow me."

They went outside. The entire group stopped with their mouths open when they saw the plane up close. The guns and turrets from wartime had been removed and replaced with a smooth hull. A row of windows had been installed along both sides of the aircraft for the passengers.

"Are those what I think they are?" Astrid asked pointing to some marks on the side of the aircraft.

"Bullet holes," the man from the airline confirmed. "They don't hurt anything. This one is as solid as a rock."

"I hope it doesn't fly like one," Dylan commented ruefully.

Sybil looked up when a small window on the cockpit opened and Hans waved to them. He was smiling. The captain came down and supervised the loading of the last of the baggage. He gave a short spiel about keeping their seat belts fastened and wearing earplugs for the flight then went back to the cockpit. Bobby was looking this way and that trying to take it all in. The seats were crammed in with barely room for their knees. Sybil was so nervous she thought she was going to be sick. There was no door to the cockpit and she could see the back of Hans' neck and shoulders in the right hand seat. There was a third man at a small desk checking gauges. The luggage was stacked behind the passengers with a cargo net holding it in place. The interior of the plane didn't look anything like the pictures Sybil had seen in magazines with curtains at the windows and wall paneling. The plane was unadorned to the point of austere. The seats were so close together they had to turn sideways to move up and down the aisle.

Some of the other passengers were acting like it was routine and reading their newspapers. Sybil didn't know how they did it. Finally the door closed with a loud click and the ground crew slapping their hands on the side of the plane. The plane began to taxi onto the runway. Sybil was holding the arms of her seat with white knuckles. Bobby had his face squashed against the window. She glanced towards Hans. He was wearing headphones and talking into a microphone. The plane bumped and swayed as it taxied. They finally stopped moving, Sybil didn't have time to heave a sigh of relief as the engines powered up with a deafening roar and the plane started moving at an alarming speed. She couldn't have been more thankful for the earplugs that had been handed out when they boarded. Sybil squeezed her eyes shut as her stomach lurched as the plane left the ground. The sound of the landing gear going up would have made her jump except she had such a tight hold on the seat.

"That was bully," Bobby shouted. He looked at Sybil beside him. He patted her hand. "Look out the window," he yelled and pointed. Sybil took a quick peek to see the landscape rushing by. The fields and farms were getting smaller by the moment.

"It's not so bad," Astrid yelled over the roar of the engines.

"I'm taking the ferry back," Kate exclaimed shrilly. Even over the noise Sybil still could still hear her.

Sybil glanced at Hans again. He was busy doing something or other with a checklist and checking gages. He seemed to be constantly talking into what she assumed was a radio. Whatever he was doing he was all business. It was a nice clear day and she could see for miles out the window. The plane made a long slow turn and headed towards the sea. Sybil slowly released her grip on the seat. She could feel her hands starting to go numb. There was slight turbulence over the water that to Sybil felt like a carousel that had gone out of control. It wasn't long and they were back over land and headed across Ireland.

"There's a ruined castle," Bobby pointed out as they flew. "And a lake." Sybil had just started to relax when she looked at her watch and realized they were almost there.

"Look," Bobby exclaimed tapping her arm. "Those are the ruins at Eagle Cairn."

Sybil looked out the window to see the ruins she new well pass by quickly. She grasped the seat again as the plane dipped one wing in a turn.

"Relax Sybil," Bobby yelled. "They're lining up with the wind to land."

"I'm relaxed," Sybil shouted back.

"It's a wonder you haven't squashed arm rests to bits," Bobby yelled. He went back to looking out the window and craning his neck to see what Hans and the captain were doing. The ground seemed to be rushing up to Sybil. There was a loud noise that made her jump.

"Landing gear," Bobby shouted over the noise of the engines and gear moving down.

She felt a bump and the tires squeak as they landed and the captain hit the brakes. They bumped along on the runway and finally came to a stop outside a small metal building. The door opened and everyone got out of the plane except Hans and the captain. Sybil glanced back to see Hans going over some type of checklist on a board. The passengers were escorted to an area to wait. The engines powered down and finally stopped. The ground crew unloaded the bags. Hans and the captain stepped off the plane as well and shook hands. Hans came over to Sybil with a broad smile.

"How was your first flight?" he asked.

"Fine," she lied.

"She almost broke the seat, she had such a tight grip," Bobby said letting the cat out of the bag.

"It was not rough," Hans said with raised eyebrows.

"I don't think I want to do that again," Kate said. Her face had a slight shade of green.

"We'll be there in time for luncheon," Bradley reassured her.

"I rather enjoyed it," Astrid added.

"How was your first flight?" Hans asked Dylan.

"I'd have like to have had your view," Dylan replied. "It was a grand experience."

They collected their bags and presented their identification to the customs officer.

"Have I done what you asked?" Hans whispered to Sybil while they were waiting for the others to pass through the customs.

"What's that?" Sybil asked.

"You asked me to have you try things you would not normally do. I have done that. I could take you on a cargo flight someday. It is much more adventurous."

"I think I'll stick to commercial flights for now," Sybil replied.

"As you wish," Hans said before he turned to Bobby who had a store of questions about what it had been like to fly a four-engine plane.

The rest of the group joined them and they stepped outside. Tom was waiting for them beside the family car.

"How was the trip?" he asked after he had greeted each of his children.

"Fast," Dylan replied. "You've got to try flying Da. It's quite the experience."

"Your mother has been talking about a biplane since before you were born," Tom replied. "Don't encourage her."

Kate suddenly crumpled to the ground in a dead faint. Dylan caught his wife on the way down and set her down gently. Bradley was there in a blink to check her over while Tom got a container of water from the car.

"Nothing to worry about," Bradley said. "She's fainted. A drink of water and rest for a few minutes and she should be fine."

Kate came around in a moment and accepted the drink.

"You should go around to your doctor when we get back and have a few tests," Bradley told her.

"There's no need," she replied. Dylan was busy fussing over her where she was lying on the ground in the shadow of the car. "I went before we left. The test results won't be back for a few days."

"What's wrong? You didn't say anything," Dylan asked with concern.

"Nothing is wrong exactly," Kate replied.

"A nine month ailment?" Bradley inquired.

Kate nodded.

"A baby? You didn't say. We shouldn't have been flying. I'm going to be a Da," Dylan said in a rush. He looked almost as though he was going to faint.

"The test results aren't back yet," Bradley reminded him dryly. "It may be motion sickness and there is no reason a woman in early pregnancy can't fly."

"It was not rough," Hans repeated.

"She was nervous. That's enough for some," Bradley said.

"I'm feeling better now," Kate said getting up slowly with her husband's help.

"I told you babies abound in my family," Sybil whispered to Hans as the luggage was being stowed in the boot.

"But she is not certain," Hans replied with a slight frown.

"Kate has the look. She's pregnant," Sybil said firmly.

"What look is that?" Hans replied.

"The one that says I'm going to be a Mummy," Sybil said with a smile.

Chapter 16 –

"Poor bloke, getting married tomorrow and the moment he arrives, he's got half a dozen boys on him for a fencing lesson," Davin commented to Redmond.

"He wouldn't do it if he wasn't game," Redmond replied. He didn't return Davin's smile. "He didn't take long to go sniffing after our sister. Her husband was barely cold in his grave."

"Redmond, get the knot out of your knickers," Davin replied. They were going for a walk to get away from the house full of children for a few minutes and catch up. Even though they both lived in the same country they didn't get all that many chances to have a few minutes to talk as brothers without children and the rest of the family around. "Russell was dead well over a year before the two of them started seeing each other. Sybil is still young. What's she supposed to do wither up and die because she's a widow? It wouldn't hurt you to get back in the game. You're getting to be an old man."

"I'm younger than the one she's marrying," Redmond responded quickly giving his brother a dirty look. "Russell was my best friend."

"His name is Hans and tomorrow he'll be our brother-in-law," Davin said. " Russell has been dead for over two years." Davin paused. "So you're planning to wait until you can't get it up anymore?" He knew an off color statement would get under his brother's skin.

"Hardly that," Redmond replied with exasperation. "I just, hell I'm terrible with women. They make me break out in a cold sweat."

"You haven't changed. You're too damn fussy," Davin said. They had reached the stream. Davin picked up a handful of rocks and started skipping them across the water.

"You didn't bother to look past the first one who turned an eye on you," Redmond jibed him back.

"I knew I had a quality girl from the first. Why look any farther?" Davin replied with a grin. "What's the real reason you haven't looked for a girl friend? You haven't gone on one date."

"I'm busy with work and my children," Redmond replied sulkily.

"Bollox," Davin responded. "You sent the kids down to Mummy and Da for most of the summer. I work longer hours than you and I still have time to take my wife out for a drink now and then and trot my two around the local fair."

Redmond leaned back against a tree. "You always know me better than I know myself," he said. "You tell me why I don't seem to have any interest in dating."

"Guilt," Davin replied. "You regretted getting married while you were still studying and then stayed in England when you knew she wanted to come home. You felt relieved when Sarah died which made you feel even more guilty than you already did."

"You think you are so smart. So why can't I find another one?" Redmond asked. He didn't deny or confirm his brother's words. He was keeping his face impassive while panicking slightly on the inside. Davin had hit the nail on the head with how he felt about his wife's death, but he wasn't about to confirm it.

"You tell me," Davin replied. "I can't pick one out for you. All I know is you're missing out on things."

"Like what? I have a good job, two beautiful children and a nanny that runs my house better than any wife ever could."

"So you have someone who will be there when those two children grow up and move out and your nanny is six feet under. Nanny Grace is an old woman. How the hell long do you think she's going to live?" Davin replied giving his brother a quizzical look.

"Oh shut up," Redmond said. "I'm going back to the house and see what Bradley is up to."

"We already know what Garret and Dylan have been doing with their time," Davin said with a smile to get under his brother's skin. "Kate may not have things confirmed but she looks like a heifer that's just been impregnated."

"She's not a cow," Redmond replied in disgust. "If you were a medical doctor instead of a veterinarian you wouldn't make those type of comparisons."

"I'm still a doctor with different patients and I can spot an enlarged bust as well as you," Davin replied seriously. "Bradley didn't notice it because he sees her all the time."

Redmond stopped walking and thought about it for a second. "She's pregnant," he confirmed. "How is your practice going?" he asked to change the subject.

"Busy, I'm going to have to take on an associate in the next while."

-0-

Redmond sat back and watched his sister at the family party that evening. The relatives were over from England. Their lodging was spread out among his parent's friends. The children were out to the tents in the yard already getting ready for bed with their nannies keeping an eye on them. Sybil seemed happy, he thought. He noticed the small reassuring touches she exchanged with Hans. They were in love and sharing the little sub conscious assurances of two people who cared deeply for each other. Their lives were complicated but they weren't children starting out. They were blending two lives into one and from the sounds of it doing a give and take to make things work.

He circulated around the room chatting with the various relations and feeling more out of sorts as the evening wore on. Garret and Bradley were busy playing piano and singing to entertain the guests and Dylan was in there as well when he wasn't fussing over his wife. Hans had played a piece of two then gone right back to Sybil's side. Kyna was waddling around looking radiant and exchanging smiles with his younger brother when they caught each other's eye. The room was warm and Redmond was feeling more out of sorts by the minute. He finally made his excuses and headed up to his room. He changed into a pair of swim trunks and went down the back way collecting an old towel from the stack in the laundry room on his way out the back door.

"_One thing hasn't changed in my entire life,"_ he thought. _"Mummy would throw a fit even on Sybil's wedding day if anyone of us took a good towel to the swimming hole."_

It wasn't a long walk and the moon was out lighting the way. Redmond tossed off his shirt, shoes and swim trunks when he got to the pond and went in the water to cool off. _"Why not,"_ he thought. _"The entire village could show up and they wouldn't see a thing in the dark." _He floated on his back letting the cool water take away the heat from his skin. It had been a hot train ride down as well this morning. He couldn't help but think about Davin's words earlier that afternoon. Guilt. He felt more than his share with anything to do with is late wife.

Love hadn't been the problem. It had been everything else. They had been in love and gotten married too soon. They hadn't really understood what the other wanted out of life or how they had seen their lives together unfolding. Sarah hadn't liked England or his long hours. He hadn't liked how dependent she was. She'd brought her horses to England and she riding students to teach but she'd relied on his sister to tell her how to run her business and him for her everything else. He'd been swamped with his studies and she had complained she never saw him and wanted more of his time. When Sarah had died he'd felt terrible grief but at the same time he'd felt guilty. Guilty for keeping her in England when she wanted to go back to Ireland and at the same time there had been the tiniest bit of relief then overwhelming guilt that he felt that way. If they had waited would she have gotten tired of waiting for him and the demands of his career and moved on, or she would have matured and been able to accept his hours and the constant study his line of work demanded. There was no way to know. Now here he was stuck in self-doubt, not wanting to make the same mistakes over and feeling trapped by guilt at the same time.

When it came down to it he envied Davin. He'd made a mess of things at first with Camilla, but she had taken what she learned and grown up quickly. She had set her mind to being a veterinarian's wife and set out to learn what she needed to know. They worked to benefit each other and their family. Davin had commented many times he couldn't run his practice half as well without Camilla running his office and doing his billing for him. She had her knitting business and was a real go getter.

Redmond had talked to a few women since he'd moved back to Ireland a year and a half ago. He'd meet someone at a dance or through mutual friends. He'd talk and laugh and dance, but there wasn't a one that had really taken his fancy. He couldn't see a one of them as a mother to his children. Sometimes he felt as though he was that bashful fifteen year old boy that had been mortified when he found out the girl he liked had been discussing him and giving a blow by blow of how he kissed in the ladies room. He was thirty-two years old and more than ready to move on but didn't have a clue as to how he was going to accomplish that.

Redmond rolled on his stomach once he was cooled down and pulled himself onto a rock near his clothes. He thought about things while he dried himself off. Sarah had been staunch catholic and refused to use any type of birth control. She had wanted a large family. He hadn't wanted her to take the children to Ireland where he would never see them despite the bombing raids. He had given in on having children right away as he had on many other things. He'd felt guilty not studying as much as he should and then turned around and felt guilty at not spending time with her. His time for grieving was over, he told himself. He needed to stop feeling guilty. They had made mistakes, he'd learned from them and given his younger brother Bradley advice as a result of it. Bradley had put it all to use and taken his time. He and his wife couldn't be happier and she accepted his work and its demands on his time without any problems.

He pulled on his clothes and headed back to the house. Hans and the best man Harkin were staying with the Donnelly's for the night before the wedding. Mr. MacGuire the owner of the estate was living in the big house these days. The Donnelly's had stayed in the area not wanting to leave their friends and life they had built for themselves. Redmond stopped in his tracks while he was heading back to the house. After tomorrow he would be the only one of the six older brothers and sisters who wasn't married. At the rate he was going Declan would be grown and married before he ever went on a date again. Something had to change. Davin was right. He would be so old he wouldn't know what to do with a woman before he ever found one again.

-0-

"Mummy pulled out all the stops," Sybil said quietly on their wedding night once they headed to bed. Both she and Hans were worn out from the day's festivities. Sybil was wearing a light nightdress and watching the people still leaving the parish hall after the reception. Hans stood behind her and put his arms around her.

"It was a good wedding," he said tiredly. "I am ready to sleep all day tomorrow."

"We could," Sybil replied. "Or we could get up at the crack of dawn and head for Austria."

"I think we will sleep," Hans replied. Sybil had her monthly. There was nothing romantic going on behind closed doors that evening except finally being able to spend the night together without having to sneak around. They headed for bed and held each other close.

"You never talk to Redmond," Sybil commented. "You get along so well with my other brothers."

"I know the others from when I was here with your parents," Hans replied. "Redmond I have only met a few times. He was a friend of your first husband. It is natural we do not speak much."

"He's fun when you get to know him," Sybil said. "He likes to drive fast," she said in a cajoling voice.

"I like him better already," Hans replied with a slight smile.

"He likes pretty girls too, but you'd never know it the way he acts these days," Sybil said.

"We will introduce him to Fraulein Kukbauer," Hans said with a laugh. "They can be prickles together."

"My brother isn't prickly," Sybil retorted indignantly then started to laugh at the thought of Redmond and Fraulein Kukbauer as a couple.

"Come here my Liebling. I will stiffen you with starch," Hans said imitating Fraulein Kukbauers voice. He reached over and began tickling Sybil.

"You're terrible," Sybil said while laughing.

"If starch doesn't work she could use schnapps," Hans teased Sybil. "Your brother would be unstiffened quickly."

"Why is she so stiff?" Sybil asked when she stopped laughing. "She's not an unattractive girl under that attitude of hers."

"The war was not kind to her," Hans replied with a sigh. "She speaks four languages and does her job well. She can get things done men cannot accomplish. When she was a girl her father died as a soldier, her mother I do not know what happened but she was left orphaned. She was sent into the streets as a Trummerfrauen. It means clearer of debris. When the city was first taken by the Soviets," Hans stopped and took a deep breath. "I do not know what happened to her, but I can guess. She does not speak of it and others do not ask. It is a time everyone is trying to forget."

"You're saying she was…" Sybil couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Starved, raped, beaten, many women committed suicide afterwards. She was strong. She survived," Hans said. "It is not a topic for our wedding night."

"The poor thing," Sybil said.

"Do not feel sorry for her. She does not want it. That one can make a grown man cringe with her tongue."

"Is it a wonder," Sybil replied. "Is the city really safe?"

"It is safe. The people do not accept occupation well. They are asking for the Allies to leave. It will happen soon. Austria has had enough occupation and fighting."

"We'll fill the streets up with our love," Sybil said as she snuggled against him.

"I am already filling the streets with music," he replied with a tired chuckle.

"We can fill our flat with love," Sybil mumbled as she fell asleep.

-0-

"Why don't you come to Vienna for a visit?" Sybil asked Redmond while they were having a late brunch the next day. Everyone was worn out from the wedding and had slept late.

"It's hard to get away," Redmond replied.

"You've been saying that since you were in residency," Sybil replied. "You're going to be an old man before you know it and never have gone anywhere except to the hospital and back."

"Hardly," Redmond replied with a slight chuckle. He busied himself with the food on his plate. Davin had said almost the same thing day before last. Maybe he was too set in his ways.

"Vienna is nice in summer and winter," Hans added. He didn't know Redmond well, but he did want Sybil to have her family visit from time to time.

"You know I might just take you up on the invitation," Redmond said. "I was reading about a medical conference there. I wasn't going to go. Now I might."

"I said visit not work," Sybil reminded him.

"I can do both," Redmond replied with a grin. "It might be nice for the children to see something of a different country."

"There is much to do," Hans commented encouragingly. "I will not make you work on the flat," he added with a slight smile.

"You said I could work on the garden," Bobby piped up.

"You will be busy with your friends. They have a list of things for you to do," Hans replied. "You may work on the garden if you wish or go out with your friends. It is up to you."

"Let us know when you have dates worked out," Sybil said to her brother.

"I will," Redmond replied with a nod and smile. Sybil couldn't help think how much he was like her father in that moment. They had been joking about Redmond being prickly yesterday but he wasn't at all. He was the same kindhearted big brother she had always known. It had gotten lost somehow in the grief he couldn't seem to let go of.


	44. Sybil of London Part 5

Sybil of London – Part 5 – Chapter 17 through 20

Chapter 17 – Sybil of Vienna

"When you said rough, I didn't expect this rough," Sybil exclaimed in dismay when she walked into her new studio space in Vienna. There were large pieces of plaster missing from the walls and it looked as though someone had torn the lights from the walls on either side of the fireplace in what once had been a morning room. The chandelier was still there but hung at a crazy angle.

"This is as the flat when I first purchased," Hans said slightly disappointed. "I have already cleaned up the debris. We have a garden with this piece as well and a room at the back. I thought we could use it for the laundry."

"It's just a bit more work than I thought," Sybil said touching his arm encouragingly. "Once the work is done it will be a good space. Thank you for finding it for me."

"It is not too hard to fix once you decide if you want new walls," Hans said. The plumbing and electric I have on waiting lists. My friends will come to help with other things once that is done."

Bobby was busy looking around and stuck his head back through the doors. "There's a decent sized garden," he said encouragingly.

"Yes, for vegetables or flowers or whatever you like," Hans remarked. "The next room was once a library. It has good shelves. You might like them."

They walked through into a vacant library. Some of the shelves were broken but it would make a good workroom with lots of storage.

"We could rework the shelves," Sybil said somewhat encouraged.

"Yes," Hans replied. "There is a small powder room and a butler room perhaps for a change place. It needs work but not too much. In the back is another room. Sybil walked through looking at the rooms critically. The old pantry could have the shelves and drawers repurposed and would be a good space for clients to try on clothing once it was rewired. There was more than enough space. Everything was in a state of disrepair and would take time to put right.

"I think you're right," she said to Hans with a smile. There are sufficient rooms here. We don't need any new walls, only the old ones fixed."

"The rest of the house is already sold. There are two flats on the other side and two in the basement," Hans said. "Flats go fast here."

"It is a lovely area," Sybil replied. "I'm sure once we get things underway it will come together in no time."

They headed upstairs. The completed flat surprised both Sybil and Bobby.

"We only need furniture," Sybil remarked in surprise.

"The downstairs will be nice too when it is done," Hans said reassuringly. "We will go to the market and have lunch. Then we can do whatever you like. I have one more day before work."

"Can we visit some of the gardens?" Bobby asked. "I read they are building all sorts of new gardens in the city."

"We can," Hans replied with a grin. "You will have to draw a picture of what you want in the garden here. Maybe you will get an idea."

"I will," Bobby said almost bursting with pride at being given what he considered an important task.

"Let's get something to eat. I'm starving," Sybil said ushering the two of them back out the door after she had retrieved her shopping basket from the closet.

-0-

Sybil couldn't believe the line up of clients Hans had for her in Vienna. She'd had meetings with two already with Hans acting as translator and had pre-paid orders from both. Bobby was off with his friends for a hike in the Alps during the second week of his visit. When he returned Sybil would escort him to London and get him settled in school. She would take care of some business and head straight back to Vienna. Hans had a day off from rehearsals and had put the word out with the symphony he needed help. He sent Sybil to the shop for beer and asked her to have a lunch ready for them. His first job was to take down the plaster wall and add insulation to stop the sound coming through from the other flats in what would be her client meeting room. Already they could hear the sound of the radio playing in the afternoons from the neighbors. He had done similar work upstairs. They didn't hear a peep from the flat on the other side of the top floor.

She set off to the market and retrieved the beer and a few other items for the men's lunch before she headed back to the flat with the daily newspaper. Reading the classifieds was a challenge, but she was determined they would have a piano and a dining room table before too long and be able to start entertaining. She went through the classifieds and didn't see anything that suited. Hans had told her she wouldn't be able to find anything easily in the area as everyone was in the same boat and things went quickly. Sybil gave up on the classifieds and went into the spare room where she had her portable sewing machine set up. They had rearranged the furniture so she had somewhere to work while Bobby was still able to use it as a bedroom. She had brought fabric and supplies with her. At this rate she thought she would need to bring back quite a bit more to last her until a trip over possibly in the spring for the London shows.

Getting a business license and a business account had been simple enough in Austria. She had all the paperwork her lawyers had drawn up ahead of time and she had managed to get everything done in a morning. The only hiccup she had experienced so far was with the space downstairs. The building inspectors from the city had been by and sent another person around from a cultural usage committee to insure her business was in keeping with the city planning. They had been able to show them a series of photographs from her London office including the small sign that adorned the front of Evans House. The inspectors had smiled and nodded and left a document detailing the size and color of signs allowed in the area and left with the permits signed much to Sybil's relief.

Sybil took a break and went downstairs to see how far they had gotten. Two of the men who were over helping out were loading the old plaster and lathe onto a cart that had been called to haul it way. She popped her head into the studio to see an insulation material up and the men already starting to install the new lathe.

"I told you it does not take long," Hans said with a smile when he spotted her. He was covered in dirt from head to toe.

"It's much quieter already," Sybil replied. It would be a gracious room when it was done with the right décor. She thought it would be much like her client meeting room in London, which had been the morning room at one time. One of the men said something Sybil didn't quite catch.

"Johann says he hopes you have a big lunch for us," Hans translated. "He is always hungry."

Sybil glanced at the man who smiled at her. He was tall and skinny as a rail.

"Did you want lunch upstairs or down here," Sybil asked.

"Our kitchen. We will be up in a half hour. We will do plaster another day after the electricians," Hans replied. He went to kiss Sybil but she dodged him.

"You're all dirty," she said happily.

The men tromped up the stairs a while later. Sybil had the kitchen table extended as large as it would go and the table laid for lunch. Sybil was flabbergasted when they didn't have enough chairs and one of the men took his bottle of beer and plate with his sandwich and sat on the floor of the kitchen.

"Hans don't we have a stool or a crate or something?" Sybil asked quietly. She had already brought through the chair from the guest room.

"We do this all the time. It is nothing," he said as he made himself a sandwich and took a seat on the floor as well.

"My building is flat for social houses," one of the men told her in halting English. "I am at a house now with five but only three chairs."

"Oh," Sybil replied somewhat shocked. She knew there were housing shortages in the city but the men seemed so nonchalant about it.

One of the men said something to Hans. The rest nodded.

"They want to know if they can order shirts like mine," Hans said with a grin.

"I beg your pardon," Sybil replied.

"Things are hard to get especially hand made shirts," Hans said.

"I usually do head to toe," Sybil said.

Hans translated. There was some discussion.

"How much?" he asked.

"Hans this isn't how I do business and you know my prices aren't cheap," Sybil replied.

"Johann is so skinny he has not been able to get a suit that fits since before the war," Hans replied with a shrug. "He is not poor, the same with the others. They want clothes."

"Well, I could make appointments. I can't promise anything right away. I'm already working on two clients and you know I have to make a trip to England."

"They would pay you to shop for them in England," Hans replied calmly. "Things here are hard to get."

"Oh my," Sybil replied. "I could make appointments around your rehearsal schedule. You know I have to leave for England with Bobby in a few days."

Hans discussed it with them in rapid fire German. The men were all nodding.

"They will go home and get cleaned up. They will come back for seven. Afterwards we will play a little music."

"You are impossible," Sybil said with a shake of her head.

"You have not told them a price."

"It varies by outfit and what they want," Sybil replied. "I have a price list but it's in British pounds. She gave Hans a price range and had him translate what the top priced set included.

There was a great deal of chattering amongst his friends.

"They will all come at seven. Two want the full suit with top coat," he said.

"Oh my," Sybil repeated again.

"You will not be bored here."

"I thought you didn't want me to work?" Sybil asked him. Hans only smiled and shrugged.

"I want you to be happy," he replied. "You are happy when you work."

-0-

Sybil hadn't been able to avoid a vague sense of disappointment when she dropped Bobby off at school for the fall term. His only disappointment of the summer was when they had taken the train and ferry back to England. He would have been perfectly happy to fly both ways. He was glad to be back at school and had been off with his friends after a brief goodbye. She had to reassure herself that she was doing things right to have a boy who was self-confident and wasn't afraid to say what he wanted at sixteen.

The trip to England was a whirl of fabric orders, men's hats, a quick line to Camilla to order the sweaters Sybil needed in Vienna as soon as possible and a run to the lawyers. By the time she was back in Vienna she was ready to stay put for a few months. She got in the door to a stack of mail waiting for her on the kitchen table and a note from Hans saying he would be at a solo performance that evening and he would be late. He'd left a number and location incase she needed to get ahold of him right away. Sybil went around the corner and stopped in surprise when she spotted a dining room table with eight chairs in the main room. The table and chairs were a bit large but if they removed a leaf and put two of the chairs to the side, it would be perfect. She'd brought back two of Dylan's paintings for the room. As soon as she got her coat off, and had a hot drink she would put them up. She'd managed to make a little headway on the flat with a rug for the furniture grouping. Now that she was back and staying put for the winter she would make a concentrated effort to finish decorating the flat and see what she could do on the downstairs or hire out.

She took her stack of mail and tea in the living room and put on the fire. Saving power was still a big issue for them and with her sewing constantly it used it up quickly. She opened a letter from Redmond saying he would be coming to Vienna in mid-November for a medical conference. He had decided to leave the children home this trip as Nanny wasn't well enough to travel and he wouldn't be able to have the children at the conference. Sybil was slightly disappointed but they didn't really have enough room for four guests. The rest of her mail was the usual flow of letters from family and friends congratulating her on her marriage and asking her how she was getting on in Vienna. She got out the hammer and box of nails and hooks and put up the two pictures on one side of the room. She stood back and surveyed her handiwork. The room looked a little more complete from one direction and lopsided from the other. They still needed more paintings, a piano and possibly a painting or mirror above the fireplace and a mantle clock. She moved her cases into the bedroom and pushed and pulled the heavy boxes of supplies into the spare room before she went to take a bath.

Sybil rolled over half asleep when she felt Hans climb into bed beside her.

"You're late," she mumbled.

"Patrons. I have to be nice to them," Hans replied with a sigh. "It makes a long night longer." He leaned over and kissed her. Sybil wound her arms around his neck and drew him close. "I am glad you are home," he said between kisses.

"I missed you," Sybil replied. She kissed a sensitive spot under his jaw. She didn't bother to open her eyes. Hans was warm and comforting. She enjoyed the feel of him pushing her nightgown up and over her head. His hair tickled her chest as he pulled a nipple into his mouth and took his time with it.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Mmm," Sybil replied running her fingers over his chest and placing a kiss on his collarbone.

He continued to stroke, touch and taste her body without rushing until she was ready for him. They made love slowly, enjoying the feel of being together after a brief but trying absence so soon after they were wed.

"We should do that everyday," Sybil said sleepily once their passion was spent and they were curled up going to sleep.

"I will remind you," he mumbled as he pulled her close and fell asleep himself.

-0-

"What am I going to do?" Sybil said in alarm almost a month later. The electricians had been through and the plumbers. Hans was ready to start plastering but things were busy at work and he had almost back-to-back performances. He was supposed to be home to translate for one of her clients but had been called in at the last moment.

"Can you not reschedule?" he asked. He was hurriedly doing his tie in the mirror.

"No, and this one is difficult. I wish all the clients you find me were easy to please like the men from the symphony."

"They are younger and easier to please," Hans replied. "Herr Braun is wealthy, a patron and usually gets his own way."

"Oh goody," Sybil replied disdainfully. She had a two mannequins set up in the sitting room for display and had pushed the sofa and chair around to make a better meeting spot as she often did for client meetings. The room was slowly coming together but still no piano and no painting over the fireplace.

"I will telephone Fraulein Kukbauer and see if she is available. It is her free day," Hans said. "She knows Herr Braun and how to handle him."

"Do you want me to loose clients?" Sybil asked.

"She speaks English and German fluently," Hans said with a raised eyebrow. "She is efficient. You have little choice."

"If she's available, I'd appreciate her help," Sybil replied after a moment.

Hans made a telephone call, then came back to give Sybil a quick kiss before he dashed off. "She will be here in twenty minutes," he said.

Sybil rearranged the furniture and got the displays set up while she waited for Fraulein Kukbauer and Herr Braun to arrive.

"Fraulein Kukbauer how nice of you to come and help me on your time off," Sybil said when she opened the door. Fraulein Kukbauer had been almost exactly twenty minutes by the clock.

"All at the symphony help each other," Fraulein Kukbauer replied stiffly. "It is more the men for heavy things."

"Come in and have a seat. I expect Herr Braun in about five minutes. I'll go over what to expect in the meeting before he gets here," Sybil said.

Fraulein Kukbauer reached in her bag for a note pad.

"There is no need for you to take notes," Sybil pointed out. "I have order forms in this folder should he wish to order something. She went over the pricing and deposits with Fraulein Kukbauer before the bell rang. Sybil went to answer the door. When she returned upstairs with Herr Braun who was a man in his late to mid thirties. Fraulein Kukbauer had tea on a tray and was carrying it into the main room.

"_Smart girl,"_ Sybil thought to herself. _"She knows what to do without being told."_

Fraulein Kukbauer sat stiffly on the side of a chair with a cup of tea wearing the dowdiest suit Sybil had ever seen. She guided the conversation through pleasantries about the weather and an inquiry after the man's mother who was in poor health, even though Sybil didn't know the first thing about Herr Braun.

"Herr Braun likes this display with the sweater jacket," Fraulein Kukbauer said. "He wishes to know how much it will cost."

Sybil told her a price with and without shoes. "Please tell Herr Bauer, the sweater is handmade from Aran wool from Ireland. It has unique properties that turn the water. I special order the sweaters directly from Ireland," Sybil said.

Herr Bauer said something that made Fraulein Kukbauer's eyes pinch slightly.

"He says he can buy the same thing cheaper here."

"This is my own design handmade in Ireland," Sybil reiterated. "He is quite welcome to go to London to one of the two boutiques that carry my designs and pay considerably more."

Fraulein Kukbauer translated then went into a rapid-fire exchange with the man. At the end of it Herr Braun took a breath, looked at Fraulein Kukbauer in a direct manner then laughed. He pulled his checkbook out of an inside pocket.

"He would like the sweater set on the display with shoes and hat also a suit with two shirts, hat, shoes and overcoat," Fraulein Kukbauer said without blinking. "If you will fill out the order price, I will make the conversion to Austrian schilling."

"I'll need measurements and a follow up appointment for fittings," Sybil replied. "I will telephone him for an appointment when his clothing is ready."

Fraulein Kukbauer totaled the order and made the conversion while Sybil took the man's measurements.

Herr Braun made out the check then said something to Fraulein Kukbauer before he bid Sybil good day. That she could understand.

"He says you need a piano," Fraulein Kukbauer said.

"I'm well aware we need a piano," Sybil replied tartly. "We haven't been able to find one. Actually I can't, my husband has been too busy this last while, as you know. What ever was going on with Herr Braun? It sounded like you were having an argument?"

"He is a cheap like a billy goat," Fraulein Kukbauer replied. "He did not want to pay full price, so I told him I would tell Frau Haas he was being cheap and had insulted the wife of Herr Meyer."

"That worked?" Sybil asked in amazement. "I prefer to be polite to my clients."

"Frau Haas is the head of society in Vienna. She worships your husband." Fraulein Kukbauer put her hands together and made a face like a fawning schoolgirl. "One word from her and all his money would not buy him a seat at a board meeting in this city. He wants to marry a girl whose father is a factory owner. They are society. He is cheap." She said the last part in a matter of fact manner with a nod that made Sybil smile.

"You need a piano?" Fraulein Kukbauer asked.

"Yes we do. I was thinking of a baby grand. A grand would be a bit too large I think," Sybil replied.

"Perhaps a parlor grand? I know of one. You will not like it, but it can be fixed," Fraulein Kukbauer said. "We could go now."

"I'll get my hat and coat, if you allow me to buy you lunch," Sybil said.

"That would be very nice, Frau Meyer," Fraulein Kukbauer said. She returned Sybil's smile haltingly. It had been so long since she had smiled the muscles in her face resisted painfully and gave her almost a grimace.

Chapter 18 – Shopping

Sybil looked at the warehouse on the outskirts of the city they were headed to with some trepidation. There was a security guard at the door. They both showed their identification before they were allowed to enter.

"Fraulein Kukbauer, what are you looking for today?" a man in a British military uniform asked once they were seated in a small office.

"A grand piano for a member of the orchestra. They would prefer rehearsals at home you understand," Fraulein Kukbauer said. She introduced Sybil as Frau Meyer.

"Certainly. You would require paperwork authorizing the transportation of the artifacts as you did before," the officer said. Sybil assumed he was a captain but his insignia was different than Russell's had been.

"We may require a few other pieces as well," Fraulein Kukbauer said. "All to be sent to the wood makers, of course."

"We'll take a look at what we have in pianos first," the officer said. He checked a roster then showed them out to the warehouse and down a row of draped furniture. "Here we are. Items JR7-6 and JR7-7." He pulled off the dust covers to reveal a parlor grand piano and another full grand piano. Sybil's eyes opened wide when she realized the legs of the pianos were elaborately carved with swastikas and iron eagles.

"Would either of these suit your needs?" the man inquired.

"I…I couldn't have anything like this in my home," Sybil stammered out.

"I will send the legs to a wood makers for replacement," Fraulein Kukbauer said in a authoritative manner. "I can retrieve the paperwork through the symphony."

"We don't release any property until it has been converted, Mrs. Meyer," the officer said.

"Perhaps a closer look," Sybil said. She carefully checked the smaller of the two over for any more signs of Nazi symbolism. She took a long hard look at the soundboard as well to make sure it wasn't cracked.

"What would the cost be?" Sybil inquired.

The officer named a price that was so low it made Sybil's eyes open in surprise.

"The warehouse isn't open to the public," he said. "The property here has all been seized. Everything we have left is repurposed for government or cultural use. As your husband is with the symphony and the piano will be used for cultural purposes, I can release it to you."

"This will include delivery," Fraulein Kukbauer stated. It almost sounded like a demand.

"Yes, of course Fraulein Kukbauer," he said.

"My husband would be happy to have it, once it is converted," Sybil said.

"Additional items for the symphony offices are a large mirror or picture suitable for over a fireplace and one or two side tables, a mantle clock and two candelabra. Frau Meyer has consented to assist with this." Fraulein Kukbauer turned to Sybil and winked while they followed the man down another row. Sybil kept her face impassive while they looked at the items available. She couldn't believe Fraulein Kukbauer had winked. Sybil thought she had imagined it.

"Ah yes," Fraulein Kukbauer said while they were looking at the large pictures and mirrors. "Here is a mirror with no symbols. Do you prefer this for the fireplace in our offices, Frau Meyer?"

"Yes, it's quite lovely," Sybil agreed.

Fraulein Kukbauer kept it up with the other large items Sybil and Hans needed to furnish their apartment.

"I have forgotten the cash from the office. Perhaps you will permit Frau Meyer to pay the charge for me? We can straighten the finances when we return to the offices."

"Certainly Fraulein Kukbauer," the officer replied. He wrote out a receipt for them once Sybil paid the bill, which was ridiculously low.

"Fraulein Kukbauer you shouldn't have done that," Sybil scolded once they were well away from the warehouse. "What if we get caught?"

"He knows the items are for you. It is a polite game we play," Fraulein Kukbauer replied. "It will all go for garbage someday soon I think."

"It's a shame," Sybil said.

"I will take care of the piano legs. This is how I found things for the symphony when I came to work there."

"I have noticed there isn't much in the newspapers," Sybil commented.

"One occupier is much like the next," Fraulein Kukbauer replied with a slight sigh. "They arrive and say they are rebuilding but much leaves in their pockets. Soon Austria will be it's own country again. Not tomorrow but soon."

"Why don't we go for the lunch I promised you?" Sybil said.

"I would like that. Thank you, Frau Meyer," Fraulein Kukbauer said. She attempted to smile again

"Call me Sybil. Everyone does. It's my professional title as well."

"I am Anna. I am free next Tuesday to act as your translator."

Sybil was about to decline her offer when she noticed a hopeful look Fraulein Kukbauer face. She almost missed it under the disguise of the frumpy suit and austere hairstyle.

"That would be most helpful," Sybil replied.

-0-

Sybil and Hans had a good laugh over Sybil's recounting of the shopping trip to the warehouse and Fraulein Kukbauer's handling of Herr Braun.

"She's having the furniture delivered to the symphony and then we'll need to bring it over piece by piece," Sybil said drying her eyes. "The piano will come direct. After that experience I'm looking at the dining room set and wondering where you got it."

"It showed up a few days after I mentioned at work I needed one," Hans said. "There was a knock on the door and it was delivered with a note that said it was for H. Meyer of the Vienna Philharmonic. The next day I went to work and Fraulein Kukbauer presented me with a bill for the equivalent of three British pounds."

"It literally bounced off the lorry and into our door," Sybil said with the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.

"I did not turn a horse bearing gifts away," Hans said with a grin.

"Look a gift horse in the mouth," Sybil corrected him.

"Is that not what I said?" he asked in confusion. "I was thinking to go to fencing tonight."

"Go ahead," Sybil replied. "I've got sketches to do. I've got work enough at the moment to take me into the middle of November. I could use an assistant already and I haven't got the studio set up."

Sybil worked on her sketches for a bit after Hans left then decided to put off matching fabrics to projects till morning when the light was better. She put on a sweater and went down to the studio space. The more clients she was getting the more she missed her old workroom. She picked up Hans' tape measure from his toolbox and began measuring the shelves and deciding which ones she wanted to keep and which should go. It wasn't too long and she had a hammer and was removing the unwanted shelves. She carefully saved the wood for shelving for the laundry room in case they needed it. She went through to the old pantry room and measured the cupboard unit in there. It didn't take long and she had decided where she wanted it in the workroom. She used a torch to discern the cupboards were held onto the wall with screws. It wasn't long and she was grunting while she attempted to remove the screws and had the first cupboard unfastened.

Hans arrived home after his fencing group to realize there was a light on in the studio. He walked in to find his wife completely disheveled and pushing a cupboard section across the floor on a drop cloth.

"Sybil what are you doing?" he questioned tiredly.

"Working on my studio," she replied. "I want a workroom sooner than later."

"It is ten o'clock at night," Hans scolded her. He set down his things and helped her move the last of the cupboards to the workroom. "This could wait," he said.

"I want it done. I wasn't doing anything," Sybil replied stubbornly. "I want to hire some workers and get this finished. I need space to work."

"I need a wife who has patience," Hans replied in exasperation. "You may get this finished and still have no furniture."

"I couldn't get the last screw out. It's stuck."

Hans undid the screw then helped Sybil maneuver the cupboard out the door. "Why are we doing this now?"

"Because you don't have another day off for three days and when you do, you need to rest," Sybil said leaning over the cupboards for a quick peck. "I'm going to do a little every day and get my space in order."

"This is work for a man," he said.

"Since a woman just did some of it, I'd say it is work for a woman," Sybil replied sticking her tongue out at him.

"You are a cheeky wife," he said shaking his head.

"Who wants her work space finished," Sybil said. "Where can I hire workers?"

"It is almost impossible," Hans said. "They are all busy. I will have friends come to help."

"In that case I'll do some of it myself," Sybil reiterated.

"No. I do not want my wife working like a man."

"Well you have one whether you like it or not," Sybil said.

Hans gnashed his teeth together and looked like he was going to blow up. He suddenly let out a breath.

"Clean the light fixtures. I will have friends over on my next day and finish the plaster," he said. "Then we can paint and put the lights up right away."

"You have a performance the night before your next day off," Sybil pointed out. "You'll be too tired to plaster. The chandelier still needs to come down."

"I will do it in the morning before work," he said in exasperation.

"I'll need the number for the flooring company to book the floor refinishers," Sybil said.

"Yes, in the morning," he replied. "You are a boss."

"I'm a boss and you're a husband who wants a wife who doesn't do any labor," she said.

"I am a husband who gets tired," Hans replied as they climbed the stairs.

-0-

"Anna," Sybil said after they showed her last appointment of the day out on Tuesday. The men she had over were all for fittings. It had been a fairly straightforward day but Sybil had to admit it had gone smoother with someone to translate for her. "I would like to pay you for your time helping me."

"I could not accept," Anna Kukbauer replied. "I have come as a help that is all. To see the clothes is something new for me."

"I'd like to do something for you then," Sybil said. "One moment." She went through to the other room then brought out a piece of fabric, her sketch book and some lace she had planned to use on a dress for herself then reconsidered. "You've helped us with all this." Sybil gestured to the almost completed room. The piano was being delivered the next day. "Let me make a suit for you or a dress."

"Oh no, that is too much," Anna replied.

"You do a great deal for everyone at the symphony I've been told," Sybil said. "I'll probably come to you for help with furnishings again once the studio is done. It won't be too much longer now."

"I will help with furnishings. That is easy," Anna said.

"This is easy for me," Sybil replied. She held out a sketch for Anna to see. "Do you like something like this?"

"That is very fine," Anna said with the corners of her mouth turning up. "But I could not accept."

"No suit, no more coming over to help me with the clients," Sybil said mischievously. "Fair is fair."

"It is very nice," Anna said almost wistfully.

"I'll take your measurements and you can help me cut it out before you go if you like. I don't do a lot of women's clothing. I'm getting out of practice."

"The lace for the shirt is very pretty," Anna said biting her lip.

"This light blue fabric will set your hair off well," Sybil commented. She had her measuring tape out and was busy taking Anna's measurements.

"I have not had a blue dress, since. Never mind," Anna said.

"Since when?" Sybil asked.

"I was a girl, before my father went to the army. He was a doctor. He was killed."

"Like many others," Sybil said. "My brother is a doctor. He's coming to visit in ten days. Actually I have two brothers who are doctors. Another is a veterinarian. He gets mad when the others say he isn't a doctor."

"Do you have many brothers?" Anna asked. For all people thought she was so efficient, no one ever really talked to her. Anna knew a great deal of it was her own fault for being standoffish, but it had been the best way to make it through difficult times. Things had changed but she wasn't sure how to make the transition and let people be her friends. The only time people sought her out at work that wasn't for business was when they were looking for something that was hard to get and they wondered is she had a connection where she could find it.

"I have nine altogether," Sybil replied.

"Nine, all living?" Anna asked in amazement. "Did they go to the war?"

"No, we lived in Ireland. Ireland was neutral. None of my brothers went to England to volunteer. Four of them are just little boys. My parents went on an adoption binge and adopted six children after they had raised six."

"That is many children," Anna replied.

"It is quite a few," Sybil said. "I have a prepared blouse pattern that will fit you. The lace is easy to add. I'll have to check and see what I brought with me for women's skirts and jacket patterns. I might have to make one up."

Sybil went and got the pattern, her pins, a pair of shears and a bundle of parachute silk.

"It is silk," Anna said in disbelief.

"You aren't the only one who shops surplus," Sybil replied with a smile. "I've got a pile of old parachutes in storage in London. They make lovely dresses and scarves and things once it is washed up."

"Yes," Anna agreed. "I will wear my new suit and everyone at the symphony will be surprised."

"I usually do a look head to toe. We'll give them a big surprise," Sybil assured her with a smile.

They had just pinned the blouse when the telephone rang. Sybil went to answer it then asked Anna if she would speak to the flooring refinishers for her. Anna had a long discussion on the telephone and finally rang off.

"The workers for the floors can come next Thursday or you will have to wait three months," Anna said. "I told them to come."

"Oh no," Sybil said. "The plaster isn't finished and everything needs painting. They couldn't have picked a worse time. Hans says it is impossible to hire workmen."

"Workmen yes, workers no," Anna replied absently. She was busy admiring the fabric of her new blouse.

"Do you know where I can get workers?" Sybil asked her. "I'd dearly love to get the studio finished and move my work down there."

"What do you need done?"

"Some plastering, painting, cleaning the fixtures and reinstalling them, hanging some shelves and helping once I get the furnishings," Sybil said.

Anna nodded and went for her handbag. Sybil noticed the handbag looked like it had seen better days. Anna produced a small notebook and leafed through it. She went to the telephone, waited a few minutes for the person she wanted to speak to and then sounded like she was issuing orders. She was back to the table just as Sybil finished cutting the blouse.

"They will be here at seven tomorrow morning," she said. "I told them three days work, you may negotiate for more."

"How did you get workmen so quickly?" Sybil asked her.

"Workers. If you can pay what you would pay men they would be very happy," Anna said averting her eyes.

"What kind of workers? Who have you called?" Sybil asked worriedly. She had visions of a bunch of prison workers in her studio space.

"Women. We moved bricks in the streets. Why can we not make the same as men?" Anna asked. "Many will not hire them and they have trouble feeding their families. People are ashamed. They do not want to remember."

"Ashamed of what?" Sybil asked with concern.

"When the city fell to the Soviets, you know what happened," Anna said quietly. She wouldn't look at Sybil. "Some have children because of it. It has made their lives hard."

"I only want my work space done. Whether a woman has a child or not or who the father is makes no difference to me, especially if she was forced."

"I thought you would understand. I should go now. I will come again on Thursday and keep the flooring workers inline. One of the women speaks enough English you will not have a problem," Anna had a faint tentative smile on her face.

"I should have your suit ready for a fitting then," Sybil replied with a smile.

-0-

Sybil was up early the next morning and downstairs before Hans had finished his breakfast. He didn't have to be in to work until afternoon and had planned to take down the chandelier he had been too busy for and do some puttering around downstairs. He wandered down to see what Sybil was up to and was greeted by his wife barring his way in. There was already activity going on.

"Sybil what are you doing?" he asked. "Who is here?"

"Fraulein Kukbauer found me some workers for a few days to get the plastering finished and do the painting," Sybil said. Hans frowned when he saw a woman wearing overalls pass by carrying the ladder.

"What has Fraulein Kukbauer done this time?" he asked with a frown.

"The floor refinishers are coming next Thursday. She found me some help to finish the walls," Sybil said. She stood to the side and let Hans into the studio. There were four women. Two were taking the chandelier down while another two were spreading drop cloths on the floor. The cans of paint were out in the middle of the floor along with the painting equipment.

"You are too stubborn," he said.

"That is the pot calling the kettle black," Sybil replied. "I've hired them for three days. I'm not sure if they are available longer."

"What am I going to do with you?" he said with a sigh.

"Let me get my space finished. I've got more work than I know what to do with and I can't hire an assistant until I have a studio. Working in the flat is messy and it's starting to get on my nerves."

"I will finish the plaster," Hans said.

"No, you'll go back upstairs and let them get on with things. Take the morning off for a change." Sybil gently nudged her husband back out the door of the studio space. "The only work you get to do this morning is a bit of translating if I get stuck."

"I will go for a paper," he said finally.

"Go ahead. I have some work to do," Sybil replied.

Hans walked to the newspaper stand and looked over the magazines for a few minutes. He felt irritated that Sybil had gone ahead and hired workers. He had wanted to do the studio for her himself. He glanced at one of the papers and spotted an article about the orchestra. He sighed. He had to admit work was fast paced at the moment and he didn't have time for the studio. It wasn't fair to have Sybil work from the flat. It was causing a lot of extra cleaning up. There were always bits of thread tracking everywhere. He picked out a paper, paid the man and made his way home. Sybil was busy on the ironing board in the hall space when he got back.

"I admit I would like the ironing board in the laundry room," he said.

"I would like my work space set up better," Sybil replied. "Redmond will be here next Friday. I don't feel right about putting him in a storage room, which is what our guest room is at the moment.

"It is not the best," Hans agreed. His irritation was gone. Sybil was right to try and get their living space sorted out.

"The piano should be here soon. Can you take care of the delivery?" she asked.

"Yes, this I will do," Hans replied. He didn't say anything for a moment. "Sybil have you thought about children?"

"We've only been married a few months," Sybil replied. She stopped what she was doing and turned around. "I'm wondering about how likely it is another baby would have a bad heart."

Hans held out a hand to her to come and join him. He pulled her down to sit on his lap.

"We could ask your brother when he is here if he knows about these things," he said.

"It's not really his field," Sybil replied. "Both of Redmond's children are fine and he has the family heart murmur."

"Only Dylan of your natural brothers has it," Hans pointed out.

"And my daughter had it in spades," Sybil replied sadly. "There wasn't any other reason. Sarah lived with me while we were both pregnant. We ate the same foods and lived in the same house. Hope was ill because of me."

"You don't know for certain," he said patting her back. "We will ask questions and then decide."

Just then the front doorbell rang.

"We don't have anytime to think about ourselves today," Sybil said as she got up to move her ironing. Hans headed down to let the deliverymen in. Life was hectic and their living space needed sorting out.

Chapter 19 – A New Look

"Now I don't want you hiding this in a closet to keep for good," Sybil said. "Designer clothing is meant to be seen." Anna Kukbauer was over and Sybil had her suit almost finished. There was a new handbag, stockings, hat and gloves to go with it. Sybil sent Anna into the spare room to try on the suit. Sybil wondered what was taking her so long. She finally tapped at the door.

Anna Kukbauer opened the door slowly. She had a hanky and was dabbing her eyes.

"Anna what's wrong. Don't you like it?" Sybil asked her in concern.

"I am being weak," she sniffled. "It is too nice for me."

"Of course it isn't too nice for you," Sybil said. "You deserve something pretty after all the work you do for others. There isn't a family at the symphony you haven't helped out with something."

"It is my job," Anna said still sniffling.

"Coming over to translate on your free day is not your job," Sybil reminded her. "Now lets take a look in the main room where I have some space to work. Sybil had her put on the new shoes while she checked the hem of the skirt.

"The hat would fit best if you had your braids lower or wore your hair in a softer style," Sybil said.

"It has been so long," Anna said touching her hair. "This is easy and it is out of the way."

"Perhaps you could try it lower. Maybe a coil at the nape of the neck?" Sybil suggested hopefully. "You change your hair while I put the finishing touches on the suit."

Anna nodded and went to take the suit off.

"There are quite a few different ways you can wear this, if you add a pretty scarf or a different blouse it will be quite versatile," Sybil said while she was pressing the hem of the skirt.

"I will wear my new suit tomorrow for work," Anna said with a smile. Her face was more mobile now that she was getting some practice. It didn't look strained any longer. "There are dignitaries from the Cultural Ministry and visiting musicians to see to. I will be busy all weekend."

"You're going to make quite a splash," Sybil replied with a smile.

-0-

"What is this get together for?" Redmond asked Sybil. He had been in Vienna for the last five days. He had been attending lectures at the conference each day. Today had been the last day. Sybil and Hans had just managed to get her materials moved down to the new workroom and the spare room tidied up before it was time to meet Redmond at the station.

"It's a cocktail party for the patrons. They'll be a few solo performances. You know the usual fundraiser," Sybil replied. "We're having friends over on Thursday. The orchestra schedule often has Hans working on weekends which puts his time off all over the place."

"It is a nice city from what I've seen so far," Redmond commented. He was in his tuxedo and waiting while Sybil did his tie for him. He could never get it as neat and straight as she did.

"Fraulein Kukbauer is coming tomorrow to help Sybil with the furnishings downstairs. Ask her to make a tour for you. She takes visitors around regularly," Hans commented.

"She's coming over to help me with the men who don't speak English since Redmond brought the sweaters I ordered with him," Sybil said with a shake of her head. "The amount you lot put on her it's a wonder she doesn't collapse."

"She is efficient," Hans said with a smile.

"She's a nice girl who doesn't know how to say no," Sybil informed him. She gave Hans a quick peck before they all headed out the door.

-0-

"You have changed her," Hans said gesturing to Anna Kukbauer while the three of them had a moment between the circulating guests. Sybil glanced over to see Anna in a dress that was a bit dated but still pretty. She was wearing her hair in a different style that still used braids but was much softer. She had on what looked in the distance to be a touch of make up. She was at Herr Braun's elbow.

"She smiled at Max Brunner on Saturday. He almost fainted," Hans said.

"She's nice if you give her half a chance," Sybil replied. "I should go over and speak to Herr Braun myself. He's picking up his order tomorrow."

"I must take my turn entertaining," Hans said. He left them with a slight bow.

"Something amiss with the girl?" Redmond asked.

"She's efficient as they come and smart as a whip," Sybil said. "She's had a rough few years."

"And looking like my sister has had a finger in dressing her up."

"I didn't make that dress. Give me some credit," Sybil replied. "Come along and meet her.

Sybil went over and introduced her brother to Herr Braun and Fraulein Kukbauer.

"My things will be sooner than promised," Herr Braun commented in English.

"My brother brought the order along with him from Ireland," Sybil replied. Her eyes narrowed slightly. At their last meeting the man had pretended he only spoke German.

"Your occupation?" Herr Braun asked.

"I'm a reconstructive surgeon in Dublin," Redmond replied.

"I believe my foundation has made a contribution to a conference recently," Herr Braun said with a raised eyebrow.

"Possibly the one I've just attended," Redmond replied. He could see Fraulein Kukbauer's smile going stiff. She was obviously busy trying to squeeze a contribution out of the man. "We have a brother who is a musician much like my brother-n-law. When they're together it's music day and night."

"A flawless performance requires a great deal of sacrifice," Sybil said. She looped her arm through Herr Braun's and led him towards the area where her husband was getting ready to play.

"You are practiced with this type of thing?" Fraulein Kukbauer asked Redmond stiffly.

"My family fundraises for hospitals constantly," Redmond replied. "We've been schooled in the art of conversation since we were young. My brother-in-law told me you know everything about this city."

"Good or bad?" she asked him seriously.

Redmond got a smile on his face.

"Good. Do I want to know about the bad?" he asked.

"The members think I am a magician," Anna said relaxing and returning his smile. "I only take notes and keep contacts that may be useful someday. You are Irish and your sister is English?"

"Our family moved back and forth between the two when we were growing up," Redmond replied. "Four of us have English accents, the rest have Irish. We're so mixed up we had to decide for ourselves what nationality we were when we got older."

"And you are?" Anna asked him fascinated.

"More English than Irish, I'm afraid," Redmond replied.

Fraulein Kukbauer was fascinated with Sybil's older brother. He was completely different from any of the men she had ever met. After fifteen minutes or so, she spotted a patron on their own and excused herself.

"You have caught Fraulein Kukbauer's interest," Hans commented when he joined Redmond. Sybil was still working the room with Herr Braun.

"She seems like a nice girl. How old is she?"

"I am not sure. I cannot remember anyone having a party for her or her attending a birthday celebration," Hans said. "I think twenty-nine or eight. I am not sure. She could be older or younger it is hard to tell. I only know she was orphaned during the war. She is good at what she does. That is all that matters."

"Apparently I'm to go furniture shopping with my sister and Miss Kukbauer tomorrow," Redmond said. "Sybil tells me it can be quite the experience."

"It very well may be one you will never forget," Hans replied with a smile before he introduced Redmond to a group of his fellow musicians.

-0-

"I will be so glad when I have the downstairs furnished," Sybil commented to Redmond the next morning. They had taken the mirror down from above the fireplace. Redmond carried it down to lean against the wall in the client meeting room then returned to help Sybil carry dining room chairs down for the change room and the main area.

"It won't be long and it will be done," Redmond reassured her.

"We only got the supplies and my sewing room out of your bedroom an hour before your train came in on Friday," Sybil commented.

"Then I'd say you're doing well. It's only been a few months and from the amount of boxes Camilla sent along I'd say you're business has taken off."

"It has," Sybil said. "The clients are desperate enough they don't mind coming to half finished rooms for appointments and fittings. I would never get away with anything like this in London."

"This isn't London," Redmond reminded her.

"It isn't," Sybil agreed. "I manage well enough in German for the market and I didn't have too much trouble with the _workers _as Anna called the group of women she sent over. I don't have the finesse for business discussions yet and reading the newspaper is beyond difficult."

"It will come," Redmond replied. "What time do you want luncheon?"

"We should be finished with clients by eleven thirty," Sybil replied.

"I'll have something ready," Redmond said before he headed back upstairs.

Sybil looked around the room. It was sparse but it was better than what she had before. She had her two clothing forms dressed and standing to the side. The mirror for the clients to look at themselves and chairs for them to sit on plus a side table from the sitting room for teacups. She would have to run upstairs and heat the water for tea before Herr Braun showed up but it would have to do.

-0-

Anna arrived that morning wearing her new suit and hat with her hair set in a modern style that was all curls and waves.

"You're looking lovely," Sybil told her as she welcomed her in.

"Thank you," Anna said awkwardly. "You're studio is looking much better than last week."

"It is coming along," Sybil said. "I thought we'd walk through and go over the list of furnishings I've made. I think it's quite a bit more than we'll find in one day."

"We may find a few things if you are not too fussy," Anna replied. "Is the piano satisfactory?"

"It's lovely," Sybil said. "My brother is making lunch. You'll see it then."

The men picking up their clothing had all ordered casual outfits that required sweaters except Herr Braun. The appointments seemed to go by quickly. Johann had smiled at Anna more than once but she didn't seem to return his attentions.

"I think Johann likes you," Sybil remarked while they climbed the stairs for their lunch.

"He plays the trumpet," Anna said with a slight eye roll.

"What does that have to do with whether or not a man likes you?" Sybil asked her.

"He works long hours and practices the trumpet," Anna replied dourly. They had just entered the flat. "Long hours I could accept, but I do not want to listen to someone practice trumpet half the night and have the neighbors complaining. It is no wonder he cannot keep a flat."

Sybil couldn't help but smile at Anna's no nonsense attitude.

"It would be rather loud. I sleep right through my husband's practicing."

"Strings and wood winds are not so bad. Brass would be too much," Anna replied. She smiled when she greeted Redmond.

"The piano is very fine," she said. "It is a nice piece." Redmond had the table set and the remaining chairs pushed up.

"Yorkshire pudd' with left overs for lunch. I'll have the puddings out of the oven in a minute," Redmond said.

"What is this pud?" Anna asked with a frown.

"It's called Yorkshire pudding. It's a regional dish from the area we grew up," Sybil said.

"This pud is very good," Anna commented during the meal.

"It's a pudding," Redmond said with a smile. "I was using slang."

"The pudding is good," Anna said smiling back at him.

"My son's favorite," Redmond replied.

"You are married?" Anna asked. Sybil picked up on the disappointment in her voice.

"Widower," Redmond replied. "I have a boy, ten and a girl, eight."

"I am sorry to hear," Anna said.

"It's been a long time," Redmond replied. "There's pictures in the wedding album my mother sent over of Sybil's wedding. I'll have to show it to you after lunch."

"That would be very nice," Anna replied with a smile in his direction.

-0-

"My brother and Anna Kukbauer," Sybil said to Hans. "I was only joking when I said we should introduce them."

They were in the yard. It was a nice day and Hans was painting the legs for the table and stools Anna had helped Sybil find at an industrial salvage warehouse. True to form, Anna had taken them around salvage yards, the warehouse of seized goods and pawnbrokers the previous day. Redmond had followed along and chatted Anna up. Before the day was out he'd asked Sybil to invite her to the party at the flat the next day and they were out this afternoon sight seeing. "He hasn't had me ask anyone over in years. The last time was… oh no, Sarah, his wife."

"It was a joke saying we should introduce them and you are making too much of things," Hans said calmly. "He will go back to Dublin, she will be here and that will be the end."

"Was it the end for us?"

"No," he said slowly. "That was different.

"How exactly?"

"I cared for you for a long time. So long I tried to forget and you were in London not Dublin."

"Did it work trying to forget me?"

"No," he admitted after a pause.

"The two of you are more alike than you'd like to admit. When Redmond gets a notion in his head he doesn't let it go either."

"We are not alike," Hans insisted.

"You're both stubborn."

"You are stubborn," he said.

"Overly romantic, impetuous, obsessed with your careers, successful early due to that obsession, like to socialize with friends and protective of those you care for. Did I mention you both have a tendency to drive like maniacs? You are incredibly alike."

"I am not impetuous," Hans said waving the paintbrush at her.

"Stopping while we were out because you heard music coming from a café last week wasn't impetuous?"

Hans got a sheepish grin on his face. He'd been tired from work but the moment he had heard music coming from a café, he and Sybil had gone in so he could join the session. They hadn't left for four hours.

"I am a little impetuous," he agreed.

"Redmond nags and lectures everyone else but when it comes to women it's all or nothing for him. What is he thinking? Anna Kukbauer is a nice girl once you get to know her, but I can't imagine her with Dalaigh and Claire."

"He has only known her a few days. It will wear off."

"That's what you said about Bobby and shaving. He started at Christmas and hasn't missed a day since."

"He will be bigger again when we see him next month," Hans commented.

"We need a washer before he gets here. I'm tired of washing clothes by hand," Sybil said.

"We will go to the commissary after the wagon comes with the sofa and chairs for the client room," Hans replied.

"There's enough for the entire room coming," Sybil replied with a shake of her head. "We even managed to find two sets of drapes the right size. Do you want to hang the coat hooks and drapes and things or do you want me to call those women that did the painting?"

"I will finish this painting today and look for a washer tomorrow. I need to practice. You had best call for finishing," Hans replied. He'd resigned himself to the fact the women had done a good job finishing the studio and he didn't have time. It was almost completed.

"We'll have to have an opening party when we put the sign up," Sybil said. "At least I won't have to hire a violinist."

"You are a slave driver," he said while he opened the can of paint for the cupboards and table for the laundry room.

"I like that, when I'm the one that hired help so you would have more time off."

"I think the wagon is here with your furniture, slave driver," he teased.

Sybil went back inside to see to the furniture delivery leaving Hans in the yard by himself.. He had been joking about Redmond and Fraulein Kukbauer. She had changed quite a bit this last while but she was still as tough as nails when it came to getting things done. He wondered if Redmond had any idea what he was getting himself into.

Chapter 20 – Redmond Wakes Up

Sybil opened the door to a telegram delivery. She tipped the boy and then took the note in to her brother who was sorting out his laundry for the wash.

"Dylan and Kyna have a girl," Sybil said. "Baby Aibrean, that means April in English doesn't it?"

"It does," Redmond replied. "There, the rest can wait until I get home and send it for dry processing.

"You'll need your tuxedo cleaned after all the concerts Anna has arranged for you to see," Sybil teased him.

"Har, har," Redmond replied sardonically. "She says she gets tickets through work as a perk. She hasn't used many before."

"They get all kinds for the ballet, other orchestras, operas and musicals," Sybil replied. "You seem to be enjoying her company. We never lack for events to attend."

"I am," he replied. "She's younger than I thought."

"Too young to have gone through what she's experienced. It's made her older than her years, I think," Sybil said. "Lonelier too."

"I'm planning to ask her to write."

"Redmond, are you sure? You live a long way apart and she's never met the children."

"Who can be sure of anything?" he replied. "It's just a few letters."

"I'll take the laundry down in a bit. With the rotating black outs while they're fixing the dam we'd be best to do it before we leave for the concert."

"Maybe the lights will work on a regular basis once the hydro electric is fixed," Redmond commented.

"It will all get fixed some day," Sybil said. They moved to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

"I wanted to ask you some medical advice," she said while they were waiting for their tea to steep.

"Ask away. I can tell you, you don't need a facelift."

"You don't do facelifts," Sybil said dryly. "At least you've always said you would never do one."

"I flat out refuse," Redmond replied. "Fixing a squashed nose or a cleft palate is another matter."

"Do you think if I had another child it would have a bad heart?"

"Sybil, there is no way to tell," Redmond replied seriously. "My children are fine, Davin's children are fine and Dylan's and Garret's probably will be as well. There could be a million reasons and there are just as many questions as to why Hope was born with a weak heart."

"You don't think it was inherited?"

"I think we'll never know," he replied honestly. "Genetics has been around for a long time but we don't understand how everything works. The rules say you can have two parents with the same eye color and hair color and there will be a one in four chance their children will have a completely different eye color. There are a bunch of complicated rules that govern it all that change the probability. It's not my field but the chances of you having a second or third child with the same issues are low especially as they would have a different father. Now the probability of them inheriting their father's musical talent is high since you also have a knack for music but it's still a coin toss."

"Hans would like children," Sybil said thoughtfully.

"There's no rush but I wouldn't put if off for more than one or two years. The later you leave it the harder it is on your body."

"Thank you for the advice. I'll think it over carefully."

"Anytime," Redmond replied.

-0-

Hans, Redmond and Sybil walked through her finished studio the day before Redmond was due to leave for Ireland. The client meeting room was done in light colors with extra sweaters neatly displayed on shelves with the price tags discreetly hidden. The forms were dressed and waiting for the next appointment when the client would retrieve their order. It was professional and polished and exactly what Sybil wanted.

"It's a grand space, Sybil," Redmond commented as they passed into the workroom. The bolts of fabric and sewing supplies were neatly lined up on the shelves. An industrial table stood in the middle of the room with stools around it and Sybil's sewing machine was on it's own table with a chair. One of the low former library cupboards had a hotplate with a kettle and teacups and a tray neatly lined up on a shelf above it.

"I don't remember buying those lights," Redmond commented.

"The work woman I had in for the finishing went out and found them," Sybil replied. "I needed something with more light."

"I am liking the laundry," Hans said. The room had an electric wringer washer that had cost them a pretty penny, cupboards, a table for folding and a laundry tub. They had a temporary clothesline in the garden from the back door until they put in something more permanent the following spring.

"You like the mess and the ironing board confined down here," Sybil replied.

"I do and I am glad it is done," Hans said. "We can go to the café tonight and I can play a little for the tourists. No working on the flat."

"No Anna tonight?" Sybil asked her brother.

"I wanted to spend my last evening with my sister and brother-in-law," Redmond replied. "She had something with work as well."

"Two visiting professors of music to meet with their wives. She will see them to their hotel," Hans confirmed.

"Someone else couldn't do it?" Sybil questioned him.

"It has been part of her job from the first. We hired Fraulein Kukbauer two weeks after we started. She is efficient and it is what she does," he replied fatalistically.

"Never mind. She said she'd see me off tomorrow," Redmond said. "More time with my favorite sister."

"Men!" Sybil exclaimed. "Is it a wonder the girl has no social life."

"We all work long hours," Redmond reminded her. "Its nothing new."

"No it isn't," Sybil replied resignedly.

-0-

Redmond carried his cases from the streetcar towards his house in Dublin. He had bought a house in a better part of the city not too far from the hospital where he worked. The houses were made of brick and people kept trimmed hedges in their front gardens. Large trees lined the streets and children played in the nearby parks. He was living a good life here that was a far cry from his early childhood of doing without.

He had traveled overland by train and ferry on the way back from Vienna. He was doing well in his career and made a good living, but he didn't have the kind of money to spend on travel his sister did. His priority was normally to put any extra to the side to ensure his children would have the opportunity to go on to university if they desired and to cover any unforeseen emergencies that might arise.

The long train ride had given Redmond time to relax and read over the notes and papers from the conference. He had quite a bit he wanted to relay to the team when he got back to work. He'd had time on the train to think about Anna as well. She was a nice girl as Sybil had said and in a lot of ways she reminded him of his sister. They both knew how to shop for a bargain while at the same time looking for quality items. Both of them worked hard and looked out for those around them. He'd smiled more than once during his stay in Vienna at Anna's way of saying exactly what was on her mind and marveled at the way she knew her way around the city. There were places she'd taken him that were not on any tourist map. In the lightly falling snow of early winter Anna made Vienna seem a magical place full little secrets waiting for them to discover together.

He found Anna attractive. She had a fair complexion with bright green eyes and the slightest cleft in her chin. When she wore her hair down or in a looser style it framed her face in volumes of soft blonde waves that made him want to reach out and curl it around his fingers. The way she sat forward in her chair in a particular part of a ballet and her eyes had sparkled with delight over a piece of music or when she looked up at a stained glass window and pointed out some tiny little detail, he couldn't help feeling drawn towards her. He'd only kissed her once.

They had come from an afternoon concert she'd come up with tickets for and then went to a coffee house where Anna had ordered a slice of the richest cake Redmond had ever tasted in his life. They'd shared the cake and drank their coffee and told stories of their childhood. A violin player was at the coffee house playing waltzes badly and making both of them grind their teeth and laugh over the sour notes. Redmond had said he could do a much better job even thought he was out of practice. Anna hadn't believed him.

"What do you want to bet?" Redmond had said.

"You cannot play a Strauss waltz from memory. If you cannot I would like," she thought about if for a moment. "You to cook me an English lunch."

"You're on," Redmond said. He got up and went to ask the violin player if he could borrow the instrument for one song to settle a bet with his friend. After a great deal of gesturing and Redmond pointing to Anna, the man had gotten a smile on his face and slapped Redmond on the back. Redmond had tuned the violin slightly and played a simple waltz from memory. The patrons in the bar had applauded and the bar keeper sent over an extra drink.

"You have won," Anna said to him. "I will not get my lunch."

"I'll have to claim my prize later," Redmond whispered in her ear.

"You did not ask for a prize," she replied with her eyes opening slightly wider.

The man who played the violin in the coffee house said something to Anna in German. The other patrons pounded their fists on the tables and cheered.

"They say I must kiss you for such a nice song," Anna said. She was looking stiff and uncomfortable.

"Tell them I don't kiss a girl in public," Redmond told her.

The patrons all laughed and made some comment when Anna translated and went about their business. On the walk back to Sybil and Hans' flat, they had stopped by a fountain. The snow was falling deadening the sound around them except for the lapping sound of the water as it cascaded over the icicles hanging from the figures.

"I need to claim my prize," he'd said taking both her hands in his. He had leaned forward and kissed her softly. Anna had stood stock still with her lips slightly parted. She had kissed him back tentatively as though she were a schoolgirl receiving her first kiss.

"You can play but will never be a great musician," she said in a matter of fact way once they had parted.

"I'm a surgeon not a musician," Redmond had said with a smile. He had found himself smiling when he was in her company and he didn't have to force it.

"That is a good job," she replied. She took his arm and pointed out a figure on the roof of a church. "That is Saint Margaret. She is said to have been blind and a healer. When a crippled girl touched her coffin she was healed."

"I don't think I'll ever quite have her gift," Redmond replied.

"She is smiling on you," Anna said with a smile.

He wasn't sure how he would get to see her again or if she would even write despite her assurances she would, but his heart had opened to new possibilities when he was in Vienna. Surely he could find someone to share his life with, he thought as the train carried him back to Dublin.

Redmond was almost to his home when he spotted his two children walking home from school together alone. It was half an hour past the time Nanny should have walked them home.

"Why are you two walking home alone?" he asked them after they had exchanged a hug.

"Nanny didn't come to the school again," Dalaigh replied.

They went inside to find Nanny Grace fast asleep in a chair with the radio on and her cold cup of tea on a table beside her.

"Oh, I'm ever so sorry," Nanny said. "I was listening to the radio. I must have dozed off."

"It's no problem, Nanny," Redmond replied. "The children are both home safe and sound."

He looked around the house from a new perspective after his two-week absence. There were cobwebs on some of the light fixtures, fingerprints on the mirror in the hall and mud on the floor by the back door. A year and a half ago Nanny wouldn't have stood for such things. This wasn't the first time she'd dozed off and forgotten to pick Claire and Dalaigh up from school or friends.

He'd gone to bed that night thinking over what to do. He didn't want to put Nanny out to pasture. She had been with the children since they were born. She was the only mother Claire had ever really known, but he couldn't let things go on the way they were either. He needed a housekeeper or a wife. He'd rolled over punched the pillow and squashed it under his head.

"_It's almost the first of December,"_ he had thought as he finally drifted off. _"I don't like how cold it is sleeping alone."_

-0-

"Aw Sybil, do I have to travel back to England with Fraulein Kukbauer," Bobby complained a few days before New Year's Day. "I traveled all the way here by myself."

"Travelling to Vienna in the company of an acquaintance of Cousin George is not all the way by yourself," Sybil reminded him. "Once you're in England you can take the train and the street car to Evans House like you normally would. You can travel on your own next summer when you're seventeen."

"But she's a crab," Bobby complained.

"You've only met her once and that was a year ago," Sybil said. "She's coming over in a bit to meet you again before you travel over together. She's going to visit Redmond."

"Dalaigh is going to die," Bobby groaned.

"You're being overly dramatic," Sybil replied. "What if I told you Anna Brunner telephoned while you were out with Hans at fencing. She and Greta have invited you for sledding tomorrow with a group of their friends."

"Yes. I hope you told her yes," Bobby said eagerly.

"You can go in with Hans to the concert hall in the morning. Mrs. Brunner and the girls will pick you up there. They'll drop you off when Mrs. Brunner comes into town to have dinner with her husband."

"Thanks Sybil," Bobby replied.

Anna Kukbauer arrived wearing a dress Sybil had seen her in before. After she received the suit Anna had started wearing a dress to functions with the orchestra. She sometimes wore her suit through the day and sometimes a dress. She had given up on her previous dowdy clothes. Sybil had no idea where she had gotten the dresses and they obviously weren't up to the minute but they were a vast improvement on the drab suits that looked like they had been made from reclaimed military uniforms.

"Hello," she said quietly to Bobby. "It is nice to see you again."

"Hello, Fraulein Kukbauer," Bobby said with a deadpan expression.

"You may call me Anna," she said. What would you like me to call you?"

"You can call me Bobby since you're friends with Redmond and Sybil," Bobby said.

"Bubby is for Robert is it not?" she asked. Her accent mashed his name making Bobby bite his lips together to stop from laughing.

"It is," Sybil agreed.

"Robert is German. It means bright with glory in the old, high German," Anna said.

"You can call me Robert if you prefer," Bobby said. He liked the sound of a heroic name.

"Robert, do you regularly travel on your own?" Anna asked him with a serious expression.

"I take the train at home all the time. It's easy enough," Bobby replied.

"I will rely on you to point me which way," Anna said with a slight frown. "Do you have much luggage this time?"

Bobby smiled at her.

"We're not traveling with Sybil. I can carry the bags if you don't have too many."

"I will only have a small bag, thank you," Anna replied looking relieved.

"How long are you planning to be in Dublin?" Sybil asked her.

"I am not certain. I will stay longer if your brother's children are agreeable with me being there," Anna replied.

"Dalaigh likes to fish," Bobby said.

"That is a fine pastime for a boy," Anna replied. "What does Claire like?"

"Girly things," Bobby replied quickly.

"She likes knitting and riding horses like most girls," Sybil replied. "Everyone in our family likes to swim and ride in summers."

"I have not been swimming or riding in a long time," Anna said. "I must go now. I have much to do before the trip and I am on my lunch break. I will see you after the concert on the first Robert."

"I'll see you then," Bobby answered.

"She has changed," Bobby said once they were alone again.

"Not enough that she won't box your ears if you get out of line," Sybil replied. "She seems nervous about the trip."

"She doesn't sound like she's ever travelled before," Bobby replied with a shrug.

"Most likely not very far," Sybil said. "We have time to work on our plans for the garden out back. I've found a good crew to do some of the work before you get back if we have our plans together."

"I have more ideas than I did last year. Where are the colored pencils?" Bobby asked already forgetting about the trip and thinking about the garden.

-0-

"Have you taken leave of your senses?" Tom asked his eldest son a few days after Christmas. Tom and Rose had taken the children to Dublin for a few days. Redmond hadn't been able to take time off work. The holidays were unusually busy this year in his department and he couldn't justify any time after the two weeks the previous month.

"I'm dead serious, Da," Redmond replied.

"You've always been the one to take your time and think things over," Tom said.

"I have thought it over," Redmond replied. "Sometimes you take a leap of faith and I'm taking one now. She might get here and change her mind or I might change my mind. One way or another Anna is taking a leave of absence as soon as they finish off some New Year's Day thing at her work and taking the next train for Callais."

"Redmond, you barely know this girl and you said she's only twenty-three," Rose said worriedly.

"I'm miserable without her," Redmond replied. "Sybil wrote Anna has been sniffling about since I left driving everyone crazy, although she hasn't let on in her letters. I don't see the reason to wait."

"You have two reasons to wait," Tom said. "Dalaigh and Claire."

"How long did you wait with Mummy?"

"Mummy was good with Sybil. I knew that long before we ever were interested in each other," Tom replied irritably.

"You won't change my mind, Da. I've already got the marriage license in my safety deposit box."

"You don't know anything about this girl," Rose said. "Who were her family and how she survived the war."

"Does it really matter, Mummy," Redmond replied. "She had a rough time. She wasn't part of the Hitler youth and she's worked hard and saved. She had plans to buy herself her own place. She's smart and pretty and I fancy her."

"At least tell me you've kissed the girl more than once," Tom said.

"That's none of your business," Redmond replied levelly.

"I give up," Tom said throwing up his hands. "Don't come crying to me if this blows up in your face."

"I have a mail order bride coming, Da," Redmond said. "The only thing is I've already met her."

"You do take some notions," Rose said. "Do we get to meet her before you tie the knot?"

"She should be in Dublin on the fourth on the first ferry barring any delays," Redmond replied.

"It looks like we'll be heading for Dublin on the fourth," Rose said to her husband. From the look on Redmond's face there was no sense arguing with him. He looked exactly like Tom when he dug his heels in about something.

-0-

"Write regularly and make sure you spend at least every other weekend with family," Sybil scolded Bobby at the station. "I know you were only going home every third weekend."

"There was a lot going on at my friends," Bobby replied slightly exasperated with Sybil's clucking.

"Don't play cricket in the rain, and no driving a car without a permit," Sybil continued still fiddling with his scarf. "Keep your tickets in a safe place."

"Sybil, I know all that stuff. I'm not a little kid," Bobby said.

"You are a little kid to us," Hans said giving him a hug. "Be good and Sybil will be over in March. I will come as well if I can."

"This is for you," Anna said pressing a small package wrapped in brown paper into Sybil's hands. "Incase you need anything while I am gone."

"Anna is this your note book? I can't take it," Sybil replied.

"For safe keeping," Anna said. "Auf Wiedersehn, Sybil of London and Vienna, Herr Meyer."

"Have a safe trip," Sybil said. "Say hello to the nieces and nephews and the family in Dublin."

"Keep an eye on Garret. He is not as good at violin as I am, I hope," Hans said with a smile before she boarded the train. "I will need a report."

Sybil and Hans stood on the platform together and waved until the train was out of sight.

"My little boy is so grown up," Sybil said almost tearfully.

"It is as any boarding school," Hans said putting an arm around her for a reassuring squeeze. "Boys gain their own ideas and find their own way."

"At least he was getting along with Anna. Let's hope it lasts for the trip," Sybil said.

"She was hiding something," Hans said thoughtfully. "There is something she did not say."

"She's going to visit a man she doesn't know well and meet his family. I'd say she's nervous," Sybil replied.

"Perhaps," Hans said. "I have other things to think about. Have you decided yet on whether we will have a child?"

"Yes," Sybil said as they were walking to the streetcar.

"Yes, you have decided?"

"Yes, my answer is yes," Sybil said. He grabbed in her in a bear hug and lifted her toes off the ground.

"You will not be sorry. I am sure of it," he said.

"Let's hope neither of us will regret the decision," Sybil replied smiling.


	45. Sybil of London Part 6

Sybil of London – Part 6 – Chapter 21 through 24

Chapter 21 – Taking Things for Granted

"_You are going to a home and a husband unless he changes his mind,"_ Anna Kukbauer told herself over and over during the crossing on the ferry to Dublin. The first part of the trip she'd had Robert's company. He was an interesting boy although all he talked of were aircraft, gardens and Anna Brunner. They had parted ways at the train station when he took a train to London and she took a train north to Liverpool. This was her first trip anywhere outside of Austria and even though she had Redmond's directions in her handbag, her tickets and her own notes on the stops she was still nervous. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone in Vienna she was going as a mail order bride. She hadn't fully resigned her position incase things didn't work out. She had said she was going to visit her friend and wanted a month off. In three years at the orchestra offices she had never taken any time off.

Vienna had not been an easy life for her. She had been educated at a good girls school and traveled around Austria with her class when she was young. The school had taught them languages and she had excelled at it. After her parents had died and the school had closed, she was at a loose end. A government official had come around and any of the girls who didn't have parents to go to were sent to Vienna to work as a debris clearer. She had been working in the same job when she heard of the post at the orchestra. It hadn't been easy to come up with something to wear that looked professional. She had screwed up her courage walked in with her head held high and landed the position. She had decided on the spot to save every cent she could so she could someday buy her own house. She wanted something of her own that no one could kick her out of. She wanted children as well. If a man hadn't come along, she would have saved enough to get one or two from an orphanage. Determination was something she had in spades.

Redmond Branson had been a delightful surprise. She'd used the tickets for concerts at the office as an excuse to spend time with him instead of giving them out to the members when the managers didn't want them. It had been a pleasure taking him around. She hadn't been friendly enough with any of the girls at her rooming house to ask them to go over the years and none of them had nice dresses or suitable clothes for the private boxes she had tickets for. Once she'd started to change how she dressed, she'd gone to a store with second hand clothes and searched until she found a nice dress for evening and two for daytime. Along with her good suit, which she was wearing, her winter coat and nightdress they were all the clothes she had to her name. She had given her ugly suits made from bits and pieces of old military uniforms to the other girls at the boarding house who were glad to have them. She had saved hard and her passbook with its neat rows of numbers was safely stowed in her handbag.

Redmond was terribly handsome. He made her pulse race despite telling herself not to be stupid. A handsome successful man like him would never prefer her. He had asked her to write and been polite. He had only kissed her once. It had been soft and gentle although she would have given him more than one in a second. Her knees went weak at the thought of kissing him. When he had asked for marriage in his second letter she had been shocked and then elated. The thought of her own home, children and a husband with a good job who was the center of her dreams had made her had beat with excitement. What more could she ask for?

Anna scanned the crowd for any sign of Redmond when she got off the ferry. Customs had been around on the ferry and stamped her passport. She had her inexpensive suitcase grasped in her hands. She was twisting the handle in fear he had changed his mind and wouldn't meet her at the boat or turn her around and send her straight back. She finally spotted Redmond waving to her. A man beside him looked very similar only his hair was more to the yellow and Redmond's was more to the red. She headed through the crowd on the pier smiling at Redmond. His answering smile was wide and welcoming. She walked straight up to him and set down her suitcase. They were in each other's arms in an instant with his lips firmly locked on hers. He kissed her for so long the man beside him finally cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Dublin," Redmond said as he released her. "This is my brother Garret Branson. Garrett, Miss Anna Kukbauer."

"How do you do, Miss Kukbauer," Garret said.

"How do you do," Anna replied with her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I am told you play the violin as well as Herr Meyer."

"Hans is a better violinist than I am but don't ever tell him I said that." Garret replied with a smile. "It would ruin the rivalry."

"We'll collect your bags and get you to Garrett's. You'll be staying with Garret and his wife until the wedding in two days," Redmond said.

"Where are the children?" Anna asked.

"School," Redmond replied. "They'll be home this evening, I thought you could meet them then. Do you have the claim for your bags?"

"This is my bag," Anna said a bit embarrassed. She had always thought the way the foreigners traveled with a mountain of luggage was foolish in the extreme. She had everything she owned in the world packed into one suitcase.

"Never mind," Garret said picking up her bag. "Less to fiddle with on the tram. Mummy and Da are supposed to be here in a few hours on the train. They aren't bringing the brood. They'll be over to cluck at the baby in a wink."

"The brood?" Anna asked in confusion.

"Our younger brothers and sisters," Redmond clarified. "With my two in the mix there are eight children running around and then our other brother Davin has two more."

"So many," Anna replied. She stopped walking when they got to the tram and stared.

"What is it?" Garret inquired.

"There are so many men," Anna said in amazement.

"It looks about normal to me," Garret replied with a shrug.

"In Austria so many died during the war," Anna said still surprised. "They took boys and old men. Everyone went to fight, less than half came home."

"The Free State was neutral," Redmond commented. "The men only went to fight if they chose to."

"It's raining again and I forgot my umbrella," Garret said in disgust.

"It always rains in Ireland," Redmond said to Anna. He was smiling at her while they waited for the tram. "You'll get used to it."

"Rain is for luck," Anna replied. He back was straight and her jaw set. "We will have luck." She stepped onto the tram when it stopped and the doors opened.

"Did she just order providence to provide you with good luck?" Garret asked Redmond in a low voice as they boarded the tram.

"I suppose she did," Redmond replied with a grin.

-0-

"Sybil! Sybil!" Hans yelled. It was the eighth of January 1951. He had burst in the door and immediately began calling her name.

"Hans what is it?" Sybil said coming from the workroom and into the main entrance of the house. He ran back down the stairs and into her studio space.

"Look, look what your brother has done. Everything is chaos and everyone is blaming me!" he stated angrily. He thrust a crumpled telegram at her.

"How could any of my brothers do anything with an effect on your work?" Sybil questioned. She uncrumpled the telegram and read the words on the page. She sat down on one of the chairs in the client area with a thump.

"Redmond got married and he didn't invite me," she said in surprise. "He could have sent a telegram."

"Never mind your brother what are we going to do?" Hans exclaimed. "The replacement went to the hairdresser to celebrate that she would have the job. She is useless. The stage lights in the west hall are kaput…not working. We need an electrician and she could not find one if her life depended on it. We fired her when she returned. Now we have no secretary, no lights and no Fraulein Kukbauer!"

"She's Mrs. Branson now," Sybil said still in shock. "She signed the telegram Anna Branson."

"I do not care! How could she do this to us!"

"Hans calm down," Sybil said calmly. "She left her notebook with me. It has her contacts in it." Sybil went to the drawers in her workroom where she kept her business related documents and got out the brown paper wrapped parcel Anna had given her. She took off the paper to reveal the notebook and a note with her name on it.

_Sybil:_

_I am going to Dublin with the hope to marry your brother if he still feels the same and his children accept me. He has asked me to come and sent me the tickets. I have not said anything incase he changes his mind. Please do not be hurt I did not tell you before I left. I am looking forward to meeting your parents and the rest of your family. _

_Anna_

"They really are married," Sybil said handing the note to Hans.

"I will choke Redmond when I see him next," Hans said darkly.

"Oh stop it," Sybil scolded. "He's impetuous at times and a great deal like Daddy. He had his reasons for wanting to marry her. My real mother and Daddy ran off to Ireland to get married. Everyone said they had eloped but they told their families. Anna has run off to Ireland and gotten married. That's the end of her working at the symphony."

"What am I going to do? Everyone is mad. They want me to fix the mess since my brother-in-law made it and I introduced them."

Sybil glanced at the lights hanging over her workspace. A thought suddenly came to her.

"Call Elsa Baker," she said. "She'll be able to find you an electrician right away. Just don't balk if it's a woman."

"Who is Elsa Baker?" Hans asked. "I do not know this name."

"The woman who was in charge of the group who did the renovations here. She speaks some English. She might make a good secretary. I don't know if she types but she can certainly get the job done."

"If she is so good why does she not already have a position?" Hans asked skeptically.

"She has a child and no husband," Sybil replied levelly.

"No, we do not employ women with children. The hours are long. It would not work," Hans said irritably.

"She has sufficient childcare to be able to do construction," Sybil pointed out. "Do you have any other bright ideas as to how you're going to get an electrician before the concert in two days?"

Sybil got out her address book and opened it to Elsa Baker's telephone number. "It takes a bit to get ahold of her. She lives in a place with a group of women," Sybil said pointing to the number.

"I will make calls," Hans said taking the address book and Anna's notebook with him to go upstairs. "I will still choke your brother."

"Not if I catch him first," Sybil muttered under her breath.

-0-

Sybil settled down when she received the afternoon post. A letter from her brother was in it with a postmark from before the first of the year. The post could get delayed from time to time and slow downs over the Christmas season were not uncommon.

Redmond had written he had asked Anna to marry him and was hoping to have a small wedding with just their parents and the family in Ireland when Anna was there in January. They would have a larger family get together when the family was free later in the year.

Hans came home looking tired shortly before dinnertime.

"There is a letter from Redmond. Things are not quite as drastic as we thought they were," Sybil said. "His letter was delayed a few days in the mail. How did you make out?"

Hans went to the kitchen table and flopped into a chair.

"We have hired Elsa Baker for a two week trial," he said. "She has found an electrician for tomorrow and cleared up another mess the other woman had made. She doesn't know how to type so we will see how it goes."

"It's something isn't it? I thought Anna's job was largely to do the scheduling and keeping things running."

"Amongst other things," Hans said. "She will be a hard to follow. Everyone is starting to calm down. How foolish to run off and elope."

"They didn't exactly elope," Sybil said. "Redmond did write. Anna was playing her cards close to her chest. Would you have held her job if you knew there was a possibility of her not coming back?"

"No, most likely not," Hans said. He went to the icebox for a bottle of beer. "But she will be hard to replace. She could have had her job if she came back."

"The girl does have a right to get married and build a life for herself," Sybil pointed out.

"The new one came for her interview straight from a job and worked her first afternoon in her overalls," Hans said. He rubbed his hand over his face. "I am thinking we should have two for the position so this won't happen again."

"It may be best," Sybil replied. "That way one person wouldn't have so much on them they feel they have to run away to have a life of their own."

"Where is the letter from your brother?" he asked tiredly.

-0-

Tom carried the cases down to the front entrance at Redmond's house. They would head back to Eagle Cairn on the noon train. Rose was in the process of taking the sheets off the bed and down to the laundry room. Nanny Grace was too old to be caring for a house and the children and this few last few days in Dublin had proved it. There were cobwebs in the corners of the rooms and she had fallen asleep with the stove on once that they had caught. The children had been coming to them with Nanny for summers the last two years and Nanny had little to do while they were at the house. She was still good with the children and minded them while Redmond was at work but she couldn't see well enough to get after the cleaning lady when things were missed. Time had caught up with her.

Redmond's new wife was a going concern. There was no doubt about it he thought. That morning she had made porridge for the children then walked them to school. As soon as she was back she was pushing furniture around and had come up with a handful of dust bunnies and found all sorts of dust on books and lampshades. She'd had the hoover out and given the downstairs a good going over. He didn't doubt the moment their heels were out the door she'd be upstairs giving the dust and dirt what for this afternoon. At the moment she was at the kitchen table making a schedule for housework around Redmond's time off.

Tom went through to kitchen to make a cup of tea before they had to leave for the train.

"Where has Nanny got off to this morning?" he asked Anna.

"She has gone to a group for older ladies at her church," Anna replied. "She will collect the children from school."

"Are you liking Dublin so far?" he asked her.

"Yes, I will get organized and the house will run better," Anna replied.

"I've put the sheets in the washer for later," Rose said as she came through to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Mrs. Branson," Anna said. "How long is your home from here?"

"About two hours by train," Rose replied. "It depends on the stops and what's happening along the way. It's an hour and a half on a good day. Two hours on a bad. You'll find the trains in Ireland a bit erratic if you're used to things running on schedule."

"Redmond has said we will visit soon," Anna said.

"Will you join us for a cup of tea?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I would like that."

There was a knock at the back door. Anna went to answer it.

"Who might you be?" a woman's voice with a strong Irish accent asked.

"I am the Mrs. of the house," Anna replied. "Who are you?"

"Mrs. Riley. I've come to do the weekly cleaning."

"No. You are no good. I do not want you," Anna stated firmly.

Rose looked at Tom and raised her eyebrows.

"Now see here you little chit," Mrs. Riley said.

"No you see. I am Mrs. Branson. I see how you have been cleaning. You have been taking advantage but no more. I will clean the house myself."

"You owe me for today," Mrs. Riley said not wanting to give up an easy job. Nanny Grace was an old lady and Dr. Branson wasn't home that often. All she had to do was push the hoover about in the main areas, clean the bathrooms and kitchen floor with a quick once over and collect her envelope.

"You owe me for cleaning what you should have," Anna stated. "You are finished." She closed the door with a resounding bang. She came back to collect the tea tray to carry it through to the sitting room. Her back was ramrod straight and her face determined. Rose and Tom followed her through.

"Do you always wear your hair up?" Rose asked. She didn't know what to say after what they had just overheard.

"For working," Anna replied. "Most women in my country wear their hair up with braids. It is easier and a tradition."

"Any idea what you're going to do with your time now that you're here?" Tom asked. They weren't quite sure what to make of their new daughter-in-law. It was obvious Redmond was crazy about her the way his face flushed the moment she walked into a room and the way he doted on her. Anna seemed to be no less taken with Redmond and was trying hard to be a good mother to his children although it was still early days.

"I will clean the house and take care of the children," Anna replied. "I will look for a job. I had a good job in Vienna but the hours were too much for a husband and family. I will find a job here with less hours. Redmond said you do fundraising for hospitals."

"I do quite a bit for the clinic where we live," Rose replied. "Do you have any experience with charity work?"

"Yes, my job was to squeeze the patrons for contributions," Anna replied seriously.

The corners of Tom's mouth were trying to curl themselves into a grin. He was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"I've never heard it put quite like that," Rose said. She took a sip of tea to stop herself from laughing as well. "What are you thinking of for a job here?"

"Translator," Anna replied. "I speak German, French and Czech. Much work is done at home. I will be here for the children and my husband."

"That would most likely be for the best," Rose commented.

"I am happy to have a family and a fine husband." Anna smiled at the thought of Redmond. She was quite looking forward to their time together once the children were in bed. He was kind and gentle and their time after the lights was out was more than she had ever thought it would be. She was anticipating running her fingers through the downy soft hair on his chest tonight.

"We'd best get this lot cleaned up and head for the train," Tom said.

"I will clean up. You may go to the train so you will not be late," Anna said. The way she said it left no room for argument.

"That's very kind," Tom said. "I'll just carry the tray through for you."

"What a character," Tom said to Rose once they were in the cab on the way to the station. "I like her."

"You should pay me for doing your work," Rose said and then burst into laughter.

"She's quite the go getter," Tom said. "She'll be keeping Redmond on his toes."

"From the look on her face when his name is mentioned, I'd say she's smitten," Rose said.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Tom replied giving her hand a squeeze.

Chapter 22 – Modern Travel

Sybil stood at the baggage claim and waited while Hans retrieved their luggage from a cart. Flying wasn't so bad now that she was getting used to it. The plane they had taken from Vienna to London was newer and a great deal less rough and loud than the one they had flown on the previous year. She was over for two weeks to see Bobby, attend the spring fashion shows and work on her London business. The reports Colleen had been sending over looked like everything in London was on track and going well. They didn't have that much luggage coming. Sybil was wondering if she would have to extend her trip to make a tour of the woolen mills or if Colleen had already put in a sufficient order for both locations. Her mind was on work as they made their way to the house in London.

It was mid-evening when they got to the house. The drawing room looked to be full of people. Sybil caught a glimpse of Kate and Astrid in the room as they headed upstairs to unpack and get freshened up. They found Dylan in the library going over some papers for work. The butler came through with a tray of tea and sandwiches for them. Sybil thanked the butler and took a seat across from her brother.

"Kate and Astrid seem busy," Sybil commented.

"They had an information meeting for the foundation and hoped for ten to show up. They had over twenty at last count," Dylan said.

"The word about the foundation is spreading then," Sybil replied.

"Apparently so," Dylan confirmed. "They're getting more mail all the time. Kate is all fund raising so I don't really know what is going on otherwise. Are you staying long, Hans?"

"Three days to see Bobby, then back the next day," Hans replied.

"Maybe he'll slow down a bit with you here. His usual weekend is come home Friday night, either here or Bradley's, eat, off to the cinema or billiards at one of his friends when he doesn't invite a group over, in and out all day Saturday and Sunday for friends or flying club and then back to school on Sunday evening."

"He is keeping his studies up I hope," Sybil said worriedly.

"One of us usually catch him on Saturday morning and look over things," Dylan replied. "He's not allowed out until he has his homework done."

"That's good," Sybil said in relief.

"He's in some play or other and joined cricket for the spring. He'll be staying at school weekends after you leave until term break," Dylan said. "I don't think there is anything to worry about. He's so busy he doesn't have time to get into trouble."

"Kate is due any day isn't she?" Hans inquired.

"Another week which means any day," Dylan replied with a grin. "I'm sweating a bit. We're expecting her mother at the beginning of the week."

"Should she be at a meeting at this point?" Sybil asked in concern.

"That's why they had the meeting here. She only had to go a few feet," Dylan replied. "She doesn't want to be left out. She's bored with the waiting."

"It is a difficult time," Sybil agreed.

It wasn't too long and the two women came through.

"How did it all go?" Dylan asked once the greetings were done and Astrid and Kate had each received a cup of tea.

"Heart breaking," Kate replied. "It was all parents of dyslexic children. The news of the meeting spread by word of mouth."

"It's so frustrating and they're so desperate for answers," Astrid added. "This group was all better families. Every one of the mothers is well versed in fundraising. It looks like we've got that part of things covered." She was lost in thought for a few moments.

"What's wrong?" Sybil asked.

"Three of the boys whose parents were here have lost their places at their schools. The schools don't want to try to accommodate them," Kate replied. "It's what makes it so sad."

"One of the mother's took me to the side at the end of the meeting and pleaded with me to find a way to educate her son," Astrid said. "The boy's father wants to send him to a school for the mentally infirm."

"If he truly has dyslexia, that is not where he belongs," Sybil commented.

"I didn't want to open the school for at least another year maybe two," Astrid said worriedly. "But at the same time I don't feel I can turn my back on children that have been turned out like I was. The longer it goes on, the harder it will be to help them turn things around."

"We know of at least six here in southern England all in the same circumstances," Kate added. "Those are just the ones we know of and have managed to contact. The schools don't even try to accommodate left-handed children. They're made to write with their right hands, anything more severe and it's like we're banging our heads on the wall. Astrid's grade school was incredibly accommodating."

"You've always known it will be an uphill battle against outdated beliefs," Dylan commented.

"People don't like to admit their child is less than perfect," Sybil said looking at her tea. Hans reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I'm going to talk to Bradley tomorrow," Astrid said. "I told the mother I would be in touch next week if I came up with something for her son. I didn't want to do this, but I think it's time I started a school even until the end of term, at least for the six boys who have no school at the moment."

"If they're all from well off families, they'll be used to the butler and stables and all the rest," Sybil commented.

"That's what I was thinking," Astrid replied. "I have the plans laid out for insurance, liability waivers, staffing and all that in the files at the office. I'd only do something like this if Bradley is ready for our home to be invaded by six little boys."

"It will be like Tom and Rose's house," Hans commented with a slight smile.

"Or the Abbey when we were little," Dylan added.

-0-

The trip to England was fast paced and seemed to be going by in a blur for Sybil, Hans took Bobby flying on the Saturday and then went over his homework with him on the Sunday. Bobby was basking in his attention and had a million things to tell both of them. Astrid and Bradley decided to take the six boys for the rest of the school term. Astrid was busy with a flurry of meetings with lawyers and interviewing a nanny to keep an eye on the boys when they were sleeping and teachers who were flexible and interested in the alternative form of education they would be providing. In the end she was only able to find one teacher she was happy with, a nanny and a secretary for the foundation office. The rest of her time was a taken up with parent meetings and setting up the fund raising committee for the foundation.

Dylan and Kate were still debating the pros and cons of hiring a nanny. Kate's mother arrived and the house was bustling with baby booties and preparing for baby's arrival with one round of premature labor. Dylan was the exact opposite of Garret as an expectant father. Garret had taken baby and labor and all the rest in stride while Dylan was a ball of nerves and jumped every time Kate shifted her weight or went to get up from a chair. After ten days of all the fuss and flurry of the family and working on her own business, Sybil announced she was going to visit in Dublin for a few days.

"You don't have to run off," Kate said. She shifted in her chair and moved the pillow behind her back.

"I'm not running anywhere," Sybil replied. "The baby will be here any minute. You'll want a few days of peace and quiet on your own at first. I want to go over and see how Redmond and Garret are getting on and visit Mummy and Daddy. Hans is in Bonn for a solo performance. There's no need to rush back. I don't have appointments booked for another week yet."

"What's Redmond's new wife like?" Kate asked. "We were all surprised when he decided to get married so suddenly. No one from here could get the time off to go over for the wedding."

"She's reserved," Sybil replied. "No nonsense, comes straight to the point and at the same time has a heart of gold."

"She used to work at the orchestra in Vienna didn't she?" Kate asked.

"She was the secretary, more aptly a doer of anything that needed doing or organizing. There was quite the uproar when she left. It took two to replace her. They hired one woman who does all the scheduling and bookings and another who does the correspondence and typing. If you ask Hans the only word he comes up with to do with Anna is efficient."

"She doesn't sound like mother material," Kate said ruefully. "She's the same age as Kyna."

"I'm sure she's a good mother," Sybil replied. "With her around the children and Redmond will never lack for anything but at the same time they won't get away with any mischief. She took care of the orchestra members like a lioness protecting her cubs."

"When are you going over?" Kate asked.

"There is a three o'clock flight. I'll take a cab to the airport. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back. I'll go around the woolen mills then to a few up north and stop in to see the family in Yorkshire while I'm at it for a few hours. I'll be back to see the baby before I go home."

"You won't make it back to Vienna for a month," Kate said.

"I've discovered travel by air makes things a great deal faster," Sybil replied with a smile before her cab arrived.

-0-

Sybil had the cab driver drop her bags by the front door of Redmond's house less than three hours later. The flight from London to Dublin had been on an older aircraft, but now that she knew what to expect it wasn't as alarming. She could hear laughter coming from the back of Redmond's house. She walked around the corner of the house to see Anna and Dalaigh smiling while turning a skipping rope with Redmond jumping rope in the middle. Claire was at the side laughing.

"Aunty Sybil!" Claire cried when she saw her. She ran over and looped her arms around Sybil's waist. "Daddy can't jump as many times as me but he thinks he can," she said in a rush.

"Da jumped just as many times as you," Redmond said. He came over and kissed his sister on the cheek. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"Quick trip to see everyone and business shopping," Sybil replied. "I've learned flying is the only way to get anywhere when you have limited time." She greeted Dalaigh and then turned to Anna, who was hanging back. Sybil took her hands and kissed her on the cheek.

"You are not mad at me?" Anna asked.

"Heavens no," Sybil said. "Congratulations on your marriage. You're both looking happy."

"We are happy," Anna replied smiling. "We did not expect guests."

"The way the family and friends drop in whenever they take a mind you should be used to it by now," Redmond said. "We'll throw a few more potatoes in the pot for dinner."

"What brings you to Dublin?" Redmond asked as they went inside. Claire and Dalaigh stayed in the garden to take advantage of the clear day and the last twenty minutes of daylight.

"I wanted to see my brothers and the new baby," Sybil said. "Colleen was going to do a buying trip but I thought I would do it and combine business with pleasure."

"I'll just get your bags," Redmond said.

"Have Dylan and Kate a new baby?" Anna asked.

"Not yet," Sybil replied. "Dylan is in such a state, I was just in the way."

Nanny Grace was sitting in her chair knitting. Sybil couldn't help notice how old she looked. She was still thin, wearing her corset and looking prim as ever, but time was marching on.

"Mrs. Meyer," Nanny Grace said. She went to get up.

"Don't get up Nanny," Sybil said. She leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How are you these days?"

"Slower than I should be," she replied. "Knitting, mending and walking the children to their friends and back and forth to school is all I get up to these days."

"That is enough for a grandmother," Anna said with a smile.

Nanny Grace looked at her and smiled.

Anna went to the kitchen and started peeling more potatoes. She called the children in to set the table.

"How are things in Vienna?" Anna asked Sybil while she worked.

"Elsa Baker is the scheduling clerk at the orchestra," Sybil said.

"She is a good choice, but not for typing," Anna replied knowingly.

"They've hired a girl for typing and correspondence. They still haven't stopped crying over you leaving."

"Two people to do the job of one and they wonder why I ran away," Anna said shaking her head. "I am working here for the symphony. Three days a week only. They called when they heard I was here. I do not know how they found me."

"You're in the front bedroom," Redmond said as he came into the kitchen.

"I'll only be two nights," Sybil said. "Then off to Mummy and Daddy's for a night, back to Edinburgh from Galway, a quick stop at Downton, London and then home."

"You're not letting the grass grow under your feet," Redmond commented.

"I take after my older brother," Sybil said. Redmond made a bit of a face at her.

"We'll have dinner then take you around to see the baby at Garret and Kyna's," Redmond said. "I'm early at the hospital tomorrow."

"We have lamb chops," Anna said in disgust. "Not a decent sausage in the shops."

"Not one you think is decent," Redmond teased her then dropped a kiss on his young wife's lips.

"Not when there is company," Anna scolded him quietly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"I want everyone to know I have a pretty wife I snatched right from under their noses," Redmond replied smiling.

"You are a bad boy," Anna said trying to frown at him and failing miserably. She smiled in happiness at his attention.

-0-

Sybil stood with Bradley and watched grooms bringing horses from the train to their stables. Hadley Hall was a hive of activity getting ready to receive the boys. Some of their families were sending their horses ahead. One of the boys was an heir to a title. It was sad to see the little boys born to a life of advantage struggling with the basics of their education.

"You'll have a house full in no time. It reminds me of when were little," Sybil commented.

"It's the right thing to do," Bradley said with a sigh. "Earlier than expected and we haven't even thought of having one of our own yet."

"Six isn't too bad," Sybil said.

"No, but they all need extra attention and the problems aren't going to magically disappear," Bradley said. "They are going to have to cope for the rest of their lives but I don't know if the families understand that. All the boys are going to do is to learn techniques to manage their problems."

"They'll be in a safe place where no one calls them stupid," Sybil said. "It was half the battle with Astrid as I remember."

"Are you ready for the trip back in the morning?"

"All packed and ready to go first thing in the morning," Sybil replied. "Colleen's assistant has already shipped the fabric and items I'm not taking in my luggage." They turned to walk towards the house. "I hate to say it but Dylan and Kate's little boy looks exactly like Garret and Kyna's daughter."

"The bright red hair is a bit of a shocker," Bradley said with a smile.

A chauffeur driven car pulled up in front of the hall. The chauffeur was showing a little boy in. There wasn't a sign of the parents. Even from a distance the boy was looking lost and frightened with a teddy bear and a cricket bat stuffed under his arm.

"Look at that. The ink is barely dry on the contract and they can't wait to get rid of the little nipper," Bradley said. "I'd best get in there and welcome him."

"I'll see you at dinner," Sybil said as they headed into the house.

Chapter 23 – Lady Astrid in Charge

Richard Baxter sat across from Sybil that evening at dinner with his head down looking like he was going to cry. He looked to be about seven years old.

"Where are you from Richard?" Sybil asked him.

"Canterbury," he answered in a small voice.

"Canterbury is a pretty town," Sybil said. "What do you like to do when you're at home?"

She got a shrug in response.

"Richard, the first rule you must learn at this school is that a shrug is not a proper response to a question," Astrid said calmly.

"My older brother takes me in his boat on the canal," Richard said finally.

"That sounds like a fine pastime," Bradley said. "My brothers and I all fish. It will be one of the activities we do on weekends and sometimes after lessons are finished."

Richard nodded his acceptance.

"When are the others arriving?" Sybil asked.

"Our other teacher and the nanny I expect day after tomorrow in the morning," Astrid replied. "The other boys are arriving in three days. Richard's parents were going out of town so he came a few days early."

"You're lucky to come early," Sybil said to him. "You'll learn all of the special spots first and be able to show them to the other boys."

"My Daddy wants me to learn Latin," he mumbled.

"First you need to learn reading and writing in English," Astrid said. "Latin is a ways off at the moment."

"What have you got lined up for the boys?" Sybil asked Astrid.

"Reading and writing using different techniques until we find the ones that works for each. Basic mathematics, music, art, drama, riding and we'll get the six of them into a cricket club," Astrid replied. "They need to learn to crawl before they can walk and eventually run."

"And of course all the things we would normally do around here when the brothers are over," Bradley added.

"That sounds sufficient to start out with. We started you with music," Sybil commented.

"Mrs. Meyer is going home tomorrow to Vienna," Astrid said to Richard. "Do you know where that is?"

"Austria," Richard answered poking his fork into his mashed potatoes.

"That's very good," Astrid commented. "Do you know what the capital city of Austria is?"

"Vienna," came the answer in a small voice.

"It seems to me you have learned quite a bit already," Astrid said encouragingly. "When I was your age I didn't know the capitals of any countries."

Richard got a small half smile and took a tiny bite of his dinner.

"I seem to remember a certain brother of mine asking our mother why he needed to learn the capitals of countries," Sybil said to Bradley. "You were quite the nuisance when we were young always asking why."

"Why does a doctor need to know the capital of any country?" Bradley asked feigning innocence.

Richard got smile on his face and pushed a forkful of potato into his mouth.

"So he might be able to find his way on a map to visit his sister and not get lost," Sybil replied not missing a beat.

"Maybe we'll come with Bobby in the summer when the boys are on vacation," Bradley said.

"I went to Vienna once," Richard said shyly. "We went to a concert and a lady sang in a loud voice. I put my fingers in my ears."

"I'll be sure to avoid that type of concert," Bradley replied with a slight grin. "Eat your dinner up, Richard. Mrs. Meyer has brought Swiss chocolate for us from Vienna. I want to see what cook has come up with for a pudding."

Richard nodded and sat up a little straighter. He began eating his dinner in earnest. Bradley looked down the table at Astrid and smiled encouragingly. The next three months should prove interesting he thought.

-0-

Hans met Sybil at the airport. They headed for the bus and then the streetcar with him carrying her two largest suitcases and her carrying a third smaller case.

"Always so much luggage," he ribbed her.

"I have eight cases of freight coming overland," Sybil replied with a smile.

"I have been lonely without you," he said.

"You've only been home a few days from Bonn," Sybil reminded him.

"Still I missed you and all the news of family," he replied with a grin. It was a mild spring day and the trees were starting to come out in bloom. Sybil couldn't help but feel a sense of the city healing itself and being alive with new life.

"It is nice to be home," Sybil commented once she was curled on the sofa in the living room with a cup of tea.

"Tell me of the family," Hans said.

"I almost don't know where to start," Sybil replied. Her parents were starting to make plans for her father's retirement in another four or five years. She told him about Dylan's new son, Garret's daughter and the little boy who had arrived at Hadley Hall the day before. He was a clever little boy even though he could barely read or write. He'd been reciting the countries of Europe and their capitals for Astrid before she'd left that morning.

"Redmond and Anna seem very happy together," Sybil said. "The children are happy to have a young mother to take care of them and spend time. Claire and Dalaigh call her Mama. Nanny is still there for when Redmond and Anna go out. They have their schedules arranged so Nanny only has to walk the children to school three times a week and keep an eye on homework and things if they are out."

"He was clever to steal her from us," Hans commented. "She will do a good job wherever she is."

"Being a mother isn't exactly a job," Sybil replied clucking him under the chin. "She's doing it because she loves my brother."

"You said they are not home three times a week."

"Anna is working three days a week and concert days for the Dublin Symphony. She has standing tickets as part of the job for Redmond and the children. She doesn't know how they found out she was in town or where she was but they came knocking on the door six weeks after the were married."

"She is well known in the music community, people talk," Hans said evasively.

"Hans did you have something to do with this?" Sybil questioned him narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I am not without some influence in Dublin," he replied. "Her notebook was quite interesting when I read through it. I gave a copy to her replacement less a few pages."

"What did you leave out?" Sybil asked.

"Notes on the patrons and their personal lives," he said. "She had listed everything you might want to know about visiting musicians. Which restaurants and hotels they like plus a few more things."

"A few more things?" Sybil questioned with raised eyebrows.

"If the men wanted extra company and which girl to call for that extra company," Hans said. "She was efficient."

"Oh my," Sybil replied. Her eyes opened slightly.

"It goes on," he said with a shrug. "My trip to Bonn was not as well planned as it should have been. Frau Baker did not confirm with the Bonn symphony to pay my hotel in advance or have a guide meet me. I told her for next time when I got back."

"No extra company provided, I hope," Sybil said still a bit shocked.

"Sybil," Hans said with a scowl. "I do not do these things and never have. I have given my word to you but some men do. It is more common than you think."

"The members did turn to Anna for help with almost every detail of their lives," Sybil said finally with resignation. "I can't imagine anyone asking her to find that for them though."

"Now we have Frau Baker. We have agreed to say she is a widow so her son may come to family events. It is a convenient white lie."

"It's for the best," Sybil replied. "Time for a bath and an early night."

"It is not even time for dinner yet," Hans pointed out.

"It is time to start working on that baby we've been talking about," Sybil said with a come hither smile.

"Perhaps I will take a bath as well," Hans said with an answering smile while he followed her into the other room.

-0-

Astrid took her seat and looked at the little boys assembled in the classroom. They were seated around the table with Astrid at the head. The boys ranged in age from seven to eleven. They all looked frightened and resigned to failure at the same time.

"Boys, the first thing we're going to do this morning is take turns reminding each other of the school rules, now that we have sung God Save the King," Astrid said. "This is going to be our morning routine for the next three months. Who volunteers to go first?"

Richard put up his hand and stood up. He was marginally more confident than the other boys as he'd had a private lesson day with Astrid before the other boys arrived and hadn't heard one disparaging comment.

"No calling names," he said.

The next boy stood up.

"Don't make fun of others when they fail and congratulate them when they succeed."

"Very good," Astrid said.

"Answer questions when asked."

"There is no head boy. We use first names because we are all friends."

"No hitting or bullying."

"Can any of you think of other rules we need other than no talking after lights out?" Astrid asked.

"No, Lady Astrid," they all answered slowly.

"Our school motto?" she asked.

The eldest boy stood up. "Numquam Cedite," he said. "Never give up."

"Very well said," Astrid said. "Our first lesson today is to listen to a story and then draw three pictures. The first picture will be about the beginning of the story, the second picture will be about what happened in the story and the third picture will be how the story ended. You may use any color you like to draw your pictures."

There was a great deal of apprehensive lip biting. Some of the boys were eyeing the brightly colored crayons and pencils in pots on the table in anticipation. Astrid took out her glasses with colored lenses and covers on the sides that made them resemble welder's goggles and put them on. Some of the boys stared with their mouths open. Astrid ignored them, picked up the book with the short story and began reading out loud.

None of the boys had any problems drawing the pictures or saying what their pictures were of when Astrid had each of them explain their work. When she handed each a piece of lined paper with a piece of larger bright blue paper underneath they looked at her quizzically.

"I want you all to try to write one or two sentences about each of the pictures you have drawn," Astrid said. "Today we are going to write with purple ink."

Some of the boys looked like they were going to burst into tears.

"I need to see where each of you are at," she said. "Don't be frightened. It's going to take time and trial to find a way for each of you to be able to write."

Richard got up and stood beside his chair. "I don't know how to write a sentence, Lady Astrid," He was the youngest.

"Think what you would like to say and try your best," Astrid said. "There is no right or wrong."

Astrid had anything that made a sound removed from the room. There were no ticking clocks and the windows were shut against the sounds of the birds chirping in the trees. Five of the boys were attempting to do the assignment. One of the older boys sat staring into space. Astrid had him come and stand beside her.

"Why aren't you trying to do your assignment, John," she asked him. She got a shrug.

"Our rules say you need to answer questions when asked," she reminded.

"I can't write. I never could," he said sadly.

"You never could before," Astrid corrected. "Never give up, Numquam Cedite. Now what was the hero's name?"

"Hercules," he said. His head was down and he was rocking from foot to foot.

"Bring your chair and papers beside me," Astrid instructed. She waited until he was seated. "Your first picture shows Hercules. Now try to write his name, don't worry about spelling." She slowly coached him through writing a sentence for each picture. When he was done she took a pair of glasses similar to her own from a box and had him put them on.

"Boys please listen while John reads you his sentences," Astrid said.

John stood hesitantly with his paper. He slowly and haltingly read back his three sentences to the class.

"I did it, I did it," he exclaimed excitedly.

"With no spelling errors," Astrid said. "Congratulations."

The other boys completed their work with varying levels of success. Astrid made notes on each boy's progress for herself.

"A short break for ten minutes," Astrid announced. "Older boys back here for arithmetic with Miss Wilson, younger boys downstairs in the study with me for reading. What does our schedule say for after lunch?"

The boys all quickly gathered at the schedule on the wall. There was a small picture of a horse and rider on the chart, followed by another picture of an artist's pallet and music notes. Each picture had an image of black silhouettes or a single silhouette beside it.

"Riding, Art and Music," one of the boys said. "Music is individual instruction, Lady Astrid."

"Change to riding attire after luncheon," Astrid said. "Richard, John and Malcolm will have individual music instruction during art time when your name is called. Off you go now. Be at your next class in ten minutes."

"I like school here already, Lady Astrid," Richard said to her with a wide grin with a tooth missing.

"Quick trip to the WC," Astrid reminded patting his shoulder and returning his smile. "Then down to the study for your reading class." She went to open the windows and let some air in while the boys were out of the room. She knew there would be smiles and tears as they went along. She had not doubt. She'd gotten two smiles that morning. It was a start.

Chapter 24 – At Home and Happy

Saturday evening of the first week with the boys at the house Bradley and Astrid went to visit with their friends and have a few drinks. The nanny was at the house with the boys. The boys were tired after the stress of their first week at the new school and had been going to bed early. Astrid and Bradley were both tired as well and didn't stay out too late with their friends. They got home and headed into their own room after checking on the two rooms with three boys each. They had more than enough space in the house to spread the boys out but wanted them to build camaraderie and companionship and not feel isolated. All six were fast asleep and dead to the world.

"Plans for tomorrow?" Astrid asked Bradley while they were getting changed.

"Church with six little boys followed by journals and an early night," Bradley replied. "I have office hours right after rounds Monday morning at the hospital, clinic in the afternoon, then a staff meeting. Don't expect me home until dinner time."

"The usual for a Monday," Astrid commented.

"How do you think the first week has gone?" Bradley asked.

"They're all reading with varying levels of success," Astrid said. "A few adjustments next week and we should be on our way. The thing is they're all on the first or second primer. The ten and eleven year olds are a good four years behind in their reading levels. The younger boys aren't quite as bad. They haven't struggled as long."

"Normal or above average in comprehension and retention?" Bradley asked.

"Exactly," Astrid replied. "Various levels of success in writing and mathematics. Every one of them is a whiz at problem solving. Music they all seem to have caught on to the color-coding. I'm going to have them all draw pictures for their parents tomorrow afternoon and attempt a few sentences."

"It doesn't leave much time for the foundation," Bradley said. He shuffled down in bed and pulled the covers up.

"I may be able to find a younger teacher in the recent graduates for the fall," Astrid said. "This all takes someone younger with a desire to try new and sometimes off beat techniques. I'm using a combination of research and personal experience with a healthy dose of different educational theories thrown in. It's all a big experiment at this point. I don't think there is a definitive answer to any of their issues. For now the secretary will have to deal with the majority of foundation correspondence until Kate gets back to things. I can only spare one or two hours a few times a week."

"It will come together in time," Bradley comforted her. "John attempting to write two to three sentences at once is a giant step from not being able or willing to write a thing when he got here a week ago."

"Do you fancy a fishing trip or maybe a game of croquet tomorrow once you've gotten your journals caught up?" Astrid asked him.

"With six little boys of course," Bradley replied with a grin. He pulled her close and curled himself around her back spoon style. He already had his eyes closed and was relaxing into the pillow.

"You had any doubt?" Astrid said with a smile in her voice as she clicked off the bedside light and snuggled back against her already sleeping husband.

-0-

Sybil sat down to her bowl of porridge and took a small spoonful. This last while she couldn't stomach the smell of fresh baked bread in the mornings. The yeast seemed to fill the room with an overpowering odor that drove her into another room.

"_It's strange,"_ she thought to herself. _"I wasn't like this with Hope." _She was fairly certain she was pregnant but it was still too early for a definitive test. She had plenty of energy, but the smell of bread could drive her to cross the street to get away from a bakery at the moment. Smells seemed to be out of proportion either making her mouth water or sending her running. She hadn't been sick in the mornings and her bust hadn't started to hurt. She felt completely normal except for the sensitivity to odors.

Sybil felt restless all morning, she couldn't settle herself to sewing. She got out her flute and started to play. While she was playing her thoughts couldn't help but turn back to the many times she had played her flute in the gardens at Downton when she was growing up. She thought of the times she had taught her younger brothers to play the recorder and the many times she had gotten mad at Garret for taking her flute without asking her permission. She couldn't help but feel uplifted as the memories washed over her. She put the sheet music to the side and played the birdcalls she used to practice when she was just a little girl. She didn't even notice when Hans came in from his teaching hours for lunch.

Hans stood and listened to his wife play. She switched from birdcalls to a piece she knew by heart. Sybil's playing was full of the joy she was feeling. Hans had never really heard her play before. She didn't normally practice the flute when he was home. She was better than he thought she would be. She could easily have made her way as a music teacher if she hadn't developed an interest in fashion.

"You sound happy," he said as the final notes of the piece died away.

"You startled me," Sybil said with a smile as she turned around. "I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to play. I feel so…"

"Happy?" he questioned.

"I am," Sybil replied. "It's as though something has happened but I don't know what. I just know everything is going to be alright."

"Angels," Hans replied. "They are bringing you a message of glad tidings."

"You always say that," Sybil said. She had put her flute in it's case and come over to give him a hug.

"You look," he paused. "Different somehow. I do not know how to explain it."

"My aversion to bread hasn't improved," Sybil replied with a grin. "If anything it's gotten worse. I'll have to go for a test next week."

"You think you are with child?" Hans asked with eyebrows raised and a hopeful expression on his face.

"It's quite possible," Sybil replied. "We have been trying."

"I will come with you to the doctor. We should find out now."

"Hans, it's too soon," Sybil said smiling. "Just be happy right now. The family is all settled and doing well, I have a business I enjoy, you have a job you love and we have each other. Could things possibly be any better?"

"No, Sybil of London and Vienna, they could not. I have been offered a solo in Rome. Do you think you might like to be Sybil of Rome?"

"Maybe for a day or two," Sybil replied smiling up at him. "My life is right here."

-0-

Hans pushed the pram down the slushy sidewalk just after the first of the New Year. Sybil was at his side holding his arm to keep her balance on the slippery streets. Their son, a healthy boy they had named Thomas was wrapped in blankets against the cold. They were on their way to the symphony offices for a party to welcome Baby Thomas. Sybil was smiling despite the cold and Hans was beaming with pride. Bobby had been for Christmas and talked of nothing but his plans for horticultural school, all the times he'd been to flying club and what he had planned for the grounds at Hadley Hall. He'd only stayed with them for two weeks the previous summer and spent the rest of it in England working on the grounds and helping out with the outdoor activities of a six weeks session Astrid had put on for dyslexic girls.

A middle aged woman wearing a blue dress with a floral print, a woman in her mid-twenties in an old fashioned dress, a man of about thirty and a young girl sat at a table in the window of a café and watched them walk past. Anyone noticing them there would have thought it was a young family out with their grandmother for afternoon.

"Hans is happy. I always knew he would be a good father," the older woman said.

"They're very happy when I visit," the little girl commented. "The last time they were crying with happiness." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Naill is throwing snowballs at some icicles and Yseult is coming. I'm going to make her drop her mitten so she has to stop and not get hurt."

"I'll see you in a bit, sweetheart," the man said. "Uncle Redmond is going into surgery soon. He's worried about it. I think I should be there."

Both the man and little girl were gone in a blink. The waitress who had served them and the people in the café couldn't remember if they had seen anyone sitting with the two women or what they had looked like.

"Sybil is happy and settled. The weight is finally off her heart," the younger woman in the old fashioned dress said. Her thick dark hair was pinned into an elaborate style appropriate to a garden party from before the Great War. "Tom has just ordered mashed potato and gravy with his lunch at the pub. After all the times a glass of water has knocked over onto his plate or the cap has come off the salt shaker when he's been about to eat something he shouldn't, you would think he'd catch on," she said.

"I must go as well," the older woman said. "My foolish daughter is in Tuscany this winter with her latest young man. She is always taking up with someone she should think twice about. She will never learn. The roof is leaking. She is about to get a surprise she will not like when the roof lets go. I will go and wake her up. We will catch up soon."

"Of course," the younger woman replied. "I think we'll be seeing Hans and Sybil with another baby in a year or so."

"I believe you are correct," the older woman said. "I must go. The ceiling is starting to creak."

The two women were gone as quickly as the man and little girl. It was though no one had been at the table that afternoon and no one would ever recollect seeing them there.

A crowd of Sybil and Hans' friends from the symphony was waiting for them to arrive at the offices. There was a pile of brightly wrapped gifts on a side table. Another table held sandwiches and snacks people had brought along to share. The tea and coffee were already passed out to help people warm up after the cold outside. One of the women was playing a popular tune on the upright piano they kept in the corner of the office.

"I could not be happier or prouder than I am today," Hans said to Sybil after one of the men had taken his and Sybil's coats to the cloakroom. Hans was looking for a convenient spot to tuck the pram out of the way.

"Neither could I, my love," Sybil replied while she held their son in her arms wrapped in a finely knit woolen shawl her mother had sent. "This day couldn't get more perfect if it tried."

_the end_

Note: And so finally ends a story I started as a short about Tom picking up a bratty Cousin Rose to escort to Downton. One big thing I've finally learned about writing long stories is to keep a journal of the characters. I did wind up mixing up one name from the last story to this one. There very well could be another. Thanks to one of the readers for pointing it out. That is one of the big problems of publishing a story while it is being written.

I picked Austria as a backdrop for this story for a lot of reasons. I think we hear a massive amount about WWII in England and in North America through popular movies and TV but we hear little about the reconstruction that went on in Austria. I made the story up around the rebuilding of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra although the real orchestra did undergo twenty years of rebuilding. Articles conflict on the reconstruction but through their own website there is a listing of academic articles that outline the struggle to rebuild through the 1950's and 60's. The Nazi regime had plans to tear down the Musikverein and move it to another location. The plan was halted due to bombing. Finally during the reconstruction a decision was made to leave it on it's original site and designate the old city as a cultural center. Sadly nine members of the orchestra perished in concentration camps during WWII. A number lived in fear of being detained because they had Jewish relatives. There was a huge struggle to keep the orchestra open during the war. About a fifth of the orchestra were Nazis and were sent to prison right after the war. The orchestra was a mess as well as the buildings. Today the Musikverein is a protected by UNESCO and the orchestra is one of the finest in the world and considered a national treasure. I wanted to write about the struggle of people who were caught up in circumstances and their efforts to rebuild the city along with their lives. Allied occupation of Austria ended in 1955 with the Austrian promise of perpetual neutrality.

I have to admit I'm feeling a bit vindicated at the moment after the rants I have received over how mean I am about Mary Crawley. The S4 spoilers say she spends very little time with her son and has trouble bonding with him as she sees her dead husband when she looks at him. She is a product of her class. What they considered a good mother and what we would are two entirely different things. I made Rose a good mother despite the fact that she absolutely never changes a diaper if she can help it. Women in the time period were in a time of change and pushing against societal barriers. WWII collapsed much of the control of the aristocracy and in some ways finished much of the life the Great Depression didn't. We are on to season four soon. It should be fun.


	46. Learning As We Go - Part One

_Someone asked for a story about Bradley and Astrid's school. I have this story almost done so will have it finished before the S-4 debut. There is a tiny bit of Tom and young Sybil so far. Hopefully I can release a part a day.._

Learning As We Go - Part One

Chapter One

"I can't, I can't, I can't," ten year old Malcolm Reid cried out. He threw his pencil on the table with enough force it bounced and flew across the room he put his head on the table, hammered his fists and stamped his feet.

"Boys a five minute break," their teacher Lady Astrid said. "John, please fetch a cold wash cloth from the washroom.

"Yes, Lady Astrid," John the eldest boy in the class replied above Malcolm's tantrum.

The five other boys filed out into the hall and headed towards the washroom and the stand in the hall where there were glasses and a picture of water for break time. This wasn't the first outburst in two months in their small school for boys with dyslexia and it probably wouldn't be the last. In the spring of 1951 Lady Astrid Branson had become so distressed with the plight of the boys she had decided to open her private school for the last three months of term two years ahead of schedule.

Malcolm had been through a great deal as a result of his learning problems and this was his second outburst in the last week. His parents had been on the verge of sending him to an institution. Astrid and her husband Bradley who was a neurologist believed Malcolm's outbursts were a result of a feeling of low self-importance and being told repeatedly by teachers and family members that he was mentally deficient.

John who was the oldest boy at eleven knocked on the door and handed Astrid the cloth. He went back to join the other boys who were playing marbles on the hall carpet during the break. Malcolm's tantrum had already settled to sobs when Astrid approached him.

"Wipe your face like a good boy, Malcolm," Astrid said.

"No," he replied. He pressed his face into his arms.

"Malcolm, crying and having a tantrum gets us nowhere," Astrid said in a no nonsense manner. "All you're going to accomplish is giving yourself red eyes and a sore head."

He lifted his head and sat up while still sniffling. Astrid took the cloth and wiped his face for him. She handed him a fresh handkerchief from the supply she kept in a drawer in a side desk.

"Malcolm come and sit by the window with me," she instructed. She opened the window to let in some air. It was a nice spring day. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze blowing. A group of chairs was arranged by the window and was the spot where Astrid took one of the boys aside for extra help or a quiet talk.

"Malcolm, you've got to learn to control your frustration," Astrid said quietly. "Everyone feels frustrated at times. Even the brightest person in the world can't do everything perfectly. It is part of growing up to learn how to cope with things we cannot change."

"I can't take the bus or train," he mumbled miserably. "I can't even go to the park by myself at home without getting lost."

"No one asked you to take a train by yourself and you're a bit young to be going to the park on your own," Astrid replied calmly. "We are going on a class outing tomorrow together. Learning how to cope with train schedules and the underground, asking directions and finding ways to be able to read the sign boards in a crowded noisy station is difficult for people who don't have problems with reading. For people like us it's even harder. It's going to take a great deal of practice and many, many class outings before you're ever ready to try anything this complicated on your own."

"What if we get lost and people laugh at us?" Malcolm said. He still hadn't looked up.

"Then the seven of us will be lost together. We'll pretend we're exactly where we want to be, find a teashop and then consult the maps and ask directions until we find our way back. Besides I have a secret weapon," Astrid said with a conspiratorial smile.

"You do?" Malcolm's head went up and his eyes were large.

"It's called a butler at my other house," Astrid said in a whisper. "I have the telephone number on a notepad in my bag. I can't read at all when I get really upset and sometimes I mix the numbers up too. I pull out all the stops and act like a snob. I have the shopkeeper telephone the butler and he drives over in the car to pick me up. Once I've had a cup of tea at home and a rest, I can find my way without any problems." She didn't add she hadn't resorted to calling the butler in over three years.

"I got lost once. I went out with some other boys. We were playing with our soapbox racers and I went too far. They went home and I couldn't find my way back. The policeman said I was a stupid boy because I couldn't remember the house number."

"Can you think of a way around that problem?" Astrid asked him.

"I cou… could have a little notebook to keep in my pocket when I go out with my address and telephone number like you keep in your bag. Then if I couldn't remember I … I could still give the police my telephone number so my parents or my nanny could come for me."

"That's a good suggestion. Do you think the other boys could benefit from your experience?"

Malcolm nodded.

"Go and pick up your pencil now, while I call the other boys back," Astrid said.

The class reassembled, Malcolm apologized to the other boys for disrupting the class. The lesson continued in what Astrid had decided to call life planning. The next day they were going on a train ride to London to visit her brother-in-law at his office and learn about architecture and what the job entailed. He would be accompanying them to the work site where his company was building an office tower on top of rubble that was left from the war in the financial district. The boys were all nervous but excited about the trip. Astrid had realized quickly part of the knowledge she would have to impart to the boys was how to cope with schedules, signboards, counting money and myriad of other tasks most people took for granted but seemed almost insurmountable hurdles to a group of boys with reading problems. Astrid had developed numerous small techniques over the years to allow herself to get around and be independent. It was going to take all of the boys years to develop the confidence and ability to travel and live on their own when they grew up and a great deal of practice.

"Kenneth can you review for the class where we are with planning so far?" Astrid asked one of the ten-year-old boys.

Kenneth stood and held up his sheet of paper.

"We are taking the eight o'clock train to London," he said. He pointed to a drawing of a face of a clock with the hands positioned at 8. He had neatly printed the time beside it. "We will get off at Waterloo Station." His issues focused more on language than on numbers.

"How can we make our plan so it's easier to recognize the station?" Astrid asked the group.

"I made the W on my sheet large and colored it blue with pencil, Lady Astrid," John said.

"We listen for the name when the conductor calls and we can look for a W at the beginning of the word on signs," Astrid said. "Two ways we can recognize the stop. Please continue Kenneth."

"From Waterloo station we take the underground grey line to Bond Street," Kenneth continued. He pointed to the symbols and things on his list.

"Very good," Astrid said. "Malcolm has a suggestion for the class. Would you please tell us what it is?"

Malcolm told the boys his idea for having a small notebook each so they would be able to find their way home or back to school if they were ever lost.

"I will go to the village shops while you are at riding this afternoon and purchase a pocket notebook for each of you," Astrid said. "Now on to the address we will be going to." She had the boys suggesting ways to make an address easier to recognize. They finally decided to try writing the numbers and letters of the address further apart on their plans to make the individual letters easier to recognize. Seven-year-old Richard wanted to bring along two large sheets of paper to hold up to cover extra letters to help him read but the other boys thought it wasn't very practical. In the end they agreed they could bring two small pieces of paper that would fit inside a pocket to block out extra words and they would try holding up their hands to isolate numbers and letters. By the end of the class Malcolm was smiling and happy about the trip. He was quite taken with himself making a suggestion the other boys thought was a good idea.

-0-

"Ready to go tomorrow?" Bradley asked his wife that evening. The boys had gathered in their housecoats for their evening story with Bradley before heading up to bed under the watchful eye of the nanny.

"I am. The boys are nervous," Astrid replied. "They each have a camera to take pictures. I don't think having them navigate public transport _and_ take notes on a first outing would be productive."

"No it wouldn't. They need baby steps. Let them build some confidence," Bradley said in agreement. "I wonder what the parents reaction is going to be when the boys do their end year presentations."

"I'm hoping for positive," Astrid replied. She leaned back and laid her head on Bradley's shoulder. "Malcolm could do with some positive words from his father."

"We can only hope his father sees the light," Bradley replied.

-0-

"You all look very smart," Astrid said the next morning. The nanny and the other teacher had the day free. The boys were dressed and breakfasted and ready to leave for the station. They had on their blazers and ties and were carrying their cameras. Dennis and Ronald two of the younger boys each had a satchel with train schedules, maps and the boys' written plans for how they were going to navigate between the school and the stops that were planned for the day. "Heads up boys. You have a great deal to be proud of. Today you will take turns navigating our excursion. Our motto?"

"Never give up," they replied as a chorus.

They walked to the train station. Astrid gave Kenneth an envelope with the money to purchase tickets. She had him take the change to a small table to check it to make sure he had the correct amount. He did well counting the coins as they were all different sizes. Once he got to the bills he got stuck. A worried frown wrinkled his brow.

"Ideas how to deal with the paper money anyone?" Astrid asked them.

"I know," Richard exclaimed excitedly. He pulled his small notebook from his pocket and retrieved two small brightly colored pieces of paper from inside. He laid the paper over the bill so only the denomination was showing.

"F…I…V…five," Kenneth read aloud. "The clerk gave us the right change," Kenneth said confidently. He smiled at Astrid.

"Good work and good thinking Richard," Astrid said. Her method was to give the boys techniques to cope but also to have them solve problems and find many of the solutions that would work for them themselves.

Getting on the train in Horsham was easy enough as the station wasn't that busy. When they got to London the boys all stopped the second they got off the train. They were all from well off families and had been through the station many times, but they had only to hang onto their parents or nannies to find their way. This was a whole new experience. Three of the boys looked as though they were about to break into tears. Astrid got them over to the side to get them away from the hustle and jostling of the crowd.

"Do any of you know what we have to look for?" she asked.

"The underground grey line," John replied. His eyes were darting every which way.

"The first thing to remember is we help each other," Astrid said. "Younger boys, each of you take the hand of one of the older boys."

The boys organized themselves quickly.

"I'll give you a hint. Most things have symbols. Remember I told you words are only symbols for things they represent. The underground has a symbol as well as words. Where could we find that symbol?"

Her only responses were unresponsive headshakes and shuffled feet.

"Now boys. Yesterday you looked at something to find out what underground line we needed. What was it?"

Dennis and Malcolm opened the folder from Dennis' satchel and took out the brochure for the underground. They looked at it closely.

"A red and blue sign," Malcolm said. He showed the other boys the symbol on the brochure.

"There it is," Dennis said pointing to the underground sign further down the station. There was some discussion as to how to find a northbound train or a southbound train. Once they were on the underground Astrid was surrounded by a group of very serious faces.

"Are we lost or right where we should be?" she asked them.

"We're going the right way I think, Lady Astrid," John replied.

"We are. Take heart everyone. The first time is the hardest. By this time next year if we are all still together you will have this all figured out."

"We only need two stops. Ours should be next," Ronald said. His face was serious with concentration.

When they finally arrived at Bradley's office the boys looked tired and in need of a short break.

"I think a short break is in order," Astrid said. "I'll speak to Mr. Branson when we arrive. Then we can get on with our tour."

"Any problem getting here boys?" Bradley asked them after he had welcomed the boys and Astrid to the offices. The boys had all been given a glass of water and had a few minutes to use the facilities.

"We made it the entire way and never got lost once, Mr. Branson," Malcolm replied with a deadpan expression.

"That's a very big accomplishment in a large city like London," Dylan said just as seriously.

"We figured out how to get here ourselves," Malcolm said with his head down. He suddenly looked up and smiled when he realized the group had just accomplished something the day before he had been convinced he couldn't do.

"Getting lost isn't the end of the world," Dylan told the boys with a smile. "It's only an adventure with a different name."

He got a round of smiles in return. Astrid was proud of the boys and the questions they asked while they were at the office where Dylan worked. They had their cameras ready and took pictures of the different things Dylan showed them. Dennis was fascinated with the scale models of different buildings and was busy trying to take as close a picture as possible while John was equally as busy taking pictures of the other boys gathered around Dylan's drafting table or looking at the different pictures of buildings hanging on the walls.

They walked the few blocks to the building site. The six boys took pictures of everything until they ran out of film. Dennis was the first to run out of film with Richard right behind. Kenneth was carefully meeting out his pictures while John was snapping pictures of the other boys taking pictures. By the time they stopped for lunch excitement was running high.

"How did you decide to become an architect, Mr. Branson?" John asked Dylan seriously while they were having lunch.

"I like to draw and paint," Dylan replied. "It seemed a good career choice where I could use the things I like to do while I earn a living at the same time."

"Oh," John replied. "My father is a lawyer because his father and granddad were lawyers and all my uncles."

"My brothers and I all looked at what we were good at and then tried to find careers that went along with our interests," Dylan said.

"I'm supposed to run the family business when I grow up," Kenneth contributed. "My father was mad that I couldn't read. He said it was because I didn't want to."

"Grown ups don't always understand," Dylan replied seriously.

"Mr. Branson was one of the people who first designed the music system you're all using," Astrid said.

"It's so easy with the colors," Dennis commented.

"I had forgotten about that," Dylan remarked. "Lady Astrid was just a little girl at the time. My younger brother was trying to teach her to play piano and we somehow got an idea to color the notes. That was it. She started playing piano that very day."

"Did you learn to read and write the same day, Lady Astrid?" Richard asked her.

"No, it took a long time of experimenting with different colored glass and inks and different techniques for about two or three years before I could read and write well enough to keep up to my peers," Astrid replied. "You've all learned many things quite quickly because we now know a great deal more about what techniques to try to get you on the road to managing."

"Didn't you want to give up?" Malcolm asked her.

"I did give up for a time, Malcolm," Astrid replied with a soft smile. "Then my older brother took an interest in me and I didn't want to disappoint him, so I kept trying. Pretty soon I didn't want to disappoint myself and I tried even harder. We tried different techniques and experimented until things improved. I'm not going to lie and pretend all your problems are going to suddenly go away, but they do get a great deal easier to deal with once you find a way to manage that works for you and you get used to your own way of doing things. Eventually you will take a bus or a train and make your trip plan as a matter of routine. I'll show you all, my schedule from my last year of university. I still have it back at the house. It might not have been the same as other peoples', but my own system stood me well."

"I have to get back to work," Dylan said.

The little boys thanked him again for taking them around. Astrid had the boys take out their maps and find where they were on a large inset. Counting blocks to the nearest underground station and back tracking to Horsham was a great deal easier than the trip to town. The boys who still had a bit of film left were busy taking pictures of the other boys. The final picture as the last camera ran out of film was of Richard carefully masking the numbers at the train platform to check if they were about to board the right train.

The group stopped at the pharmacy in the village to drop off the film for processing on their way back to Hadley Hall.

"You've all done so well today, we will have free choice this afternoon," Astrid said when they arrived at the house. "We have about an hour of class time left. We'll meet back in the classroom in five minutes. I'm very proud of all of you. You did very well."

Astrid arrived in the classroom expecting to see all the boys working on art projects, which was one of their favorites. She was surprised when she entered the room to find all of them reading their various primers.

"_A little success at a difficult task goes a long way,"_ she thought as she took her seat to do some marking while the boys read.

Chapter Two

"Mr. Reid. I am not a miracle worker," Astrid said in annoyance during the year-end parent teacher interviews. The boys had their parents at Hadley Hall for the last day of school. Astrid was meeting with each set of parents before the boys headed out. Before luncheon the boys had put on a short presentation for their parents. Astrid had allowed them to choose their own topics. John had done a presentation on architecture, Kenneth had played the clarinet andthe other boys had chosen everything from reciting poetry to a short skit. The parents had nodded and clapped politely and made appreciative comments until it was Malcolm's turn. The parents had sat in stunned silence while Malcolm gave a speech about what he had learned about getting around on transit and techniques for knowing where you were and not getting lost. The other boys had all smiled and clapped enthusiastically. Astrid had smiled and nodded. His mother had sniffled into a hanky and dabbed her eyes while his father sat with his mouth slightly open.

"What kind of nonsense are you teaching my son?" Mr. Reid snapped. "What use is drawing pictures to find his way around on the trains and underground? He needs to be able to read and write like a normal child."

"Your son isn't a normal child but neither is he mentally deficient in any way," Astrid retorted quickly. "His tantrums are coming under control, he's progressed a full year in his reading level in the last three months and he's gaining confidence. Learning to get around when you can't read the signs in a crowded, noisy station is part of the skills he will need if he is going to live any kind of normal life when he grows up."

"Malcolm needs to be taken care of by professionals," Mr. Reid stated stubbornly.

"Mr. Reid, he is being taken care of by professionals," Astrid said just as stubbornly. "What your son needs is your support. He needs to hear that he is doing well from your lips and praise for what he has accomplished. It is an accomplishment for a boy who was frightened to walk into the village with the other boys in fear he might get lost to now be able to do that with confidence. Malcolm is a bright boy. He's artistic and learns quickly in a non-judgmental environment. Once he overcomes his fear of failure and ridicule he can achieve anything he wants to."

"Lady Astrid what are your suggestions?" Mrs. Reid asked.

"I suggest Malcolm continue to practice his reading and music over the summer. Let him read out loud to you and praise him for his efforts. Don't give in to his tantrums. I've found it best to let him cry it out and then talk to him calmly about why he is upset once he has calmed down," Astrid paused. "I would hope you choose to send him back here for the fall term. I don't feel he is ready for a boys' school with larger classes even with a private tutor."

"You say he is a bright boy, Lady Astrid and yet you don't think he can function in a normal environment," Mr. Reid said. He still wasn't ready to give up on his disappointment and doubt.

"Mr. Reid, your son needs time to build confidence. I'm not saying he won't be able to attend a boys' school and take part in classes in a few years. What I am saying is let him have the time to build confidence and find ways to deal with his problems. Once he has mastered techniques to deal with his issues, there is no reason he will not be able to continue on to university and succeed in the profession of his choice."

"You're optimistic," Mr. Reid said.

"I'm realistic," Astrid stated firmly. "Your son is never going to pick up the Sunday paper and read it over breakfast or be able to read the sign board in a crowded station at a glance. That is reality and you need to accept it. What he is going to be able to do is find ways to cope, have a career that he can manage and be a productive member of society but only if he has your support. I'm sorry if my words sound harsh."

"You certainly are determined," Mr. Reid replied.

"Malcolm has been given up on by his father as I was," Astrid said firmly. "I know how he feels."

"And yet you graduated from Cambridge, Lady Astrid, in spite of everything?" Mrs. Reid asked hopefully.

"Yes, I have a degree with first class distinction," Astrid replied. "My schedule may not have looked like the other students with my little drawings, my examination table was covered with Christmas wrap and I took notes in the brightest shade of pink I could find. I succeeded on my own terms. Your son can do the same."

"Thank you, Lady Astrid," Mrs. Reid said. "Malcolm will be back this fall." She looked at her husband with determination. "I insist."

"Very well," Mr. Reid said with a sigh. "A manor house is preferable to an institution."

"Please encourage your son," Astrid said as she stood to see the parents out. "You'll find it will make all the difference."

-0-

Bobby pushed the wheelbarrow to a stop by the first bed of roses and picked up his clippers to dead head the bushes. He liked caring for the roses at the side of the house. Gardening was his favorite thing to do. There was something grounding about working with plants and soil. He could still remember when he'd come to the country as an evacuee child and his now guardian Sybil had put him to work planting potatoes. He'd gone out to the garden every day to check if the potatoes were up. He'd spent almost an entire night staring at the ground waiting for the first sign of green until Sybil caught him and forced him to go to bed.

The vegetable gardens and green houses at the house were huge. They supplied the house, the house in London, Bradley's uncle and at least half a dozen of Astrid and Bradley's friends with produce. The more Bobby thought about it the more he thought they should put in one or two more green houses and have a market garden. There were still shortages in the shops. Everyone had thought things would get better after the war and some things had. The demand for agricultural products and produce hadn't diminished one bit. It seemed to have increased and with it the seasonal shortages. There was no sense in worrying about it now, he thought as he worked. He still had another year of school and then four years of horticulture school to attend. There was a small older greenhouse at the very back of the other greenhouses. He was thinking over the possibility of putting in a mushroom bed when he was disturbed by the sound of feminine laughter. He looked up to see where the sound was coming from. He went back to work when he spotted Astrid and one of the new teachers who was a recent graduate sitting with the group of girls under the shade of a large tree. The dozen girls had arrived that morning and he hadn't met any of them yet.

Astrid had decided to have a six week program for girls at the house and he had volunteered to stay at the house that summer work on the gardens and help out whenever there was an outing or outdoor activity. They had gone to Vienna for two weeks to see Sybil and Hans. Sybil was pregnant and kept vomiting when she got the smell of bread. They hadn't been able to bring any in the house. Bobby had spent time with Hans and Bradley, visited with his friends and gone on a boat trip on the river Hans had arranged. It had a grand time. His mind couldn't help turning to Anna Brunner. She'd changed since Christmas. She had developed an interest in competitive skiing and she certainly wasn't interested in aviation or gardening as he was. They really hadn't that much to talk about. They were still friends and he would get together with her and her sister and the extended friend group when he was in Vienna but now he was glad he had never tried to kiss her or hold her hand. It would have made things messy and put a damper on his group of friends when he visited Vienna.

Bobby finished his pruning and switched tools to work on straightening the grass edging around the rose beds. Anyone who spotted him would think he was one of the gardeners. He laughed to himself. Not a soul would ever suspect he could afford to hire his own team of gardeners and direct their activities but it wasn't whom he was or what he wanted to do. Sybil's family was unconventional and he was no exception. He was almost finished his work when a pair of shoes appeared in his vision.

"Hello," Bobby said looking up at a girl of around sixteen. She was wearing a sundress and had a brightly colored scarf tied around her head to hold her hair back.

"Hello," she replied shyly. "Might I have a rose for my room?"

"What color would you like?" Bobby asked her. He stood up. The girl was slightly shorter than him with fair hair and blue eyes.

"Any color," she said biting her lip.

"There's a nice martini rose over here," Bobby said. "They can difficult to grow." He took the clippers and cut a long stemmed pink tea rose for her. He trimmed the leaves and removed the thorns with his gloves on before he handed it to her. "Ask the butler for a vase. I'm sure we have a bud vase you can use around somewhere."

The girl looked at Bobby with a puzzled frown then took her rose.

"Thank you," she said.

"Your welcome," Bobby replied. He returned to his work and finished off with the roses. He didn't think anything more about the encounter as he mind was already on his new mushroom bed. He would show the article he had read to the two older gardeners and get their input before he started moving the horse manure and straw into the old greenhouse for his project.

-0-

The first week of Astrid's summer program for girls had gone by in a blink. She had hired two more teachers who were both recent graduates. All the boys from last year had signed up for fall plus another six. She'd had more inquiries but she was convinced the small class sizes were the key to the success she'd had so far with the boys. There had been inquiries from girl's families as well for the fall, but mixing boys and girls in a school that was in their own home could invite problems that neither Bradley nor Astrid was interested in dealing with.

Bobby had gone out to dinner and overnight with a friend from school the first night the girls were in. Then promptly headed off to London for two nights with Dylan and Kate. It was a well-known family joke that Dylan would rather paint pictures of the flowers in the garden than prune them or pull a weed. The garden was left to the butler's care when Bobby wasn't available and in his opinion it was as good as no care. They had sent him off on his jaunt around since Astrid didn't need his help until the weekend. The girls were in for an intensive study session with outings on Saturday and Sunday afternoon when she would need Bobby's help with the younger girls.

To Astrid's surprise she had received applications for the session from girls aged eight through sixteen. Nine of the girls were between eight and eleven while the three oldest were fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. They had all be struggling through school and doing poorly over the years. The war had interrupted the oldest girl's educations and the parents had been happy to foster other interests. Once the war was over and the girls' schools had reopened their difficulties had become apparent. Despite their parents taking them to doctors and for testing there had been little in the way of information beyond the initial diagnosis. It was the exact problem Astrid had faced and was seeing over and over again. A six week summer program was a poor substitute for full-time instruction but it was all she could offer the girls at the moment.

"You're back early," she said to Bobby when he came in the front door and stopped by the study to say hello.

"I had to get back and check on my flowers before dinner," he said with a grin. "Where are all the girls? I thought you'd have them working until the dinner bell."

"It's Friday. I think they deserve a bit of time for themselves on such a nice day," Astrid replied. "Semi-casual for dinner tonight, formal for Sunday only. How were things with Kate and Dylan?"

"What you would expect. The garden was suffering," Bobby replied.

"I wasn't asking about the garden," Astrid replied with a chuckle.

"Normal. The baby cried. Kate was out and Dylan panicked," Bobby said with a laugh. "He thinks the baby is going to break at any second if he makes a squeak."

"He's a doting father," Astrid said with a smile. "There are letters from the family in Ireland if you want to read them."

"What have you got planned for the girls that you need my help with?" Bobby asked.

"Bradley will be home tomorrow and Sunday, and the teachers will be off so it will be just the three of us. Nanny will be on duty Saturday and Sunday evening. I had planned riding around the area, splashing about in the pond, fishing if any of them are interested and perhaps a campfire and sing along tomorrow night."

"We could do star gazing tonight if any of them are up for it," Bobby suggested. "It's a nice clear night."

"Good idea," Astrid replied. "I'm saving a trip to the sea shore for later on. It works into part of what they're learning but I can't manage a dozen by myself."

"Well, I'm going to read the family letters, get changed and get out to the garden for a bit," Bobby said.

"The gardens will survive without your watchful eye," Astrid teased him.

"Never hurts to check," Bobby replied with a grin.

It wasn't long and Bobby was changed and walking through the gardens with a pail and clippers removing dead flowers and generally puttering around. He was on the balcony checking the potted arrangements when he spotted the girl from earlier in the week walking through the roses. He headed down the stairs and went to go talk to her.

"Hello again," he said.

"Oh hello," the girl replied. "These roses are so lovely. There are some very interesting varieties here."

"I added a few new ones last year," Bobby said. "Would you like another rose for your room?"

"Please," she replied biting her lips.

Bobby chose a peace rose with a large flower that was just starting to bloom.

"Are you interested in roses?" he asked as he cut and trimmed the blossom for her.

"We have a few in the garden at home, but not this many," she replied. "I haven't seen you all week. I've come out every day."

"I was away for a few days," Bobby replied. "There's another garden with quite a few roses on the site of the old cottage."

"Oh, I don't know where that is," she said uncertainly. "I should get back for dinner."

"I should go myself," Bobby said. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye," she replied before she headed into the house. She paused at the door to glance back at him before she disappeared.

Chapter 3

Malcolm Reid sat at the dinner table at his family home. He clenched his fork in his hand so hard it felt like it might break. His grandparents were over for Sunday dinner. His father had told him he looked ridiculous wearing special glasses to read the day before. His father was hardly ever home. He'd come home that weekend and Malcolm wanted to read aloud to him so he could show him how far he'd managed to get in the primers. Lady Astrid had praised his reading and so had Dr. Branson. He could read out loud without his sentences being jerky. He was reading everyday so he could catch up to his age group and someday go to a school with lots of boys and have a big group of friends. Sitting at the dinner table his family had started exchanging stories about the silly things he had done. They were all having a good laugh at his expense and Malcolm was getting mad. He wanted to have a tantrum and scream at them to stop.

He took a deep breath. Dr. Branson had told him when he felt like he was going to loose control to take a breath and count to ten. He set down his knife and fork, wiped his face on his napkin and slowly got up to stand beside his chair.

"Malcolm, what's the matter?" his mother asked. She always said how she wanted him to do well but they were only words. She had been laughing along with the rest.

Malcolm turned his plain face towards his mother. He had a round face, brown hair that stood up in a cowlick no matter how much the nanny tried to wet it down and his adult teeth weren't fully grown. He was a plainer than plain boy on the surface.

"Making fun of people because they don't know something is rude," Malcolm said calmly.

"Now see here young man. I won't stand for your impudence," his father blustered throwing his napkin on the table.

"You are laughing at me and it's rude," Malcolm reiterated. "I didn't point out you aren't holding your knife properly or that Mummy set the table with the wrong knife and forks for fish. I know the difference and you don't. Does that make you stupid?"

"I'm going to paddle your backside until you learn some manners," his father said reaching to grab his arm.

"Stop," Mrs. Reid said. "We didn't mean to laugh at you Malcolm. No one thinks you're stupid."

"You're supposed to encourage people when they fail and praise them when they succeed, but you don't. I learned that at my school," Malcolm said. The anger had gone out of him. He was a bit frightened he was going to get spanked. The tears were threatening to come.

"How do you know what knife and fork to use?" his grandfather asked. Malcolm's father had let go of Malcolm's arm and sat back down.

"Lady Astrid and Dr. Branson taught us. We went for a tour of parliament with Dr. Branson's uncle. Afterwards we went to his club for lunch. I know what the knife and fork should be. We had fish for lunch."

"And who is this exalted uncle who took you for a tour and lunch?" Mr. Reid asked sarcastically.

"Lord Newtonmore. He used to be in parliament but he retired," Malcolm said.

"Lord Newtonmore would not spend his time taking a bunch of illiterate boys around parliament," Mr. Reid said in disbelief. "You're lying."

"I'm not lying. He's Dr. Branson's uncle. You can ask him," Malcolm said defiantly.

"I'm going to telephone him right now and prove that you are lying," Mr. Reid said.

"Go ahead," Malcolm replied. "It's only six. They don't have dinner until seven on Saturday."

"Malcolm sit down and finish your dinner while your father is on the telephone," Mrs. Reid said.

"I'd like to go to my room. May I be excused," Malcolm said.

"It may be best," his mother replied.

Malcolm kept his anger in until he got to his room. He took his pillow, imagined it was his father's head and gave it a few good punches before he sat on the side of the bed and cried. They were so mean to laugh. He'd been trying so hard and they still laughed at him. He got out his pocket notebook from the drawer beside his bed. Kenneth had asked him to come to visit at his country home at the end of summer. Malcolm wished he could go now. He opened the notebook to the page with Kenneth's address and telephone number. He had drawn a large letter K at the top of the page in purple and put a little crown over it. Kenneth was going to inherit a title someday. Lady Astrid had said little reminders could help them find things in their personal notes quicker. Each boys' name in his book had a special symbol that showed it was their page.

Malcolm went to his desk and got out his writing things. He would write to Kenneth and ask if he could come earlier. He was determined to write the letter even if it took him all night. Malcolm had managed to get the address on the letter when there was a tap on the door.

"Malcolm please come down stairs. Your father has something he wants to say," Mrs. Reid said.

Malcolm went downstairs. He stood behind his chair at the dining room table. His father cleared his throat.

"It seems an apology is in order. You weren't lying about going to parliament and Lord Newtonmore, the Marquess of Flintshire is in fact Dr. Branson's uncle. Now do you have something to say?"

"I accept your apology," Malcolm said. It was something he had learned to say at school. Lady Astrid had insisted they accept apologies politely. "I shouldn't have told you about holding your knife wrong, even though you were."

"I guess I've been told," Mr. Reid said with a slight smile.

"I'd like to go visit my friend Kenneth early," Malcolm said. "I'm writing him a letter to see if I can come early."

"If you like dear," Mrs. Reid replied to humor her son.

"May I be excused?" Malcolm asked.

"You may," his father said. When Malcolm left the room he looked at the others. "I'd like to see him write a letter. I can't imagine how he'd manage it."

"He'll forget it by morning," Malcolm's grandmother said.

The family turned back to their conversation with Malcolm's desire to visit his friend completely forgotten.

-0-

"Girls, this is Mr. Sinclair," Bradley said once everyone had collected in the drawing room before dinner. "He's a member of Lady Astrid and my family. He'll be helping with outings on weekends and if you have outdoor activities through the week. I'll let you introduce yourselves over dinner."

"Hello," Bobby said. He smiled at the group of girls in the drawing room. He'd changed to a jacket and tie for dinner. It was too warm for a vest. He wasn't too fond of being called Mr. Sinclair. At school they were all Mr. this or that in class and then turned around and called each other by their first names in the dorms. "I hope you're all enjoying your stay at Hadley Hall," he said.

"Mr. Sinclair suggested star gazing for tonight for any of you who would like to attend," Astrid said. "We'll meet in the main hall at nine."

The butler opened the doors for the dining room before any of the girls had a chance to say anything.

"Hello, again," Bobby said to the girl he had met out in the garden. She looked at him coldly and stuck her nose in the air.

Bobby shrugged and went to his usual spot at the table after he held chairs for some of the girls. He moved to hold the chair for the unknown rose girl but she took her seat before he could get there. He was seated with some of the youngest girls and talked to them during the meal. He stole a few glances down the table. The rose girl as he had dubbed her was talking to Astrid and pointedly ignoring him. He turned back to one of the little girls who was asking about the horses in the stables.

"Where are your Mummy and Daddy?" one of the little girls asked him while the fruit and cheese was being served for dessert.

"My parents live in Vienna," Bobby replied. "I go to school in England and spend time here and with our family in London."

"Are your parents Austrian?" one of the older girls asked. All eyes had turned to Bobby.

"No, my guardian is English and her husband is German," he replied.

"My parents went to France for the summer," the girl said. "They sent me here. I don't mind."

"We'll keep you so busy the summer will be over before you know it," Astrid commented.

"It is fun here, Lady Astrid," a little girl named Emily said. She quickly turned back to Bobby. "Can you tell us a story about when Lady Astrid was little? Please?" She pleaded with Bobby. She was a rather precocious child and a bit of a chatterbox.

"Let's see," Bobby replied. "When I first moved here Lady Astrid had a medical kit her brother had bought her. It had a real stethoscope in it. She showed the younger children how to use it to listen to each other's hearts. We used to play with it all the time." Bobby paused and got a smile on his face. "What Lady Astrid doesn't know is one night I snuck her stethoscope outside so I could listen to the ground. I wanted to know if the peas and potatoes were growing and I thought I might be able to hear them if I listened carefully."

"Bobby, you didn't!" Astrid exclaimed. All of the little girls tittered. The older ones got a smile on their faces.

"You better not be sneaking my stethoscope out to listen to your precious roses," Bradley said with a smile.

"My roses are growing perfectly without having to listen to their roots," Bobby replied evenly. "Now the cabbages in the vegetable garden do make the most peculiar cracking sound when they grow."

"They don't!" the rose girl blurted out.

"They do if you listen carefully after you water them," Bobby replied seriously.

"I thought you were the gardener, Mr. Sinclair," she said quietly. She looked down at her napkin embarrassed by her outburst.

"I'm afraid our Mr. Sinclair has been sticking his nose into all things to do with our gardens ever since he was a little boy," Astrid said. "There isn't a thing about the grounds here that he doesn't know including what cabbages sound like when they are watered."

All of the little girls twittered when Bobby's face went pink. The rose girl smiled down the table at him before she cut her apple slice in half and took a bite.

"I don't know your name," Bobby said to the rose girl as they were leaving the table.

"Primrose Carpenter," she replied. "You should have told me you weren't the gardener's boy."

"What can I say Miss Carpenter? I've always had a yen for gardens," Bobby replied. "Are you interested in roses? I have a number of books on gardening in the library including the Royal Horticultural Society's book of roses. There are some excellent color photographs in it." He blurted out in a rush.

"I do like roses, very much," Primrose replied. "I like other flowers too."

"Would you like the see my collection of gardening books?" Bobby asked. Everyone usually humored him about his collection.

"I would another time," she said. "I think I have to change if I'm going to join the group to go star gazing."

"Maybe tomorrow?" Bobby asked hopefully.

She smiled shyly and nodded. Once she was out of sight Bobby glanced at the clock then tore up the stairs to his room. He had to get changed himself if he was going to help Bradley and Astrid with taking the girls out to look at the stars.

If Bobby had any thoughts about sitting next to Primrose when they spread the blankets on the ground he and Bradley had carried out to one of the pastures the idea was firmly squashed by Emily the precious girl from dinner plopping herself on one side of him and two of her little friends plunking themselves on the other side. Bobby glanced over to see Primrose and the other older girls in a group lying on their backs watching the stars begin to appear in the night sky.

Bradley pointed out constellations and told the different legends to do with each of them. Emily the chatterbox had an endless string of questions for Bobby until she started to tire and fell asleep on the blanket. Bobby got up from between the pile of sleeping girls and glanced about in the moonlight to see if he could find another spot. He took a spare blanket and dropped it on the ground for a seat beside the older girls.

"Why aren't you watching the little ones?" one of the girls asked him.

"They're all asleep," he said quietly.

"I thought it was rather quiet all of a sudden," the girl said. The other one Bobby didn't know tittered slightly. He reached in his pocket and produced a bar of Swiss chocolate. He handed it to Primrose.

"One of the advantages of going to Vienna twice a year to visit," Bobby said.

"I can't accept," Primrose said. She went to hand it back.

"It's for all of you," Bobby replied. She nodded and broke off a piece of the chocolate before handing it to the other girls.

"You must travel a great deal," one girl said. "I never go anywhere."

"Ireland, Yorkshire, Vienna, London, home and school," Bobby replied. "That isn't all that much."

"What's Ireland like?" Primrose asked shyly. "My father says it's an awful place."

"It's not awful. The people are friendly and we have loads of family over there. Everything is green. It rains all the time and the grass and flowers grow like mad."

"I'll have to have a word with your father when he comes to collect you," Bradley said. He was on the next blanket and could hear their conversation in the night air.

"Bradley, Dr. Branson that is, was raised in Ireland," Bobby said.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Branson. I didn't mean to be insulting," Primrose called to him.

"Go to a place and see for yourself what it's like," Bradley replied. "Don't take other people's word for it."

"I spent the summer in Ireland a few years ago," Bobby commented. "I didn't have any problems getting the flowers to grow with all the wet. Keeping the rust spots off the roses was a problem though."

"You really do garden all the time?" Primrose asked with a smile in her voice.

"Amongst other things," Bobby replied smiling back at her.

"Time to take this lot in," Bradley said. "It's starting to get cold."

Bobby trudged back to the house carrying Emily piggyback style. She had barely woken up long enough to be hoisted onto his back. Some of the girls carried blankets while the older ones held the younger by the hand so they wouldn't trip in the dark. By the time Bobby climbed the stairs and set Emily down the other girls had disappeared into their rooms. He went to his own room that evening thinking about a girl who liked roses and how much he would like to take her for a walk through the gardens one evening on their own.

Chapter 4

"Are you helping with an activity this morning, Mr. Sinclair," Primrose asked Bobby.

"Not until this afternoon," Bobby replied on Saturday morning. "Dr. Branson and I will be taking everyone fishing this afternoon, or swimming in the pond, whichever they prefer."

"Would you have time to show me your books?" she asked. Her gaze was focused on the crust from her toast that was left on her plate.

"Yes, I would. I'll meet you in the library in five minutes?" Bobby asked her.

She nodded and smiled at him shyly.

Bobby cleared his spot and almost tripped running up the stairs to his private washroom. He washed his face, checked to make sure he hadn't missed any spots shaving, brushed his teeth for the second time that morning and primped until he was sure he had used up the allotted five minutes. He left his room and dashed down the stairs then sauntered through the hall as though he had all the time in the world.

"Drat," he muttered when he arrived to find Primrose wasn't already there. He went to the shelf and got the book of roses. It was a heavy book in full color and was the pride of his collection. He had just set the book on the desk when she arrived. He noticed she had changed into a dress from a pair of shorts since breakfast. They looked through the book on roses, then on to a book about flowers and another about vegetables.

"Are you planning to work with plants after you finish school?" Bobby asked her.

"I don't know," Primrose replied hesitantly. "My parents want me to marry and settle down but I don't think that is very likely."

"Why not?" Bobby asked.

Her only reply was a self-conscious shrug.

"But what do you want to do, when you finish school?" Bobby pressed. It was a question he heard often enough from family members. "I've already got the college I want to go to chosen and the courses I want to take."

"I'd like to work at a nursery or greenhouse where they grow flowers," Primrose admitted. "I know it sounds silly and not the thing for a banker's daughter."

"I don't think it sounds silly at all," Bobby replied. "There's no reason you can't. Most of my friends at school have plans to do something agricultural based. I've got all sorts of ideas for the grounds here once I finish college. I'm starting a mushroom growing experiment to see if I can manage a supply for the house. I'm going to get the beds laid out on Monday."

"There's a big reason I can't go to college," Primrose said resignedly. "I'll be lucky if I finish school."

"Astrid managed it and did quite well," Bobby replied. He was forever forgetting to add the title when he spoke to other people outside the family.

"I've only managed to get the words on the pages to come clearer this week," she replied.

"I hardly think working in a greenhouse or running a market garden requires you know the history of England or all the monarchy in order," Bobby said. "A lot of what they teach you in school seems a bunch of drivel I'll never use. Let's walk to the old cottage. We have time before lunch."

"I can't go off with you alone, Mr. Sinclair," Primrose said primly.

"Call me Bobby and it's not a cottage anymore. It's a memorial garden. You can see it from the front of the house. We refer to it as the old cottage."

"Alright," Primrose said with a smile. "You can call me Primrose."

-0-

Malcolm Reid held his letter in his hands nervously that morning. He'd worked hard on his letter. His printing was still beginner level. He had to use two lines to form the letters but he had done it. He'd put a great deal of thought into what to say. In the end he'd written one sentence.

_Kenneth_

_I would like to come visit you early._

_Malcolm_

He had thought of signing the letter your friend, but he always misspelled friend and he wanted his letter to be clear and legible if Kenneth's parents read it. He hadn't bothered with a return address, as he knew Kenneth had his telephone number and address in his notebook. Kenneth had invited both him and John to spend the last two weeks of summer at their home in Scotland. Kenneth had said it was all riding ponies and going fishing. It sounded like heaven to Malcolm. There would be no one to laugh at him for miles.

"Mummy, may I have stamp for my letter?" Malcolm asked.

"I've run out dear," Mrs. Reid replied. She was busy reading a magazine and didn't look up.

"May I have some coins to buy a stamp?"

"Your allowance is on my desk," she replied. "Get Nanny to take you to the post office."

"She's busy with Genevieve," Malcolm replied. "Thank you for my allowance, Mummy. I'll get the stamp myself."

"Um hmm," Mrs. Reid replied not looking up as she turned the page.

Malcolm retrieved his allowance and went back to his room. He sat down at his desk.

"If you want to go somewhere, make a plan," he said out loud. There was no way Nanny was going to walk him to the post office today. She was busy with his little sister who had a birthday party to attend that afternoon. He really wanted to mail his letter. He got out a map of Bristol that he had purchased the previous week with his allowance. Bristol was nowhere as big as London and his class had planned two trips into London. Lady Astrid hadn't told them if they were going the right way or the wrong way when they made their plans. She had only given them clues of things to look for. It wasn't that far to the post office. He only had to find his house on the map and the post office and make a plan of how to get there. Malcolm got out his pencil and notebook.

"Numquam Cedite, never give up," he said out loud before he began plotting his course to and from the post office.

"_The walk to the post office is much easier with a plan,"_ Malcolm thought to himself while he stood in line and waited to purchase a stamp. He had been there many times with Nanny but he'd never really paid attention to all the landmarks along the way before. There was a stone angel in a garden where he needed to turn and a house with a door painted green at another corner. The geranium in a pot on the windowsill set it apart from the other houses that had green doors. He'd carefully counted the streets as well.

When he got to the window the clerk sold him a stamp and told him he needed the return address on the envelope.

"I'm not sure where it goes. Could you write it for me?" Malcolm asked her.

"I would but there's a line up," the clerk replied. "There's a desk at the side."

Malcolm hesitantly took his envelope to the side. It had taken him a dreadfully long time to get Kenneth's address on the envelope. He'd checked it three times to make sure he hadn't written the letters or numbers backwards.

"Excuse me," he said to a lady who was placing stamps on her letters. "Do you know where the return address goes?"

"On the back or on the top left corner," the woman said. She turned a kindly smile on him.

"I have the return address in my book," Malcolm said. "Would you be so kind as to write it on the envelope for me?"

"Certainly, young man since you've asked so nicely," the woman replied.

A few minutes later Malcolm had his letter through the slot and was back on the street. He took a breath to calm himself, looked around and set off in the direction he had come from. When he got to his home he could hear an uproar coming from inside all the way from the sidewalk. He stopped to untie the bit of blue wool he'd tied to the rail out front. Their house looked exactly like every other house in the same row and those on the next two streets. There wasn't a thing otherwise to distinguish it from the others except the numbers over the door.

"Malcolm, where have you been?" his father demanded angrily the moment he stepped inside the door.

"I went to get a stamp for my letter. I told Mummy I would."

"You never told me anything of the kind," his mother exclaimed. "You've worried us all for no reason. We thought you were lost again."

"I wasn't lost," Malcolm replied. "I told you I would get a stamp while you were reading your magazine. I'm sorry you were worried Mummy."

"Did you get your stamp?" his father asked him doubtfully.

"Yes. The post office was busy, Father. There was a line. That's why it took me longer," Malcolm said calmly.

"You know you're not supposed to go out on your own," his father scolded him.

"I'm not a baby, Father," Malcolm said calmly. "May we go to the harbor to look at the boats after lunch?"

"Yes, yes, that's fine," his father replied somewhat deflated.

Malcolm left his parents standing in the hall and headed upstairs to his room to put away his satchel.

"What do you make of it?" Mr. Reid demanded of his wife.

"Three full weeks and not one tantrum. That's what I make of it," Mrs. Reid replied. "He's going back to that school this fall if I have to wear last years fashions to do it."

"Nothing that drastic Margaret," Mr. Reid retorted in a resigned tone.

-0-

Redmond Branson sat down to read the letter from his brother Bradley. His children were at his parents as was the usual routine in the summers. Dalaigh and Claire couldn't wait to be out of school and off to visit Grandmamma and Granddad and all the aunts and uncles their own age. Nanny had gone along to keep an "eye" on them. It was more to avoid the humidity in the city during the summer and visit with the friends she had made in the area. She still saw to the children having a bath and stayed home to sit the household full of children if Redmond's parents went out. The housekeeper at Eagle Cairn had taken to saving up the mending for her to keep her occupied and out from underfoot during the summer visits. It kept her feeling useful in her old age. Redmond couldn't help but feel it was the right thing to do. Nanny had been there for him when he lost his first wife and now he was seeing to her as he aught.

"So Bobby has got himself a driving permit and a new love interest to boot," Redmond said once he had finished reading Bradley's letter. Slowly but surely everyone was growing up. Another few years and his own children would be pestering for driving lessons and permits and starting to think about what they wanted to do with their lives, but not yet. Anna, his wife, wasn't home from her part time job at the symphony yet. They'd been married just over eight months. It had been eight months of ups and downs as any new marriage. He hadn't regretted marrying her one bit. She was strict and at the same time good with the children. She was patient with Nanny and she had whipped the house into shape in no time. She had the housecleaning on a schedule. There wasn't a smudge on the windows. No one dared track mud across the kitchen floor or Anna would hand them a rag and have them clean it up and that included him.

The physical side of things had taken a bit for her to be more responsive. She had no previous experience with men except a violent one. Their first time together she had squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain. He'd taken his time coaxing and kissing her. He'd whispered what he was going to do next in her ear so she wouldn't be frightened. When she'd gasped when things felt good and put her arms around him, he'd been overjoyed. Over the months she was getting more responsive. She loved to play with the hair on his chest. With just the two of them home this last while she'd gotten much bolder and was willing to initiate things from time to time.

Redmond headed up to change from his work clothing into a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. He got freshened up then went out to the back garden to collect some vegetables for a salad for their dinner. He didn't mind cooking one bit. He found it relaxing. He'd been making meals for years and had many fond memories of being around the kitchen table when he was young, peeling potatoes, shelling pees or rolling and cutting pastry under the watchful eye of their housekeeper. He was just finishing the salad when he heard Anna come in the door.

"You are home early," she said when she came through.

"Not that early," Redmond replied. "The wards are quiet at the moment." He finished the salad. Put the bowel in the icebox and reached over to pull Anna into his arms for a kiss.

"How was work?" he asked once he released her slightly. He kissed the tip of her nose, which always made her eyes cross.

"I was typing preliminary schedules all day. It was boring," she replied. "I would rather be here with you."

"I'd rather be out in the country at Eagle Cairn where we could go swimming than here in the city," he said. "We could be quite naughty and go swimming at night. Alone."

"We are alone now," Anna said. She reached up and pulled the pins from her hair. Her braid uncoiled from around her head and dropped to touch her waist. Redmond got a smile on his face. It was Anna's way of saying she wanted to be with him.

"No where to go swimming alone except the bathtub," Redmond teased her. He ran his fingers through her braid releasing her hair that was the color of ripe wheat from its confines.

"We have a shower. I put clean towels this morning," she said. She had the top buttons of his shirt undone and was stroking his chest hair into a pattern on one bicep.

"That's a fine invitation," he said leading her towards the stairs.

Anna was pulling at him to the point he almost lost his balance and tipped them both out of the shower. Redmond finally reached over and shut off the water. They made it as far as a pile of towels on the bathroom floor before they came together. Her hair was a tangle of wet strands that stuck to them both. Redmond was so worked up it was all he could do to hang on until Anna gasped and her body contracted with the first spasm of her orgasm. She curled against him as he reached his answering peek.

"You were rather in a rush today," he murmured while he held her close. He placed a kiss on the top of hair.

"Work was dull. I was thinking about my fine husband," she replied dreamily.

"I hope you were thinking about what a lucky fellow he is for having such a lovely wife," Redmond replied.

"I was thinking…" She paused. "I was thinking I hope he cares for me."

"Anna, I care for you. I love you," Redmond exclaimed in surprise. "I know I haven't said it before but I thought you knew. I'm absolutely crazy about you."

"I wished for you to love me," Anna replied. She snuggled even closer to him.

"I didn't marry you just to get a housekeeper and mother for the children," Redmond said pulling her even closer in his arms. "It was part of it. I can't deny it but there was more. After I met you I realized I needed a wife and when I thought about it I knew you were the only one I wanted. I wanted you whether I had the children and the house and career or not. I couldn't get you off my mind. If that's what being in love is, then I've got the bug."

"A bug that bites. I understand," she replied. She thought about it for a moment. "I love you also."

"You know I could have hired a new housekeeper and nanny," Redmond said. "I wanted more. I wanted us. I know I rushed you but there didn't seem a point in waiting."

"I was crying without you," Anna admitted. "I must take a bath. We have made a mess now."

"Just a bit," Redmond replied. He kissed her again when they got up. He balled up the soiled towels and fetched fresh while Anna ran the bathwater. He had her scoot forward and got into the tub to sit behind her.

"When I bought this house I liked the large tub for giving the children a bath," he commented absently. "I never thought I'd be doing this in it."

"It is a nice house," Anna replied. She leaned back against him and closed her eyes while he washed her arms and chest with a cloth.

"We got a letter from Bradley," Redmond continued. Anna sat up turned to sit on her haunches and washed his chest and neck for him. "He says Bobby has his driving permit now and he's taken with some girl who is interested in gardening."

Anna pulled on him to get him to sit forward while she washed his back.

"He must have a careful eye on him while his Mama and Papa are so far away," she said with a frown.

"Bradley may look exactly like Garret and be able to sing like Bing Crosby but that is where the similarity ends. You've never met a more cautious man in your life. He won't let Bobby step out of line and Astrid can hear a pin drop at the other end of the house. He won't get into any trouble with those two around."

"And our children? Will they find trouble at your parents?"

"They've got two nannies, a house keeper, a groom and my parents to keep an eye on them. They'll have us when we go to fetch them on the weekend," Redmond replied. He guided her to sit back down, then got out of the tub. "Don't worry. I'll get dressed and set out our dinner."

"I love you, Redmond," she said before he left the room.

"I love you as well," he said with a grin wrinkling the corners of his eyes.


	47. Learning As We Go - Part Two

Learning As We Go - Part Two

Chapter 5

Bobby circled the rented biplane over the field in Sheffield. He waved the wings when he spotted Primrose standing by a car beside an older man. Bradley had given him a massive lecture before co-signing the rental papers for the plane for the weekend. Bobby wouldn't be able to get his full pilot's license until he turned eighteen next year. At the moment he wasn't allowed overseas flights, night flying and absolutely no passengers. He needed flight hours towards his next license and both cars at the houses were occupied for the weekend. He wasn't allowed to take the motorcycle out for any distance. Once Bradley had finished lecturing, Dylan had given him another one. He'd never been in trouble at school or anything so they didn't have grounds to say no. They had both reminded him they were only keeping an eye on him. Any mess-ups with flying or girls and they would call Sybil and Hans. Hans didn't want him buying his own plane until he was completely finished school, so a rental was his only choice. He could have taken the train, but he wanted to impress Primrose and hopefully her parents and he really did need flight time towards his next license.

He set the plane down perfectly and taxied it to the grass where he was directed. He killed the engine and retrieved an overnight bag from the front cockpit before he jumped down from the wing.

"Bobby, that was so exciting," Primrose exclaimed the moment he approached.

"I'm glad you approve," Bobby replied with a grin. "Hello, Mr. Carpenter it's nice to see you again." He extended his hand to Primrose's father.

"Hello, Mr. Sinclair," Mr. Carpenter replied. He shook Bobby's hand briefly. "What's in the bag?"

"Overnight things incase I get sopped in," Bobby replied. "I can always get a room for the night if I can't fly out. I'm still on a junior license and there is no use taking chances."

"We wouldn't send you to a hotel," Primrose stated.

"I don't want to intrude," Bobby replied. "If the weather stays clear, I'll head back late this afternoon. I don't have landing lights so no flying in the dark."

"How are Lady Astrid and Dr. Branson?" Mr. Carpenter inquired to be polite.

"Busy with work and the school. The place is crawling with little boys at the moment. I can't bring a friend home on weekend for fishing without at least three trailing behind us every moment."

"Too bad it isn't little girls," Primrose said. They headed towards Mr. Carpenter's car. Primrose sat in the front beside her father while Bobby sat in the back. She turned in her seat so they could chat.

"They don't want to mix boys and girls at the house," Bobby said once they were settled. "It is our home. No one wants to invite trouble in."

"That's smart," Mr. Carpenter commented. "You shouldn't have been there yourself last summer." He was rather disapproving of the fact Primrose had met a boy while at school.

"I live there and I could barely move with Emily and her group of friends on my heels ever moment," Bobby replied. "They were all eight year olds. They're every bit as bad as boys for getting into everything."

"I thought they were rather sweet," Primrose said.

"Sweet until the got into my tackle box and rearranged my flies by how fluffy and cut they were," Bobby replied with a groan.

Mr. Carpenter laughed slightly.

"How is the mushroom patch?" Primrose asked him.

"Finally starting to produce," Bobby replied. "I'm not home that much during school so it's up the gardeners to tend it. They refer to it as one of my new fangled ideas. It's rather comical. I think the pair of them secretly like the extra veg for their tables. Do you garden Mr. Carpenter?"

"No. I'm a banker. I don't have time for much other than to push the mower about to clip the lawn."

"Can you take me for a ride in the plane?" Primrose suddenly asked.

Mr. Capenter's head turned to the side quickly with his eyebrows raised. Bobby thought he was about to go in the ditch.

"I can next summer when I get my full license, if your parents approve," Bobby replied quickly. "At the moment I'm not licensed for passengers."

Mr. Carpenter breathed a sigh of relief but remained silent.

"Here we are Daddy. You can drop us here. We'll walk to the house later."

"Very well," Mr. Carpenter said. "You two behave yourselves and you keep your hands to yourself young man."

"I was planning to," Bobby replied. "May I leave my bag in the car?"

"Yes, very well," Primrose's father said. "I'll expect you for two."

He drove off leaving them in town by a small restaurant.

"You said lunch on the telephone," Primrose said. "I thought this might do."

"Wherever you like," Bobby replied. It was kind of an odd date for a first date he thought. He'd asked Primrose out to lunch and then flown up to meet her and her father. On second thought maybe he should have taken the train and a cab. He was here now and they were about to have lunch. There was no going back.

"How is school going? You didn't say much in your letter," he asked.

"Quite a bit better now that my reading has improved. My parents got me a tutor, but the writing is still slow going."

"Write to me and use all the wild colors you like," Bobby said. "Is there anything in particular you would like to do this afternoon?"

"We have a bowling alley if you'd like to try. The American's put it in during the war."

"I've never tried it," Bobby replied. "It might be fun."

"I've never tried either," Primrose said smiling at Bobby. She was wondering if he would finally hold her hand. With all the little girls around at the school there had never been a chance to do anything more than talk. Once the little ones had met Bobby he had a train behind him as soon as they were off classes for the day. It had been a wonder there were any roses and flowers left in the garden with all he had cut and given to them.

Bobby studied the menu once the waitress had been around.

"What would you like," he asked her. He quickly noticed she didn't attempt to read the menu.

"Whatever you're having," she replied quickly.

"Primrose you don't have to be embarrassed with me. I live with Lady Astrid remember and I have for years. If you need to wear glasses to read the menu do so. Ignore people if they stare."

She nodded and slowly took her glasses out of her handbag. She carefully arranged the napkin so she was only reading one line at a time.

"I'd like the turkey and tomato sandwich," she said. She took her glasses off, folded them and placed them in her bag. Bobby reached over and placed his hand over hers.

"I think I'll have one too."

-0-

Bradley sat at the table in the upstairs classroom with Astrid and the other teachers. He was on late shift and they needed a meeting to discuss two of the new boys. All of the older boys were at riding while the six younger boys were practicing their reading under the nanny's watchful eye.

"Any suggestions for what we do with the pair of them other than putting them over our knees and paddling them?" Astrid asked.

"Wayne and Mark are so spoiled and naughty it might not hurt them one bit," one of the teachers said with an exasperated sigh.

"We've gone from Malcolm who had too much discipline and is now functioning quite well to these two whose parents have spoiled them rotten," Astrid said. "I suspect the parents have given in out of a sense of guilt."

"Most likely," Bradley agreed. "It's not uncommon with sick children or those with problems."

"Our problem is what do we do with them," Astrid said. "We've tried separating them but their constant tantrums to get what they want isn't fair to the boys who are putting their best effort in."

"No, they are very disruptive and have held up class repeatedly over the last few weeks," Miss Applegate one of the newer teachers agreed.

"I hate to say this but I think they need a firm hand," Bradley said. "You could try putting them in a class by themselves for the majority of time."

"I think you're right," Astrid said. "I enjoy working with the older boys but then I think I'm attached because they were my first pupils. I think I'll work with them myself. If they don't show any improvement by Christmas, our only course of action will be to expel the pair of them. We have a waiting list. We don't have to put up with this nonsense."

"Academic warning," Bradley said. "Their actions have consequences and I would suggest one right now."

The sound of one of the boys making a fuss could be heard coming up the stairs.

"Would you like to handle this or would you like me to do it?" Bradley asked.

"Could you take care of it?" Astrid asked him. "We'll take the next few minutes to shuffle the classes with the least disruption."

"Right-o," Bradley replied. He got up and headed out of the room. He hadn't minded the house full of children until these two showed up. He was twenty-six years old and Astrid was only twenty-two. He didn't feel old enough to deal with an overly naughty pair of boys someone else had created and then pawned off on someone else.

He arrived downstairs to find Nanny marching Wayne back to stand in the corner. The moment she took her hand off his shoulder he was across the room and hiding behind a pillar laughing at her. The other boys who were trying to do as they were told were shifting uncomfortably.

"What has Wayne done, Nanny?" Bradley asked.

"He spat on the floor, Mr. Branson," Nanny replied. "He won't wipe it up and he won't stand in the corner."

"I'll take care of this," Bradley said. He walked across the room with a dark look on his face. Wayne looked at him and tried to dash away. Nanny was guarding his avenue of escape. Wayne turned to dash the other direction Bradley caught him by the arm.

"Perhaps a short break for the boys who are behaving themselves, Nanny," Bradley said. Wayne was jerking around in Bradley's grip. He tried to kick Bradley. Bradley grabbed him by the collar and held him at arms length so his flailing did no good.

"Stop this. You've been a rude, disrespectful boy. I will give you one chance to wipe up your filth and take your punishment or you will suffer the consequences," Bradley said.

"I don't have to do anything you say," Wayne yelled still flailing.

"You have had your warning," Bradley replied calmly. He walked to the front door with the still struggling boy. It was almost starting to rain. He could see the boys who had riding moving about inside the stables putting the horses in. Bradley headed across the grounds dragging Wayne along behind him.

"Let go of me. I'll tell my Daddy," Wayne cried.

"Your Daddy can't stand your naughty behavior. Haven't you ever wondered why he doesn't come to see you and keeps sending you to any school who will take you," Bradley said. He kept walking. Wayne was starting to get frightened and was trying to break out of Bradley's grip.

"Wayne's getting punished," one of the older boys shouted from the stables. The boys all ran out to see what was going on. They all came running. The two grooms who had enough of the Wayne came jogging along behind. The younger boys had all grabbed their jackets and were running out of the house as well.

"Seems you're so popular you've got an audience," Bradley said glancing over his shoulder.

Wayne was starting to cry. He was digging in his heels, which wasn't doing any good on the slippery ground.

"I'm sorry," he cried.

"No good. You've got to learn crocodile tears won't do the trick. You've pulled that one before," He drug Wayne along until he got to the edge of the pond where they normally went swimming.

"Boys," Bradley said when they all stopped. "I don't want to punish any of you or be pushed to the point where I have to spank you. All actions have consequences. Men know this, as boys it is up to you to learn good behavior that will stand you well when you grow up."

He tossed Wayne into the pond.

Mark started to laugh. One dark look from Bradley silenced him. The other boys and the grooms stood there in silence.

"Are you ready to apologize to your classmates and Nanny?" Bradley asked Wayne who was thrashing about in the water trying to get his footing on the slippery bottom.

"If I don't what are you going to do?" Wayne defied him.

"I will administer a spanking if I have to. If you still refuse to cooperate, I will personally escort you to your parents for official expulsion this afternoon," Bradley said. "You have a choice to make. Take the opportunity that has been offered to you, learn how to cope with your learning issues and start on the path to becoming an independent man or remain a spoiled nasty boy for the rest of your life that no one wants to associate with. You decide right here, right now."

"You can't expel me," Wayne tried.

"This is my house and my estate. I have every legal right to put off any person I so choose," Bradley stated. "What's the answer?"

Wayne looked at Bradley and swallowed.

"I'm sorry for disrupting reading time and spitting on the floor," Wayne said.

"Boys, what is your answer?" Bradley asked them sternly.

"Apology accepted," the boys who had been at reading replied.

"Everyone back to your activities, it's almost time to change classes," Bradley said. The two grooms tipped their hats to Bradley before they followed the older boys back to finish securing the horses. He took Wayne by the collar as he was attempting to crawl out of the pond. "Time for you to wash the floor in my front hall and apologize to Nanny."

"Yes, Sir," Wayne mumbled. He started walking back to the house. The other boys crowded around Bradley to ask him about the sleep over they had planned for the hayloft at a local farm on the next weekend.

"You look stupid," Mark said to Wayne with a grin as he trudged across the lawn.

"Oh sod off," Wayne replied.

-0-

Two weeks before Christmas Astrid sat up in bed. She couldn't sleep. The problem of what to do with Mark was keeping her up. Wayne's behavior had improved since Bradley had tossed him in the pond to the point where only two weeks later she had been able to move him to a class with other boys. He was minding the rules and taking part in planning the weekend activities with the others. He'd had a few slips. He had apologized to the other boys and carried on. He seemed to be on the right track. He was learning and starting to make progress.

Mark was an entirely different problem. She was giving him one-on-one lessons most days. They had taken away riding class as a privilege to no avail. Astrid was worn out at the end of the day. A rash of nasty practical jokes had started. They all suspected Mark was behind them but there was no way to prove it. Astrid thought part of the problem was Wayne was nine and old enough to understand the things Bradley and later she had said to him. Mark was seven and so thoroughly spoiled he was convinced he would never have to listen. He wasn't making any progress, not because he couldn't but because he didn't want to.

She got up and headed downstairs to make a cup of tea. Bradley was worn out with work at the moment. She didn't want her tossing and turning to wake him up. The moment Astrid was on the landing she heard someone moving around in the study. She went down the stairs quietly and spotted the study door ajar with a light coming from it. She opened the door to see Mark standing at the cabinet. He turned quickly when he heard the door move. His face was covered in chocolate.

"You little brat!" Astrid exclaimed. She had two boxes of chocolate left from their trip to Vienna. One she was saving for a treat for all of the boys for their Christmas party before they broke for the holidays and the other for their own Christmas celebrations. Sugar was still rationed and sweets were impossible to get. Astrid stepped in the door and snatched the box from Mark's hand. The chocolates that were left in the box were ruined. He had squashed them all looking for the flavors he liked. The other box was open and half ruined as well.

"That's it. I've tried to be patient with you and teach you right from wrong. You are a nasty thieving boy who doesn't appreciate anything that has been done for you," Astrid said. "I don't want you in my house, I don't want you in my class, I don't ever want to see you again. Go to your room. In the morning you will pack and someone will see you to your parent's home. Goodbye Mark. Have a nice life stumbling around not able to read a sign or a book or write your name properly."

He started to cry.

"Don't bother. I know it was you who has been playing all the practical jokes. I'm finished. Go to your room." She took him by the shoulder pushed him out the door of the study and closed it behind him. She could hear the little boy crying all the way up the stairs.

"What a mess," Astrid said. She picked up the two boxes of ruined chocolates, then dropped them on the desk. She sat down at her grandfather's desk and cried herself to sleep.

Chapter 6

Bradley woke early. He had a long day at the hospital today plus he had private patients to see afterwards. He reached his arm over and noticed Astrid's side of the bed was cold. He got up and put his robe on and went to look for her. Some of the boys were up and getting cleaned up in the main washroom.

"Dr. Branson," one of the boys said. "Mark is blubbing. He won't stop. He's been blubbing almost all night."

"I'll take a look," Bradley said. He stepped into the boys' room after tapping at the door. Mark was stuffing his clothes into a suitcase every which way. He had himself dressed and his face was puffy from crying.

"What is the problem?" Bradley asked him. The other boys were out of the room.

"Lady Astrid said I have to leave," Mark said tearfully. "I don't want to go home. No one is there. No one is ever there except the housekeeper."

"Why did Lady Astrid say you have to leave?" Bradley asked him.

"Because I ate all her chocolates."

"I see," Bradley replied sternly. "You seem to be a smart boy who can think up all sorts of ways to get into trouble. Perhaps it's time to think of ways to get out of trouble."

"I don't know how. I can't read," he blubbered.

"Have you tried to listen to what Lady Astrid has tried to teach you or what anyone else has tried to tell you?" Bradley asked.

"No, not really," Mark snuffled. He closed his case with the bit of one shirtsleeve sticking out the side.

"Mark," Bradley said with a sigh. "We've all tried to warn you and help you. The boys who have been here longer have tried to help you too. You can learn, you don't seem to want to and frankly everyone is worn out from trying to help you and your naughty behavior."

"I don't want to be sent away again, Dr. Branson," he threw himself on Bradley and started sobbing. Bradley hesitantly patted his back.

"I'm not going to change Lady Astrid's decision," Bradley said. "You've had more than enough warnings about your behavior. What I can tell you is that before you leave you need to say what you're feeling to the other boys and to the teachers. Are you truly sorry for what you've done?"

"I am," Mark blubbered.

"Go wash your face and then you'll tell them so," Bradley said. Bradley waited until Mark returned from the washroom. He took him and his lumpy suitcase out to the hall and set the suitcase near the top of the stairs. It didn't take too long to assemble the boys in the hall. Bradley did a quick look through the rooms downstairs until he found Astrid asleep at her desk. The ruined chocolates were sitting on the side looking rather pathetic.

"Oh Bradley," she said when he woke her up. "I had a scene with Mark last night when I caught him stealing the Christmas chocolates. I said some things that were rather harsh. I can't deal with him anymore. I'm so upset."

"There's a little boy who has something to say," Bradley said patting her back reassuringly. "Come on."

Astrid tightened the belt on her robe with shaking hands before she stepped out to the hall.

"Go ahead Mark. Tell everyone what you have to say," Bradley said.

Mark was on the stairs looking pale and frightened despite the remaining red blotches from all the crying.

"I'm sorry for all the mean jokes," Mark said. "I'm sorry I didn't listen and," his lip started to tremble. "I'm sorry I ate the chocolates." He started to cry in earnest.

"Apology accepted," the boys and Astrid replied as one. Astrid held her arms out to him. Mark ran down the stairs and straight into her arms. "Please don't make me leave, Lady Astrid. Please. I promise I'll be good."

"Will you forgive me for loosing my temper?" Astrid asked him.

Mark stepped back.

"Apology accepted," he said. It was the first time he'd ever said the standard reply at the school.

"You've got chocolate stuck behind your ear," Astrid said. "You'll need a quick bath before breakfast. You best get a move on. You don't want to be late for reading."

"I won't be late, Lady Astrid," he said smiling at her through his tears. "Thank you." He turned and ran up the stairs grabbing his over stuffed bag and dragging it back to his room with both hands on the handles.

"The rest of us had best get a move on," Bradley said. "I'm going to be late for work."

"Whatever am I going to do with out poor squashed chocolates?" Astrid said before she headed upstairs to get cleaned up.

"Give them to cook to chop up for a custard topping. The boys will think they've gone to heaven," Bradley said. "I don't think Mark will want any when the ones he ate last night start to come through. I would say he should be getting quite the stomach ache right around luncheon or just after."

"What are we doing with twelve boys when were not old enough to have any that are more than three or four years old at the most ourselves," Astrid asked him.

"Giving them an education," Bradley replied calmly. "You had best get cleaned up and be quick about it. You have a little boy who has decided he wants to learn."

-0-

Bobby arrived home for a few days of Christmas break with Bradley, Astrid, Dylan and Kate before he left for Vienna. He found the house quiet with Bradley and Astrid in the library. They were looking serious and rather frustrated. It wasn't the greeting he was used to when he arrived home for Christmas break. Astrid and Bradley both hugged Bobby when they greeted him. He had only been home a few weeks before. He knew something was up.

"Is something wrong with the family?" Bobby asked with concern.

"The family is all well and healthy as far as we know," Bradley replied. "It's Mark."

"The little hellion?" Bobby asked.

"We had a break through two weeks ago. His behavior has improved and he's trying to be good boy and do his lessons," Astrid said. "His parents have decided they are not returning to England for the holidays and have sent a cable saying he is to stay here for the duration."

"But you've been planning with Dylan and Kate to go over to Dublin for a few days and the staff will be off," Bobby said with a frown. "He can't stay here alone."

"Precisely. We don't have the legal authority to transport him out of the country either. He has pronounced behavioral issues. It isn't fair to arrange for him to stay with one of the other boy's for anything more than a few days."

"This is a pickle," Bobby replied. "Where is Mark now?"

"He's staying with Richard's family for two days," Bradley replied. "Astrid has contacted the other schools he was at last year. He went through five in one year. The parents did exactly the same thing last Christmas and Easter from what we can surmise."

Bobby's only reply was a whistle.

"We haven't told Mark yet," Astrid said. "I've put the lawyers on it. It isn't fair to us to cancel our holiday time, but at the moment we have no choice. We can't leave him completely alone. They've breached the contract but what can we do."

"It's Garret and Redmond's busiest time of the year at both of their work. There is no way they could come over for a visit."

"Precisely," Bradley replied. "Dylan and I had to do quite a bit of jockeying about to get the same days free."

"Poor little bugger. Being dumped on the doorstep is no fun. I remember always being extra good so Sybil wouldn't send me away."

"You always had a houseful to keep you company if she went out for the evening and you were never a bother, Astrid said. "I was incredibly clingy on my brother when they first got married. It wasn't long and I realized I would never be left alone again. I always had Nanny Grace and the extended family."

"My school puts on a trip for the holidays for anyone who doesn't have a place to go," Bobby commented. "It's never appealed to me and I'm usually headed to Vienna anyway."

"We are in no way equipped for something like that," Astrid reminded him. "Parental and family involvement is important for all the boys if they are going to succeed."

"There's no use worrying about Mark until we hear back from the lawyers," Bradley commented.

"Are we having guests tomorrow for tree decorating?" Bobby asked hopefully.

"Four couples, you know all of them," Astrid replied starting to relax. "If you have a few minutes before you run off to one of your friends, I'd like to do a walk through the green houses with you."

"Let's go now. I wanted to take a look at my mushrooms," Bobby replied.

-0-

Malcolm paid for his Christmas parcels with the allowance he'd saved and waited for the clerk to give him his change. One of the things he'd learned at school was that it was easier to use coins or small bills. That way he didn't have to worry about distinguishing between the larger denominations and coins were easy to count, as they were all different sizes. He checked his changed when the clerk handed it to him.

"Excuse me," Malcolm said. "You owe me another shilling."

The clerk gave Malcolm a syrupy smile and quickly handed over the shilling. Malcolm put his coins in his change purse then put everything in his satchel with his map, compass, notebook and pencil he carried now when he was out. He went over to rejoin Nanny and his little sister.

"I'm ready Nanny," he said.

They walked home with his sister Genevieve skipping along keeping up a steady prattle about all the Christmas parties she had been invited to and what she was planning to wear to each. Their parents were home and the boxes of decorations were out. His mother was busy directing the housekeeper where she wanted the decorations placed. The children went to put away their things then came back to help. In Malcolm's opinion Genevieve's help was more about dancing around the sitting room with a tinsel garland wrapped around her head for a crown. He laughed and took her hands to spin her around a few times, before he stood on the stepladder to fasten some garland to a lamp.

Malcolm's father came through to help with the decorations.

"That was William Harrison on the telephone. He and his wife will be over tomorrow for dinner. That makes six plus children," Mr. Reid said.

"May Genevieve and I plan the games for the children, Father?" Malcolm asked him.

"What did you have in mind?" Mr. Reid asked his son. After last summer when Malcolm had made his own arrangements to visit his friend ahead of schedule he was feeling a little unsettled by his son. The whiney, dependent child that always seemed to get into silly scrapes was vanishing quickly. The more confident, independent boy Malcolm was now was a bit unnerving.

"Chess if the boys play or checkers if they don't," Malcolm said. "Bean bag toss, shoots and ladders are fun for the younger children too. We can all play."

"I want pin the tail on the donkey," Genevieve said from where she was busy examining the glass bird ornaments in their box.

"All good suggestions," Mrs. Reid said. "You may plan what you wish for the children. There will be five. Three boys around your age and two girls slightly older than Genevieve."

"I didn't know you played chess," Mr. Reid said to Malcolm.

"There's a boy at school who is really good. He's been teaching us all," Malcolm replied. "I'm almost good enough to beat him but not yet. Do you play, Father?"

"Not often since university but I used to be able to hold my own," Mr. Reid replied. "We'll play a game or two shall we after we get the decorations up?"

"Yes, I'd like that," Malcolm replied smiling at his father.

-0-

Astrid had promised the nanny more vacation after the first of the year in lieu of the time off she had missed at Christmas break. They were on their way to Ireland with Mark in tow. Nanny was off now for her holiday. The lawyers had managed to track down Mark's parents and had secured their written permission for Mark to accompany Astrid and Bradley out of the country at their discretion for the rest of the school year. It wasn't an ideal situation but they didn't want to leave the little boy on his own with the housekeeper at his parents' house.

Mark's table manners had improved steadily since he'd started at the school in September. It was one of the few areas where he hadn't acted up too much when he first arrived. His first week at school he'd brought in a toad and put it on the table during dinner. Bradley himself had been a boy that regularly brought in worms in his pockets and the occasional garden snake. It wasn't anything new. Bradley had gotten up from his dinner, opened the window and put the toad out to the garden. He'd retaken his seat after wiping his hands on a towel the butler handed him. With such a lack luster reception to his trick at dinner, Mark had given up on that score.

Astrid and Bradley were both worried about taking him along on a family visit. They had no idea what Redmond's new wife was like or how Mark would do thrown into a new environment. Being dumped on Astrid and Bradley for Christmas holidays he'd become clingy with Astrid and at the same time unsure of himself. He didn't want to feel the sting of her temper again. He was trying, but he still had lapses of naughty behavior. They were trying to encourage the good and praised him when he did something right, but it was slow going.

"I wish you would actually take a full week off instead of bringing journals along," Astrid said to Bradley in the cab on the way to Redmond's from the ferry. Bradley and Dylan had kept Mark amused on the trip so far counting cows out the window of the train or playing simple card games with him. Other than to stick his tongue out at a porter on the ferry he had been well behaved.

"It's a little reading for bedtime. You know if I leave them until I get home, I'll be like a hermit until I get caught up," Bradley said.

"I hope Redmond isn't too busy," Astrid commented.

"He's in demand. He's always busy," Bradley replied.

Dylan, Kate and the baby had taken a separate cab to Garret and Kyna's. It was easier for them to stay there and the house was set up for an infant. Mark had his face and mouth pressed against the window of their cab. He had the window steamed up and was trying to make rude sounds against the glass.

"Mark, you best watch out. You're tongue might get stuck to the metal of the doorframe if you don't watch out," Bradley said casually.

"It won't," Mark replied.

"It's a cold day and the cab isn't heated. It very well might," Bradley said.

Mark stuck his tongue out and was about to stick it on the metal around the window.

"Think before you act," Bradley reminded him. "What will be the consequence if you get your tongue stuck?"

"It will hurt and you might leave me there, Dr. Branson," Mark answered more respectfully. He had learned in the last weeks to head Dr. Branson's warnings. He hadn't listened when Dr. Branson had told him not to touch a broken Christmas light and he had a nasty jolt of electricity for his efforts. Mark sat back on the seat.

"Will your family like me?" he asked nervously.

"That depends on you and how you behave," Bradley replied. "Does anyone like naughty behavior?"

"No. I have more friends now," he said.

"The better you behave the more friends you'll make," Astrid said. "The entire matter is up to you."

Mark nodded and sat quietly until they arrived. Dalaigh came out to help carry bags.

"Da's at work, Uncle Bradley, they hand an emergency from a fire," he said.

"Dalaigh this is Mark," Bradley said. He handed Mark his own case to carry.

"You can stay in my room," Dalaigh said. "I'll show you where. When the others come we usually have a camp out on the sitting room floor."

"Why is your name Irish but you sound English?" Mark asked Dalaigh while he was following him into the house.

"Because I'm English like you," Dalaigh said. "Come this way."

"It looks just like England here," they could here Mark saying as Dalaigh had him follow him up the stairs. A blonde woman about their own age with thick blond hair coiled at the back of her head was waiting for them just inside the door.

"Hello, I am Anna, Redmond's wife," she said.

"I'm your brother-in-law Bradley and my wife Lady Astrid," Bradley said. "It's nice to finely meet you."

"I have been looking forward to meeting Redmond's brothers from England and their wives," Anna replied. She greeted Astrid and showed them to the room they would be in.

"I will make tea for the sitting room," Anna said. "We will go to Kyna and Garret tonight for dinner when Redmond comes. The Mama and Papa will come tomorrow with all the little ones."

"I'll come down and give you a hand setting the cups out," Astrid said.

"I'll just check on Mark. He's a bit of a handful," Bradley said.

"He is with Dalaigh. He will behave," Anna said confidently.

"He's known to be a trifle naughty," Astrid said in a low voice.

"He will behave," Anna said again decisively. "Come we will have tea."

"I'm glad she's sure of things," Bradley whispered as they headed downstairs.

Chapter 7

By the third day of the visit to Dublin Astrid was breathing a sigh of relief. Mark had been much better behaved than they had expected. The first night they had gone to Garrett and Kyna's for dinner. Dalaigh and Claire had gone to the stash of games on a shelf right away and amused the three of them. Everyone had exclaimed over the two babies who looked incredibly similar. Mark had been right in the mix trying to figure out which one was the boy and which was the girl. He'd never seen a baby close up other than on the trip over and he was fascinated. There had been a sing along with Garrett at the piano. Mark had squashed himself beside Garret on the piano bench and finally fallen asleep with his head resting against him. The two brothers were so similar in looks Astrid wondered if Mark could tell them apart.

The next day Bradley's parents arrived and took over Dalaigh's room. The boys were all busy planning their campout in the sitting room while the girls were camped in Claire's room. Mark was again fascinated by the four boys from Eagle Cairn who talked of fishing, riding, who could ride the fastest, all things to do with their father's motorcycle and farming. The boys were all well mannered and polite. Each of them had impeccable table manners and bowed when they were introduced. Otherwise they were all boy. They hadn't had one bit of trouble getting Mark to sleep the first evening. He was so exhausted he was fast asleep on the rug in his nest of blankets and pillow while the other boys were still chattering.

On the morning of the third day, Redmond was off early for surgery. He'd been on the telephone every few hours ever since Bradley and Astrid had arrived. There had been two house fires in Dublin in the last week and the burn ward was busy. On top of it he had a group of children's surgeries booked for correcting birth defects. Keeping on top of the situation, checking on the residents and periodic checks on all the new patients was keeping him running. Bradley had decided to go in to the hospital with him and see if a doctor he knew from training was in. Tom and Rose were over visiting their latest grandchild and had taken the girls along with them. Anna and Astrid were left at home with the group of six boys.

"We will bake Lebkuchen today," Anna declared when the boys seemed listless. "You like to eat, so we must bake."

"Are those the ginger snaps you made before, Anna?" Declan asked.

"It does not snap," Anna replied seriously. "It is what you call biscuit."

"I love those," Lorcan cheered. He was in the kitchen to wash his hands like a shot.

"Anna made Lebkuchen before. They're really good," Rory whispered to Mark. "You don't want to miss this."

The boys all rushed to the kitchen to wash their hands. The excitement was contagious. Mark went along with the others although he had no idea what the activity they were going to do involved.

"Are Astrid and Bradley going to adopt you?" Naill asked Mark while Declan was creaming the butter and sugar in a bowl.

"I don't think so," Mark said with a worried frown.

"Being adopted isn't so bad," Rory contributed. "I don't really remember before, only Aisling and I can speak Irish so we must have spoken it with our first parents. Mummy and Da don't."

"I only remember being in a car. It was really cold and everyone was crying," Lorcan said. "I don't care. I like our house and our parents. Are you going to come in the summer to visit with Astrid and Bradley? Bobby might come too."

"I don't know," Mark replied getting more worried.

"If you do we'll talk Da into going fishing from the cliffs at the shore," Declan said. "We only go there for a treat."

"Mark is guest. Don't pester," Anna scolded them. She was busy measuring the dry ingredients into a bowl. Dalaigh was getting the containers out for her and putting them away. Anna had a pot of coarse sugar with large granules that made the top of the biscuits sparkle when they cooled. Dalaigh took it out of the pantry and set it on the table for decorating.

"We have two dogs," Naill told Mark. "Our old one died. She was really old. We have sheep, pheasants, chickens and horses. There are lots of things to do at our house after chores are done. What do you have at your house?"

"Not much," Mark said with a shrug. He was feeling self-conscious and shifting from foot to foot. He was wondering if Lady Astrid was finished her bath yet. "It's rather dull."

"Leave the flour for rolling, Dalaigh," Anna said. She poured a bit of the dry mix into the bowl Declan was stirring.

Mark shifted again then licked his finger. He stuck it in the jar of decorative sugar. Anna slapped his hand before he could put his finger in his mouth.

"Do not pick from the jar," she said. She turned to put a bit more of the dry mix into the bowl for Declan to mix. The next thing she knew a handful of flour landed squarely on the front of her apron. She turned in a flash to see Mark grinning. The floor was still stuck to his hand. Before any of the boys knew what had happened she had Mark by the ear and into the corner. She gave him a resounding slap on the rear end.

"Move from here and I will use the spoon," she said giving his ear a jerk.

The other boys carried on as though nothing were a miss. Anna shook off her apron outside. Lorcan got a broom and swept up the floor. Mark was so unsettled he didn't move. He wanted to cry but the boys were all older. He didn't want to look like a baby in front of them.

"Come now," Anna said a few minutes later. She put a hand on his shoulder and steered him back to the table. Mark had his head down in embarrassment.

"You can lift the biscuits onto the tray," Naill said handing Mark a spatula for lifting the raw dough once it was cut. "I'll put the sugar on."

"Lorcan do not roll too thin," Anna instructed. Declan was busy washing up the bowls and Rory was standing by with the cookie cutter ready to cut when Lorcan had the dough rolled out. Mark took the spatula and remained silent. He didn't know what to do. The other boys acted like nothing was amiss.

"Your lucky Anna only used her hand," Rory whispered to Mark. "Mrs. O'Rinn, our housekeeper uses a wooden spoon. She hit me with the dishrag once. It really hurt." Mark smiled and nodded and went back to the process of making biscuits. He'd never made any before. He couldn't help but wonder how they would taste.

-0-

Astrid watched Mark stand back hesitantly that evening. He was watching Tom with longing. Her father-in-law was getting ready to read a story to his children and grandchildren. Tom had a velvety voice she had loved to listen to since she was a little girl. Even his son's who were adults would sit and relax as they listened to their father read. Naill and Rory had taken up position on either side of Bradley, Lorcan was on the arm of Redmond's chair and Dalaigh and Declan were in their pajamas sitting on the floor. The girls had each squashed themselves in beside Rose, Anna and Astrid. Bradley made a slight gesture towards Mark when he caught his father's eye. Tom reached over and took Mark's hand guiding him to the seat of honor on his lap. Tom put his arm around the little boy while he held the book with the other hand. Tom was reading The Jungle Book to the children over the three days of the visit. It was a story that captivated the boys with the adventure and the girls with the description of the animals and jungle.

Mark rested back against Tom hesitantly. As the story went on he relaxed against Bradley's father pointing to the pictures in the book as the story unfolded. Tom closed the book and put a marker in as eyelids started to droop.

"I'd like more," Mark said.

"You've enough for tonight to dream of lions and tigers and hidden fortunes of gold," Tom replied. He guided Mark off his lap. Bradley helped Mark get his pillow and quilts set up and settled him for the night.

The adults congregated in the kitchen for a nap cap once the children were settled for the night. Nanny had gone to bed before story time.

"How did you wind up with the boy in tow?" Tom asked Bradley.

"The parents failed to make arrangements for him for the holidays despite the contract," Bradley replied.

"I got the lawyers after them, but they didn't care," Astrid said. "The father wrote a check for a cash settlement rather than come and pick Mark up."

"There are unwanted children everywhere," Redmond commented. "It isn't always a matter of finances."

Anna put an arm around him.

"You were wanted," Rose reassured him. "It just took a little while to find those who wanted you. I couldn't be prouder of you if you were my own."

"I know that Mummy," Redmond replied. "You gave me a home and love when I needed it."

"We aren't adopting any of the children in the school," Astrid said. "We're in a difficult spot."

"I have to admit, I find dealing with Mark difficult," Bradley said. "I can tell you from a clinical perspective what I think is wrong, but taking action when you're not really the boy's father is difficult to say the least."

"It seems to me he needs love," Tom commented. "What does it matter where he finds it?"

"I think you're forgetting your Cousins Elizabeth and Edward," Rose said. "Do you remember what they were like?"

Bradley grimaced.

"They both grew out of it, thank goodness," he replied.

"Not really, they both changed when their parents took an interest in them. What will you do if the parents fail to retrieve Mark for summer break?"

"We'll cross that road when we come to it," Astrid replied.

"We won't see him sent to an empty house," Bradley added.

"It seems to me like it or not, you have a little boy to raise," Tom said. "He's no different than any other child. Give him attention and love, rules to live by and set a good example. There's not a lot more you can do."

"I'm trying Da," Bradley replied.

"Being a parent is more about feeling than effort, son," Tom said. "Let yourself feel. It isn't difficult to let the little nippers in. The rest sort of falls in place once you do."

"Mark is rather difficult," Astrid said. "He's nothing like Bobby. The moment you tell him not to do something you can be sure he will."

"He sounds like Davin when he was little," Redmond commented.

"And Sybil. She was one stubborn child," Tom added.

"Mark is normal boy, good sometimes, bad others," Anna commented.

"We just need to get the good to be a great deal more often," Bradley said.

"Perhaps we need to take your father's advice," Astrid said. "Once he knows we want him and what we expect of him, he'll rise to it."

"For all intensive purposes for the next six months at least, you are his parents," Rose pointed out. "You need to make the best of it."

-0-

Astrid sat and tapped her pen on her desk a few days before the last day of school. The boys would do their presentations, they would have parent teacher meetings with all the teachers at the school and the staff would all have two weeks off. The boys would be going home to their families or heading to friends to start the summer all except one. The boys had sent invitations to their parents and grandparents for the presentation. Everyone had received a reply except Mark. He had become more and more distraught as the other boys received their mail and he hadn't had any. Finally Astrid suggested he invite Mr. and Mrs. Branson to come from London. She also had him send an invitation to Primrose. She had been down at Easter. There were a few boys who had stayed over the Easter break and she had come to see Bobby and had helped out with the games and Easter egg hunt on the grounds. It had only been a few days and Mark had received letters that his new guests were all coming.

Astrid thought back to the Christmas break. They had celebrated in Dublin when news came of Sybil's new baby boy. Mark had drunk a glass of juice with the younger crowd while the adults had a toast. Once he'd discovered the coveted spot of Tom's lap and the safe warm feeling he had there, he'd been on his lap in a blink if Tom allowed him. Mark had thanked Redmond and Anna nicely for allowing him to stay at their house and his behavior had taken yet another step forward.

Her first six students were all moving on to private schools in the autumn. None of them had wanted to change schools. Astrid had sat with them in the library one evening and explained they had all learned much faster than she had originally anticipated. Every one of them had caught up to where they should be in reading, writing and arithmetic. With a tutor and the right school there was no reason they couldn't go on successfully.

"I want to stay with you always, Lady Astrid," Malcolm had said.

Astrid looked at him and smiled. The tantrums were gone. His reading level was now appropriate for his age. Malcolm was the first one to encourage the other boys when they thought they couldn't do something and he had become a leader among the other boys. She regarded him as her greatest success.

"You are so brave Malcolm and you've come so far," Astrid said. "I would love to keep you all with me until you leave for university but there are other little boys and girls who need special help just like you've received. I'm going to miss you all terribly."

"I don't want to go either, Lady Astrid," Richard had said.

"It's time Richard," Astrid replied. "It's another step in growing up. I won't forget any of you as long as I live."

The arrangements were made for the six boys to go to new schools. They had sent out an information packet to each of their new schools on the techniques each boy was using. Contracts were already signed for the fall term at Hadley Hall. The new boys had been interviewed and received spots. Everything was set up for the girls summer session this summer. Kate was getting back to things and they were going to start planning for a symposium.

Astrid couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with Mark's home life much as hers had been after her mother died. She and Bradley had been spending extra time with him and he was improving steadily. The practical jokes and much of his nonsense had stopped unless something set him off. The behaviors had changed from the realm of spoiled child to signs of emotional distress he wasn't old enough to process.

She put her pen to the side. If Mark's parents did show up for the final day, she was going to have to have a meeting with her lawyers yet again. In a few days the proof would be in the pudding as some might say.

-0-

The day of the presentation began early. Everyone was up and breakfasted before the hubbub of packing started. The boys carried their sheets out to the hall to baskets set up for the dirty sheets and others for the blankets that would need to be washed as well before the next group arrived. There were trips to the stable to say goodbye to favorite mounts and chairs to set up in the main hall where they would do their presentations. At nine-thirty the first of the parents started to arrive. Bradley had booked the day off from the hospital and headed to the station with the car to retrieve Mark's guests. It was a beaming happy boy who sat between Dylan and Kate on one side with Primrose and Bobby on the other. Dylan and Kate had broke down and hired a nanny so they would be able to go out for a day here and there and to social engagements without having to worry about leaving their son with someone they didn't know well. Dylan often had social obligations with work that Kate was required to attend.

"Thank you for inviting us," Kate said to Mark formally. She shook his hand. Dylan took the now eight-year-old's hand as well.

"You've done very well, Mark," Dylan said. "Keep up the good work."

"Thank you for coming to my presentation Mr. and Mrs. Branson," Mark replied. They were near the front door of the hall. The other guests had left along with their sons.

"You can't take a later train?" Bradley inquired.

"Afraid not, work calls," Dylan replied. "I'll try to get down next week, or better yet we could nip up to see Cousin George and try our luck at our old fishing spot."

"I'll give you a call," Bradley said. Kate and Dylan headed off for the train. It was a nice day and they had decided to walk. Bobby and Primrose were out in the gardens. Bradley had decided to give them a few minutes before sending Mark out as a chaperone. Bradley glanced at his watch. If anyone was coming for Mark they should have been here long since.

"No one is coming for me are they Dr. Branson?" Mark said unhappily.

"It doesn't look like it, Mark," Bradley said putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I can't tell you why or where your father is. I don't want you to worry about it. Lady Astrid and I will see to you. You did very well today. I was very proud of you."

"I guess I have to unpack," Mark said. He was shifting from side to side. It was a sure sign he was upset. It was usually followed by a bout of bad behavior.

"We'll wait a few minutes until Lady Astrid is done with the other teachers. You'll be staying in a different room for the summer."

"Oh," Mark replied downcast.

"I thought we'd get a glass of water and then go see what Bobby is doing. We wouldn't want Miss Carpenter to think she is being neglected. She is your guest after all."

Bradley guided Mark along and out to the gardens. He spotted Bobby and Primrose holding hands. It looked like Bobby was about to kiss her. Bradley chuckled slightly as Mark dashed across the grounds to Primrose's side before Bobby could put his plans into action.

The hall was quiet when they all went back inside. The teachers had left for the start of their two-week break and the staff had already put away the chairs and extra tables. Astrid came to meet them looking tired.

"There was a call for you from the hospital, Bradley," she said.

"Where am I going to stay, Lady Astrid?" Mark asked with a worried look as soon as Bradley had gone to contact the hospital.

"We'll have a sandwich and ice tea and then pick out a room shall we?" Astrid said smiling at him. "You're a very lucky little boy to get to stay here at the hall for the summer. We're going to have a lot of fun."

Bradley left for the hospital while they were having their tea. Astrid was chatting with Primrose's plans to take a flower-arranging course over the summer when there was a knock at the front door. A few minutes later the butler, Mr. Stokes came into the room.

"There's a Mrs. Blackworth here to collect Master Mark, Lady Astrid," Mr. Stokes said.

Mark was at Astrid's side pressing against her in a flash. Whoever this Mrs. Blackworth was, Astrid made her mind up on the spot she wouldn't be taking Mark along with her unless he was going straight to his parents.

"Show her in please, Mr. Stokes," Astrid said. She sat to the edge of her chair and pulled herself up straight despite her tiredness. She patted Mark's hand and gave him a reassuring smile before she turned to the door to greet the unknown woman.

Chapter 8

Bobby could have wrung Bradley's neck when they were out in the garden. He'd been seeing Primrose now for months. She had come down for Easter and now for the end term presentations and he had been to her parents four times. They wrote back and forth and always seemed to have lots to talk about. He'd just finished school two weeks previously and would be staying in England for the summer. Sybil and Hans were scheduled to come for a visit now their baby was a bit older. There had been some talk about scooting over to Eagle Cairn for a few days or possibly the folks coming for a visit. Everyone was waiting for Sybil and Hans to arrive before they made a decision.

Bobby held Primrose's hand while they walked through the gardens. They were busy discussing their plans for the future. She had decided to take flower-arranging courses over the summer that would allow her to work at a florist. Her father had agreed to the classes but wouldn't agree to let her even approach anyone who was a flower grower about a summer post. She had another year of school left. Things had improved slightly over the winter and she had brought her marks up to a consistent average, which was a far cry ahead of where she had been the previous year.

They had stopped by a particularly fragrant patch of flowers that was slightly sheltered from view. Bobby had been just about to lean in for a first kiss when Mark came running across the grass calling his name with a grinning Bradley right behind him.

"Miss Carpenter is my guest, Mr. Sinclair," Mark told Bobby before he took Primrose's hand. "Dr. Branson said I should see to my guests."

"You've been a very good host," Primrose told Mark. She smiled at Bobby and had a slight flush on her cheeks. She had been looking forward to finally getting a kiss but it had been thwarted yet again.

"You're determined to keep me chaste and pure," Bobby complained to Bradley while they walked back to the house. Mark had Primrose were far ahead of them.

"Nothing of the kind," Bradley replied innocently. "I want you to take your time. She's still a schoolgirl and you have four more years of college. In another year you might have nothing in common."

"The more I get to know her the more we have in common," Bobby replied.

"Living with someone who has learning issues isn't always easy," Bradley said suddenly serious. "There are all sorts of little things you have to find a way around in a more involved relationship."

"Such as?" Bobby asked. They stopped walking. Mark already had Primrose inside the house.

"This business with Mark's family not contacting him or showing up is unsettling Astrid. I'll be lucky if she can read a word for at least the next three days until she calms down. I'll be spending my time off reading her correspondence to her and trying to get her to settle down. The issues don't ever go away."

"I don't suppose they do," Bobby replied thoughtfully.

Bobby noticed Astrid did look tired and ready for a break today while they were having sandwiches and iced tea. Bradley left for an emergency at the hospital after taking a phone call. Mark was sitting with Primrose playing the attentive host until the butler came in and announced a Mrs. Blackworth. Mark was at Astrid's side in a heartbeat. Bobby could see the poor little beggar shaking like a leaf from where he was standing.

"Mr. Stokes tells me you are here to collect, Master Wright?" Astrid said formally. "I'm Lady Astrid Branson, headmistress of the Russell Beldon School."

"I'm here to take Master Mark to his father's house," Mrs. Blackworth replied. She was a pinched looking woman wearing all black. The way she said Mark's name it was practically a sneer. She reminded Astrid of the housekeeper her father had dumped her on when he first abandoned her. Russell had fired the woman for her neglect.

"I haven't been advised of any such arrangement," Astrid said coolly. "I would like to inquire if Master Wright's parents are home."

"They're in Belguim setting up a factory. I don't expect them back until Christmas," Mrs. Blackworth replied sourly.

"Have arrangements been made for Master Wright to be escorted to Belgium to see his parents?" Astrid inquired.

"What business is it of yours," the woman retorted rudely.

"It is my legal obligation to ensure all the children in my care are released only to trustworthy individuals who have the legal right to assume custody," Astrid replied. "Now please tell me if a Nanny has been employed to see to Master Wright over the summer or if he is to travel to Belgium."

"He'll be at the house with me," the housekeeper said.

"I think not," Astrid replied levelly. "Mr. Sinclair would you please see Master Wright upstairs to pick out a room in the family area. Miss Carpenter if you wouldn't mind assisting."

"Come along Mark," Bobby said. He held out a hand to Mark. Primrose got up and took his other hand. "We'll go find you a room near mine. Good day, Mrs. Blackwart." Bobby deliberately messed up the woman's name. Mark was latched onto Bobby's hand with a death grip. He got a faint smirk on his face at the insult.

"What am I supposed to tell my employer?" Mrs. Blackworth demanded. She was looking more pinched all the time.

"You may tell them their son is being well cared for in a secure environment," Astrid replied. "Should they wish to put in a personal appearance, I would be happy to release custody of Master Wright. Until that time, he will remain here with my family."

"I'll summon the constable," Mrs. Blackworth threatened.

"You'd be wasting your time, Mrs. Blackworth. My lawyers have made sure my husband and I have temporary custody of Master Wright until his parents or a blood relative arrives to retrieve him with official written consent," Astrid replied firmly. "I'll bid you good afternoon. I'm sorry you've wasted your time coming here today."

"Humpf. We'll see about this," Mrs. Blackworth grumbled.

"I assure you I already have," Astrid replied. "Mr. Stokes please see this woman out."

"Very well, Mam," Mr. Stokes replied stiffly.

Astrid got up and followed Mr. Stokes to the door. She wanted to make sure the woman left the grounds of her home. Mrs. Blackworth had just stepped out the door when a basin full of water poured down from upstairs missing her by a fraction of an inch but still managing to splash her stockings and get her all wet.

"You can keep the little hellion! I'm glad I don't have him for the summer," Mrs. Blackworth sneered.

"I'll be sure to relay your insubordination and your feelings to your employers when I see them," Astrid said. "Master Wright will have a home here with my husband and myself for as long as he needs." She added the last bit for Mark's benefit. She hadn't heard the window close and she was pretty sure he was upstairs listening.

"Humpf," Mrs. Blackworth snorted. "A complete waste of my time dealing with you toffs," she grumbled as she turned to leave.

"Mr. Stokes, please see Mrs. Blackworth off the grounds," Astrid said. "If she sets foot on the premises in future summon the constable on grounds of trespassing."

"Very well, Lady Astrid," Mr. Stokes replied with a faint twitch at the side of his mouth. He walked out the door to see the woman off the property.

Astrid turned around to head to the stairs. She was halfway there when a smiling Mark appeared at the head of the stairs followed by a sheepish looking Bobby and Primrose with her hand over her mouth trying to hide a smile.

"Could I hazard a guess as to which one of you put the water out the window?" Astrid asked with a half smile. She should scold them but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I was only regretting I didn't have a bucket of manure handy," Bobby said with a crooked grin.

"It would have been rather fitting," Astrid said breaking out into a smile.

Mark ran down the stairs.

"Did you mean it?" he asked excitedly. "Can I stay with you and Dr. Branson as long as I need to?"

"Yes, you may live here with us for as long as you like," Astrid said with a smile.

Mark put his arms around her and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"We do need to contact your parents and find out what is going on," Astrid reminded him. "I wouldn't send a dog I didn't like to spend the summer alone with that Mrs. Blackworth. I had a housekeeper just like her when I was little. She was awful. My brother fired her on the spot when he met her."

"I hate her. She's mean," Mark said. He was still hugging Astrid.

"She's not someone you have to deal with anymore," Astrid replied. "Miss Carpenter is here. We need to entertain your guest. I think a trip to the cinema is in order this evening. What do you say?"

"I say thank you very much Lady Astrid," Mark said hugging her again. "Thank you very much indeed."

-0-

"Mark has certainly changed since Christmas holidays," Rose commented to Astrid. They were over for Sybil and Hans' visit. Sybil was pregnant again. With the baby and morning sickness the flight from Vienna to London had nearly done her in. Sybil's London manager had made the trip to Vienna that spring to go over the spring fashions and their plans. This trip was to see Bobby and introduce baby Thomas to the family as much as for anything else.

"He's changed a great deal," Astrid replied. "He still has his naughty times but nothing like he was. He's turned into Bobby's shadow. Bobby has Mark fencing with sticks, growing carrots and helping with his mushrooms. Mark pouted all day when Bobby went flying without him."

"Hero worship," Rose replied. "At least he's picked someone you can rely on. Have you gotten anything sorted out with the parents?"

"They've offered us an allowance for his care and extra payment," Astrid said. "I don't know how to get through to them that what he really needs is a loving attentive family."

"It's not that uncommon," Rose replied. "Even when I was a girl there were people who sent their boys off to school then on whatever trip or activity they could in the summers and on holidays. They believe they'er doing the right thing. You won't change their minds."

"There were those at my school as well. I've certainly learned to have a thorough interview with the children and their parents before they are accepted after this last year," Astrid said. "I feel a bit ridiculous parenting a boy that I am no where near old enough to be his mother."

"I wasn't old enough to be Redmond's mother either," Rose commented. "Davin and Sybil perhaps if I had started when I was very young. Mark's happy enough with all the male attention at the moment. Just let it happen."

"My biggest problem is getting him to the point where he's settled enough to be able to learn," Astrid commented. "The more stress, the more difficult it is. I personally have a very hard time when I'm really upset. It's not like that for everyone."

"Can any of us have our mind in two places for a long period of time? We should go and see what the girls have gotten up to. The boys are all busy pestering Hans as usual."

"What have you decided for retirement or have you yet?" Astrid asked as they headed for the stairs.

"We're going to stay put," Rose replied. "Tom has the choice of houses on the estate, so we've let the owner know we'll stay on once Tom turns sixty-five until he finds a manager he's happy with. We'll stay in the house until everyone is grown up and settled. It will be years yet. Declan will work on the estate this year, Lorcan has a job arranged when we get back as an exercise boy at the racetrack. Rory isn't quite old enough for a job so he'll work with sheep with his father on an occasional basis and we'll send him to school with Lorcan and Declan this fall. The girls are both knitting up a storm and Naill might go over to stay with Davin and Camilla for a few weeks until school starts. He can help out in the surgery sweeping up, holding the animals and cleaning pens, that sort of thing. Redmond's two will be out to stay as soon as we're home."

"It seems like just the other day when you took them all in," Astrid remarked thoughtfully.

"It's been eight years," Rose said. "You'll find time starts to go faster and faster the older you get."

-0-

Bradley wandered out of the second hand bookshop with a parcel under his arm and headed down the way to an antique shop. He liked to fish and spend time in the outdoors to relax, but this last while with his parents and sister over to visit he'd had enough of camping and fishing for a few weeks. Work had been particularly busy this last while and he was tired. It had been a good visit but it was nice to have the house to themselves for a few days before the summer program started. Astrid had gone to visit with friends, Bobby was off flying now that he had a full license and Mark was home with the Nanny busy following the gardeners about. Mark had found a new pastime to take his frustrations out on. He was so dirty from digging and pulling weeds all day long behind the gardeners he flopped into bed exhausted at night after his bath and dinner.

Bradley had spotted a series of books he had enjoyed as a boy about swashbuckling adventurer. He'd picked them up for the library at the house. If Mark didn't take to the stories, he thought the other boys would over the winter. He was usually in charge of story time in the evenings when he wasn't at work. He stepped into an antique shop, which was more of a curiosity shop and looked around for a bit. He spotted a pith helmet sitting on a pile of junk covered in dust. He looked it over. It seemed to be in good shape.

"Need help with anything," the clerk at the counter asked him. The man barely looked up from his newspaper that was spread on the counter.

"I'm not sure," Bradley said playing the game of feigned disinterest to get a good price. "I might be persuaded to buy this if the price was right."

"Five bob," the man said throwing out a ridiculous price.

"I could buy new in London for half that," Bradley said walking away. He spotted a compass in a display case. It had a leather cover that had seen better days and looked like it was a left over from the Boer war. He spotted the price tag, which was also on the high side.

"See anything else you fancy?" the clerk asked him.

"Not sure," Bradley said scratching the back of his neck with one finger. He looked around a bit more. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a pair of field glasses in a display case. Beside them was a spyglass that looked like it had seen better days.

"I'd like a look at those field glasses," Bradley said finally. The clerk shuffled over and got the field glasses out of the case. Bradley looked through them and tried the adjustments. They were by no means a good pair and were a bit worn around the edges. From the dust on them they had been sitting for a while. Most likely another war remnant someone had unloaded for a few extra coins. He took a look at the spyglass as well.

"Hmm," Bradley said rubbing his chin. He went to the case with the compass. "Let's see that." He pointed to the compass and a magnifying glass in the case. He looked it all over and put the magnifying glass to the side. No sense giving a boy who liked to get into mischief something to start fires with. He picked out a leather satchel and put his pile of items on the counter.

"A bob for the lot," Bradley said.

"No need to be insulting," the man said. "Two and six for the pile."

"One and four," Bradley said. "That's my final offer."

"I've got to make a living," the man squeaked.

"Not that many customers around today by the looks of things," Bradley said. "A sale is better than none. Take it or leave it."

"One and six," the man said finally.

"Four," Bradley replied.

"I can't do that," the man replied.

"I'll bid you good day then," Bradley said. He headed towards the door.

"One and four. I don't know why I'm doing this. I'm loosing money."

"Hard times," Bradley replied playing along. He paid his bill, then put the compass, spyglass and field glasses into the satchel. The helmet wouldn't fit so he tucked it under his arm to head back to the car to drop off his purchases. He looked around a few other shops before he headed home.

The moment he parked the car in the garage Mark came running across the grounds.

"What have you found out today?" Bradley asked him.

"Mr. Watts says the God damn worms are eating the Brussels sprouts," Mark informed Bradley. He wiped his sleeve across his face leaving a large streak of mud. "May I have a ride on the motorcycle, Dr. Branson?"

"You may have a ride on the motorcycle after you've gone in and gotten cleaned up and put on clean clothes," Bradley said. "I'll just have a word with Mr. Watts about language while you're doing that."

"Do I have to?" Mark asked.

"No bath, no motorcycle ride," Bradley replied. "Your choice."

"All right, I won't be long," Mark said turning to run back towards the house.

"Make sure you put your clothes in the hamper and wash the ring off the tub this time," Bradley called after him. He couldn't help but smile. He thought Mark's parents would probably die if they saw the things they let him get up to. Bradley had always been the kind of boy who loved to dig for worms and get dirty himself.

Bradley took his pile of parcels in and set the books on a shelf in the library while he waited for Mark to get cleaned up. He put his other items behind a chair in the corner for later. Mark showed up fifteen minutes later wearing clean clothes and freshly scrubbed.

"Did you clean up behind yourself?" Bradley asked him.

"Well, sort of," Mark hedged.

"Sort of no?" Bradley asked. He headed up to check. Mark dashed up the stairs ahead of him and quickly put his dirty clothes in the hamper before Bradley made it to the washroom. He was hanging the towels when Bradley made it to the door.

"You're too big a boy to leave cleaning up to Nanny," Bradley scolded him. "No one cleans the washroom after me or any of my brothers or Bobby."

"Sorry," Mark said. He had a cloth and some cleaner and was washing the tub as fast as he could. Bradley took the cloth once Mark was done, wrung it out and hung it to dry in the cupboard under the sink.

"What am I going to do with you?" he said to Mark ruffling his wet hair a bit.

"Take me for a motorcycle ride?" Mark asked hopefully.

"You've got it," Bradley replied with a grin.

Once they were back to the garage he strapped a helmet on Mark, dawned one himself and started the motorcycle. Mark climbed on the bike behind him and they were off for a short ride around the countryside. Mark clung to Bradley like a leech. He cheered when they went around a series of turns on a windy road. It was dry and the roads were good. Bradley deliberately took the corners at a good clip. He gunned the engine slightly as they crested a few hills to make Mark's stomach tickle. Bradley pulled up to the garage after half an hour of driving about and turned off the engine. As soon as Bradley had the motorcycle on its stand there were a pair of boyish arms around his waist hugging him.

"I love you, Dr. Branson," Mark said happily.

"I think you should start calling us by our first names," Bradley said returning the little boy's hug. "Only when the other students aren't here of course."

"I don't want them to get jealous," Mark said smiling up at Bradley.

"No we don't," Bradley replied with a grin. "We're counting on you to help with the girls that are coming in a few days. Do you think you can do that?"

"I can show them where to dig for worms for fishing," Mark said confidently.

"They're girls. Usually we dig the worms for them," Bradley said. He had his helmet off and was guiding Mark towards the house. "There are some things a man just does for a lady and digging worms is one of them."

"I can do that," Mark replied getting a tiny swagger.

"Of course you can. You can do anything you set your mind to," Bradley replied with a smile.

Chapter 9

"Where are you off to this morning?" Astrid asked Mark as he got up from the breakfast table. He had cleared his spot and was busy putting his pith helmet on his head. The helmet was too big for him and regularly dropped over his eyes.

"I'm hunting leopards," he replied seriously. He had on his satchel and picked up his wooden sword Bobby had helped him carve from an old piece of wood.

"Stay out of the sun and don't hunt too far from the house," Astrid said. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Not in front of the girls, Lady Astrid," Mark said rolling his eyes slightly.

"Leopards that look amazingly like caterpillars with orange spots," Bobby said quietly to Astrid as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he headed out for a morning in the vegetable garden.

Astrid looked down the table at the group of girls. Four of them had returned from last year. They were all young and had made some progress with their schooling but needed more help to get their issues under control. The rest of the group was anywhere from nine to twelve years old. It was a constant chatter session. They'd had to put on a strict no talking after lights out rule and Astrid had to give Nanny a hand to make sure it was enforced. Astrid was convinced if it weren't for the small class sizes they would get nowhere with the constant chattering. Emily was back for a second summer and in her glory with all the chitchat.

"Girls be at your classes in ten minutes," Astrid reminded them when she got up to leave the room. "Don't be late."

"Yes Lady Astrid," a few of them that had stopped talking long enough to eat replied.

Astrid headed to her study where she would hold her first class of the day. She smiled to herself when she saw Nanny heading to the dining room at four minutes to the hour to hustle the last of the stranglers to wash their hands and get to class.

-0-

"Hold your paper right under the line," Bobby reminded Mark. They were sitting under a large oak. Mark's reading practice had fallen to Bobby to listen to when he was at home. Astrid was busy with students and the foundation and Bradley was busy with work as usual. The twelve students at the house put a considerable demand on everyone's time. Spending time with Mark had turned into a group affair.

"Puff… H..uff, said the dragon," Mark read from the story book in a monotone voice.

"How would a dragon really say it?" Bobby asked him.

"PUFF, HUFF, said the dragon," Mark reread the line then grinned. He moved the paper slightly. "I will stop you, Sir John shouted. He brand..ish..ed his sword over his head," he read haltingly.

"Good keep going all the way to the end of the page," Bobby encouraged him.

Mark finished reading the page and continued to the next. The storybook was a simple one about a knight who rescued a damsel from the tower. They were having Mark practice his reading every day. Bradley had gotten him interested in playing explorer. All the games to do with fencing Hans had played with the boys had drawn Mark into a world of make believe explorers and knights who rescued damsels in distress and fought dragons. It was a great deal easier to get him to read if the story involved something he was interested in.

Mark was just finishing the story when a group of girls came out of the house. They spotted Bobby under the tree and came over quickly.

"All done for the day?" Bobby asked them.

"We have a long break Mr. Sinclair," Emily said. "Teacher said she needed to get some air and let her ears stop ringing. I hope she isn't ill."

"I'm sure Miss Applegate will recover after a cup of tea," Bobby replied with a grin.

"Do you want to play dragons?" Mark asked the girls. They were close in age and had taken to running around the gardens together. "I can be the knight."

"I can be a knight too," Emily said.

"Girls aren't knights," Mark said in disgust.

"Why not?" Emily demanded.

"Dunno, they're just not," Mark replied.

"Dunno isn't a real word Mark," Bobby informed him. "I've only got a few minutes. It will have to be a short game."

The other two girls took up their positions on a low branch of the oak tree pretending to be princesses in distress, while Emily got a stick for her sword. It was a game that had quickly become a favorite. The part of the dragon always fell to Bobby. It was really a giant game of tag where they chased him in circles around the tree or he chased them. It ended with him fencing with Mark and then pretending to die while the girls all cheered.

"That's enough for today," Bobby said. "Mark collect up your things. It's time to go in. I'm sure Miss Applegate has had time for her cup of tea."

"Aren't we going to garden?" Mark asked.

"Not today," Bobby replied. "I'm taking the train in a short while to visit Miss Carpenter. Dr. Branson will be home from work soon unless there's an emergency."

"I'm going to go to class with Emily and the other girls," Mark said.

"Put your things in room this time, not on the floor of the library," Bobby reminded him. Mark had energy plus most of the time and had turned into a going concern this last while. He would go until his battery ran out somewhere around dinnertime or just after.

It wasn't long and Bobby was headed for the train. He and Primrose were going to a young people's dance tonight at her father's golf club. He was hoping he would finally get a chance to do more than hold her hand but he wasn't holding his breath. Her parents were strict and kept the pair of them well chaperoned whenever he was there and his family wasn't any better when she visited. He was looking forward to horticultural school this year. He was glad he had decided to stay in England rather than move to Vienna even though he missed Sybil and Hans and sometimes wished they were closer. At the same time he had a current passport and could always catch a flight to go for a short visit anytime he pleased. It was one of the benefits of his allowance. Other than flying club, paying for his tuition, traveling to see Sybil and Hans and train trips this way and that, he didn't know how anyone could possibly be expected to spend two thousand pounds a year. He had everything he needed and had been saving up the left over part of his allowance to someday have his own plane and possibly his own house and car. At the moment the house and car were the last thing he needed as he could use the cars at the houses whenever he liked if they weren't already in use. Since Bradley took the motorcycle to work if it wasn't raining and Astrid didn't drive, the car was usually free during the summers.

-0-

"You look grand," Bobby said to Primrose when he arrived at her home that evening. He had changed to a tuxedo with white jacket and black tie on the train and then taken a cab to her home.

"Thank you," she said flushing slightly.

Her mother came behind her to greet Bobby.

"Hello Bobby, welcome. You can leave your bag down here. We've put you in the downstairs guest room again."

"Thank you, Mrs. Carpenter," he replied. "You're looking lovely as well."

"Thank you," she replied. "We'll all be having dinner together. The older crowd has bridge planned for the one room while you young people have the dance floor. Of course the men will be talking golf."

"It sounds like a visit to my relatives up north," Bobby replied. "The younger people hide in the billiards room after dinner while the older ones… I'm not sure what they do."

Primrose smiled in amusement.

"I have something for you," she said shyly. She produced a box with a red carnation and baby's breath boutonniere for Bobby and a matching corsage for herself.

"Did you make them yourself?" he asked clearly impressed.

"I did," she replied. "It's dead easy when you know how." She pinned the boutonniere onto his lapel. He pinned the corsage on her dress for her. He would have given her a kiss right then and there but her father was standing by with the camera ready to take a picture of the pair of them.

"What are you occupying yourself with over the summer, Bobby?" Mr. Carpenter inquired while he drove to the golf club.

"We have a boy staying with us for the summer. I'm occupied keeping an eye on him while everyone else is working and the gardens of course," Bobby replied.

"You haven't taken on employment?" Mr. Carpenter inquired with a slight frown.

"There are fourteen acres of grounds at the house not counting the pastures, Mr. Carpenter," Bobby replied calmly. "I have the garden at our home in London to care for as well. It keeps me occupied."

"Hmm," Mr. Carpenter replied. Primrose was only seeing the young man. They didn't have a formal understanding and he couldn't come right out and ask Bobby about his finances. Whenever anything came up about employment or money Bobby Sinclair was always evasive saying he had more than adequate to keep him busy. It was obvious there was money there, but whether the family was leasing the manor house where the school was and the true nature of his financial situation remained a complete mystery. All he'd been able to find out through his banking connections was that the family had no debt.

"You'll have to come down next weekend," Bobby was saying to Primrose. "The forecast is for rain and keeping this group of girls occupied for the weekend is challenging. They never stop talking. The one was talking so much she almost walked off the end of the dock when we took them fishing. She would have if Bradley hadn't caught her before she stepped off."

"We could have them make a simple corsage," Primrose replied enthusiastically. The two of them were busy planning what they would need to do the activity with the girls the rest of the way to the club. Mr. Carpenter didn't have a chance to question Bobby about finances any further.

Bobby was having a good time at the dinner and dance. He and Primrose were chatting about anything and everything and visiting with her friends. They had already planned a weekend for her to come to the house to help with the girl's session and Bobby had asked her if she would like to go flying with him if her parent's gave permission. They had gone outside once to the deck that overlooked the course, but he hadn't had one opportunity to steal a kiss. There were parents and chaperones absolutely everywhere.

"Aren't you having a nice time?" Primrose asked him worriedly. Bobby was frowning while they danced. In another twenty minutes or so they would be on their way home.

"I'm having a lovely time," Bobby replied smiling at her.

"You looked so annoyed," Primrose remarked. She still wasn't convinced.

"I was thinking the way all the chaperones are watching everyone we're a bit like a group of bugs in a jar," Bobby replied.

Primrose laughed slightly.

"It is rather, isn't it," she agreed. "We're not babies."

"If your father gives his permission for me to take you flying we are not taking a chaperone," Bobby stated emphatically.

"He'll want to escort us to and from the airport," Primrose replied with a titter.

"We'll go from my place. I'll take the car from the house and drive us there myself. No little kids tagging along either."

"A few hours completely on our own does sound nice," Primrose agreed.

"You know Bradley or Astrid will try and load the car up with kids don't you?" Bobby replied flushing slightly.

"We'll have to make sure they don't," Primrose said. She blushed and averted her gaze.

The next morning over breakfast Bobby was wondering why her parents didn't just invest in a chastity belt for the girl. Her father had sat up in the sitting room reading the newspaper for over an hour after everyone had gone to bed. There was a faint drizzle coming down making a brief walk after the dance impossible. It was as though the saints were conspiring against him to ever get a kiss. Never mind anything else.

"Daddy, Bobby has asked me to go flying with him," Primrose said cautiously.

"I don't like the idea of you going up in one of those flimsy contraptions," her father answered not looking up from his breakfast.

"I rent from a reputable company," Bobby replied. "I'm fully licensed now and able to take up to three passengers."

"I still don't like it," her father stated emphatically.

"It wouldn't be until later in the summer," Primrose tried again. "The weather forecast for next weekend is rain and Bobby has outings every weekend with the school. I only have the last two weeks before school goes in without my flower arranging classes."

"I wouldn't take Primrose up in bad weather," Bobby said hopefully. "I've been flying for two years with no incidents."

"I don't wish to sound rude," Mr. Carpenter said giving Bobby a stern look. "How are you affording all this young man? You have no perceptible gainful employment that I can discern?"

Bobby's cheeks turned red. Primrose gave her father a horrified look. Her mother set down her knife and fork in embarrassment.

"I think I'll clear. Primrose why don't you assist me," Mrs. Carpenter said quickly.

"Daddy, how could you," Primrose exclaimed before she snatched her father's plate as well as her own and headed for the kitchen. Mrs. Carpenter had her own plate and Bobby's and was out the door quickly.

Bobby wiped his mouth on his napkin slowly. He took a deep breath.

"Mr. Carpenter," he began slowly. "I have been taught that to discuss finances with anyone outside my direct family is the height of indiscretion."

"My only concern is for my daughter's welfare and to see that she is not involved with some sort of con artist," Mr. Carpenter stated.

"Mr. Carpenter if you are asking if my intentions are honorable and if I can afford to support a wife, my answer would be yes on both accounts," Bobby replied slowly. "My family has cautioned me repeatedly to take my time in entering into a serious relationship. I can only tell you that I am engaged in the family enterprise as any other son of a noble family often is."

"How many can you point to that are gardeners or nursemaids to a group of children?"

"Many do work on their family estates farming or helping with business during the summers," Bobby pointed out. "I help with the school because it is important to Lady Astrid and Dr. Branson and I work on the grounds because I enjoy it not because I have to. For all intensive purposes Lady Astrid is my older sister although not through blood."

"You're trying to tell me your independently wealthy?" Mr. Carpenter asked.

"My finances are tied to the estate," Bobby said evasively.

"How wealthy?" Mr. Carpenter asked. "You wear expensive clothing, go to good although not exclusive schools and gad about in rented aircraft. Then you turn around and express interest in a girl who may will most likely work in a florist shop, get your hands dirty in a garden and mind children. You must understand my confusion."

"I do understand that you are concerned as my family is. I am very interested in your daughter. We have common interests and get along well." Bobby took a deep breath. "Mr. Carpenter, I could afford to buy a house like yours every year for the rest of my life if I so choose. My guardian who is in control of my allowance until I turn twenty-five would never agree to anything so frivolous nor would I make that kind of request. I alternate between staying with family in London, Horsham and Vienna because it suits me."

"God Lord," Mr. Carpenter stated somewhat shocked.

Primrose tapped on the door and opened it slowly. It was obvious she and her mother had been on the other side with their ears pressed to the door.

"Can we go flying Daddy? Are you satisfied?" she asked. She glanced at Bobby questioningly. She had her fingers crossed her father's prying and over protective attitude hadn't put him off completely.

"No loops or radical dives," her father stated.

"I'll be careful," Bobby said. He was irritated but mustered a tight smile for Primrose's benefit to reassure her. "My flying is quite sedate compared to my father's."

"Very well," her father agreed.

"I thought Bobby and I could walk to the reservoir," Primrose tried. "There's a nice view of the valley from there."

Her father opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it shut.

"Oh very well," he said. He pushed back his chair from the table. "Mind your manners and don't do anything foolish."

"We won't Daddy, you can trust me," Primrose replied. She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek then headed for the door followed by Bobby right on her heels.


	48. Learning As We Go - Part Three

_Part Four is three quarters written so it may take me two days to publish. This story will be done before S-4. I promise._

Learning As We Go – Part 3

Chapter 10

"I'm so sorry," Primrose apologized for the third time. "My father is so over protective and embarrassing."

"Stop apologizing," Bobby said. "He doesn't want you with someone who's going to take advantage. My family go on and on about not getting involved too early and watching out for gold diggers. It gets rather painful after a while."

"I don't want to talk about our families," Primrose said.

"Neither do I," Bobby replied with relief. He pulled her close by her hand and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

They walked to the side of a hill overlooking the reservoir and sat on the grass. The sun was breaking through the clouds and the morning dew had dried.

"I'm glad you can come down this weekend. It should be fun," Bobby said.

"I'm not just an amusement, am I?" Primrose asked seriously.

"Am I?" Bobby asked her in return. "Not too dull always talking about plants and gardens?"

"I like plants and gardens and… you," Primrose said the last bit quietly. She looked down in embarrassment.

"I like you, too," Bobby said. He turned her face gently towards him and kissed her.

"I thought they'd never give us a second to ourselves," Bobby said as they parted.

"That was nice," Primrose said with flushed cheeks.

"Very," Bobby agreed before he kissed her again.

They walked back to the house holding hands.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to meet my parents when they were here," he said when they were in the door. "Sybil is pregnant and was sick every morning. Hans had a performance to do. He came to the airport for my licensing. The rest of the time he was practicing for some concert to do with the Austrian embassy. I didn't pay attention to what it was all about. He's always performing. He plays the violin."

"They sound like interesting parents," Primrose commented.

"I should head to the train. I'll meet you tomorrow at six if can you take the three o'clock express."

"I'd go with you today if I didn't have my class tomorrow morning," Primrose replied.

"Bobby, one moment," Mrs. Carpenter said. She had overheard their conversation. She was a fan of opera and always read the entertainment section of the newspaper. There had been quite a write up about a visiting violinist from Vienna at the beginning of summer. There had been a concert with dignitaries from all over Europe and North America in attendance. "May I inquire who your father is?"

"He's really my guardian's husband, but I consider him my father," Bobby replied. "His name is Hans Meyer."

"Wasn't he here a few weeks ago to play for the King and Queen?" Mrs. Carpenter inquired.

"Probably," Bobby replied completely unimpressed. "He plays with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra most of the time."

Mrs. Carpenter quickly retrieved the latest album she had purchased. She handed it to Bobby. "Is he on here?"

"That's him right there," Bobby said pointing to Hans standing in front of the orchestra playing a solo on the album jacket. "I better get to the train. I'm supposed to help out tonight with games and bedtime, if the lot of them ever stop talking long enough to play any games that is. It's the Nanny's night off and Dr. Branson is on the late shift at the hospital."

"What's the matter Mummy?" Primrose asked once the cab had left with Bobby in it. Her mother still had the recording in her hand and was sitting staring into space.

"You didn't say who his father was before," Mrs. Carpenter replied still in shock.

"Bobby said he taught him to fly and how to fence when he was younger. He only said he misses his parents sometimes living so far away."

"I don't think he's just a gardener," Mrs. Carpenter said finally getting up to put the recording back in its place.

"Bobby likes to garden. He's going to college to learn more about it. I like to garden too. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing dear, nothing at all," Mrs. Carpenter replied with a slight smile.

-0-

Two weeks before the end of the girls' program, Mark stomped into Astrid's study, plopped himself on a chair, crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip. It was after class and the girls had free time until dinner.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Astrid inquired. She didn't look up from the paperwork she was going through.

"Girls have germs," Mark replied sourly.

"Everyone in the world has germs," Astrid pointed out.

Mark bounced his feet up and down.

"Emily has more germs than most," he said.

"Can you tell my what brought you to that conclusion?"

"We were playing tag in the garden and she kissed me," Mark replied. "Girls and kissing and stuff are disgusting."

"Kisses wash off as do germs," Astrid said levelly.

"I suppose," Mark replied. "Can I go to visit Kevin? He asked if I would come and visit him over the summer."

Astrid put her pen down and motioned for Mark to come and stand beside her.

"Before I telephone Kevin's mother to make arrangements, can you promise you will be on your very best behavior?" Astrid asked him. "No worms in glasses at the dinner table or deliberately burning the toast to make a cloud of smoke in the house?"

"I haven't done that in ages," Mark said jiggling up and down a bit.

"I'm waiting for your promise," Astrid reiterated.

"I promise to be good. I could take my new bird book and we can look at the birds with my field glasses."

"Yes, you could. Kevin is a nice boy. I'm sure you'll have fun," Astrid said. "I'll call now and see if his mother is available to discuss a visit."

Mark nodded and went back to sit on the chair while Astrid made the call.

-0-

"Bradley, no," Bobby grumbled with an exaggerated gesture.

"Yes. Dropping Mark off at Kevin Reynolds' is twenty minutes out of your way," Bradley insisted.

"I promised Prim a date with no little kids," Bobby said resentfully.

"Your date can start once you have Mark dropped off at his friends. One of us has to take him. You do it and have the car for the rest of the day or I do it and you have to wait until I get back. I'll bloody well take my time and you'll have to wait two hours or more for your date."

"Oh for Christ's sake," Bobby answered. "Fine. I'll take Mark to his friend's place."

"Make sure you're back by five. Astrid and I are going out."

"And leaving us here with a dozen little girls to entertain?" Bobby asked still in a fowl mood.

"Nanny and two of the teachers are here to keep an eye on them," Bradley replied. "We're trusting you to mind your manners with Primrose."

"How would I possibly get up to anything with Primrose?" Bobby retorted. "You know damn well the girls will be on us the moment we set foot in the door."

"It isn't my fault you're popular with the girls," Bradley replied with a grin.

"Oh, piss off," Bobby said before he went to see if Mark was ready to go.

-0-

Mark was jumping up and down in excitement a short while later. Bobby and Primrose had a picnic along with extra drinks for their outing, Bobby had called the week before to reserve a plane and Mark's bag was loaded in the boot. Bobby had a note with directions to the Reynolds' home. They were finally ready to go.

"I'm going to watch for the house through my spyglass and be the first one to see it," Mark announced from the back seat. Sybil had picked out the car shortly after the war. Russell had officially picked out the car but by the time Sybil had vetoed his first two choices, she had really picked it out. It was a powerful machine with a convertible top. At the time they had to accommodate two children so they had chosen a car with four seats.

"You'll make yourself sick looking through that glass," Bobby warned him.

"How will I ever be a great explorer if I don't learn how to spot things?" Mark replied.

It was about a forty-minute drive to the Reynolds'. Mark was playing with his spyglass for the first ten minutes or so and chattering up a storm. Primrose was quiet watching the trees roll by and putting her hands in the air from time to time to catch the breeze with her palms.

"Ouch," Primrose said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked.

"A bee has stung me," Primrose said.

"I'd better stop." Bobby pulled off to the side and looked at the sting on Primrose's hand. "I don't see a stinger," he said looking at her hand closely.

"It really hurts," Primrose said. "I'll put one of the cold drinks on it. That should take the pain out."

"May I have a soda?" Mark asked when Bobby opened the hamper.

"Be careful you don't spill it all over," Bobby said handing Mark an open bottle of pop.

They set off again. They were about ten minutes from their destination when Mark who had been quiet since their stop suddenly spoke up.

"I don't feel very well," Mark complained.

"We're almost there," Bobby replied.

"I think you had best stop," Primrose said glancing back at Mark.

Mark didn't make it out of the car before he hung his head over the side and vomited down the side. There were chunks of vomit stuck all over the back wheel well and the running board.

"Lovely," Bobby said. He dug around looking for their bottle of water for Mark to wash his mouth out. It was of no use as Mark got sick again. Mark started to whimper.

"It's just a little motion sickness. You'll be all right," Primrose tried to comfort him. She reached over the seat to smooth his hair back.

"I want to go home," Mark whined.

"We're a lot closer to Kevin's than home," Bobby said calmly. "I guess a spyglass and a bottle of pop aren't the best things for a long trip." He got Mark out of the car trying not to get any of the vomit on himself. Mark rinsed out his mouth and used Bobby's handkerchief to wipe his face. Mark was really starting to snivel. Primrose got out of the car when she saw Bobby didn't know what to do.

"It's all right Mark. Everyone gets motion sick from time to time. We'll get you to your friend's and you can have a lie down. After a little rest you'll feel right as rain." She patted his back and rubbed little circles on it.

"OK," Mark replied in a whiney voice.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Bobby said.

They got back in the car and started off. Primrose took off her scarf and wrapped it around her hand. Her fingers were looking red and puffy. The acrid odor of the vomit stuck to the side of the car was making Bobby gag. He pushed on the throttle harder. They were at the Reynolds in five minutes, He didn't want to give Mark a chance to vomit again.

"I'm awfully sorry to deliver Mark in this condition," Bobby said to Mrs. Reynolds. "He has been a bit car sick on the way."

"We'll just get you a lay down, shall we," she said guiding Mark inside. "A piece of dry toast should fix you right up." Kevin was hopping around a flurry of concern for his friend. Mark nodded in response. He had stopped snuffling but was still looking rather green.

"Would I be able to trouble you for some antiseptic?" Primrose asked. "A bee has stung my hand. It's quite uncomfortable."

"The housekeeper will fetch you some," Mrs. Reynolds replied.

Bobby went to fetch Mark's things from the car. He had to use his handkerchief to wipe the vomit from the strap of Mark's satchel of explorer toys. He didn't want to trouble Mrs. Reynolds for anything else. He looked around until he found a hose to rinse off the side of the car and then wash the chunks into the grass at the side of the drive. Primrose reappeared with her hand bandaged. The housekeeper retrieved Mark's bags and they were finally off.

"Poor Mark," Primrose said.

"Poor us having to smell it," Bobby replied.

"He couldn't help it," Primrose sympathized.

"Never mind. We are now on our first official date with no children or chaperone," Bobby said. "How does it feel?"

"Free and sore at the same time," she held up her hand slightly.

"We can get you some ice at the commissary at the field," Bobby said.

They were at their destination in fifteen minutes. The first stop was the commissary to get some ice for Primrose's hand, which was now looking even more swollen and giving her quite a bit of pain.

"Could I trouble you for a bag of ice for my girl friend's hand?" Bobby asked the woman behind the counter.

"Now what did you do to yourself, Dearie?" the woman asked Primrose.

"It's what a bee did to me," Primrose replied with a wince.

"You don't need ice. You need soda," the woman said. "You sit yourself down and I'll be right back. Can I bring the two of you anything else?"

"Perhaps a cup of tea?" Primrose asked Bobby. Her hand was throbbing and she wanted to rest it on the table.

"If you like," Bobby replied. He took a seat across from Primrose at a booth. The woman brought them two cups with a small pot of tea. She went off into the kitchen and came back with a bowl.

"Now you need to sit with this for a half hour or so and your hand will be right as rain," she said. She had Primrose lay her hand flat on a napkin then put a large blob of a paste made from baking soda and water on her palm.

"It's starting to feel better already," Primrose said about five minutes later.

"Not much of a date so far," Bobby said ruefully.

"These things happen," Primrose replied. "If we didn't have plans Mark would probably have gotten ill when we drove him over anyway and bee stings can happen at any time."

"Do you mind staying here while I go and see about the plane? We're a bit late for the reservation. I need to do a prefight and flight plan."

"I'll be fine here," Primrose replied.

Bobby went to the counter, paid for the tea and gave the woman a generous tip for helping Primrose before he headed to the hanger.

"Your out of luck mate," the mechanic at the hanger who ran a rental business told Bobby.

"I beg your pardon?" Bobby replied.

"I tried to call but you had already left. The last bloke who took the bird out gave her a rather rough landing this morning. I should have had her ready to go easily if it wasn't for the damage. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to have to wait for the part."

"What about one of the biplanes?" Bobby asked him.

"Both already out. It's a nice day everyone wants to take their sweetheart up."

"I see," Bobby replied. "Do you know if anyone else is renting today?"

"Busy day, everyone's booked solid as far as I know," the mechanic said. "You wanted the newer single engine. I'm the only one who has one I let out. After this last bloke, I'm reconsidering ever letting it out again."

"I'm thinking more and more I should have my own," Bobby said.

"There's a new single engine from America that's a nice piece if you can afford one. Cheap over there but it costs a bit to have it shipped over," the man said. He'd been renting to Bobby for two years and had talked aircraft with him more than once. "I've got a brochure in the office."

"You'd be willing to do the maintenance for me if I got one?" Bobby inquired thoughtfully.

"I'd give my eye teeth to lay my hands on a Piper," the mechanic replied with a grin. "I'd do your maintenance for you since you're a regular customer that hasn't pulled any of this nonsense." He gestured to the damaged plane. "I had to summon the constables to get the character to pay for the damages."

"It's a nice kite," Bobby commented when the man showed him the brochure for the Piper.

"Supposed to be reliable and economical. Seats two in front and two in back."

"It's what I need. Correct that to what I want at the moment. I'd be able to fly her around the Isles with no problems."

"She'd cross the channel easily enough or hop over to Ireland," the mechanic said.

"I'll think about it. It still doesn't solve my problems for today."

"Look around. Hardly a bird left on the ground."

"Nothing to be done I guess," Bobby said with a sigh. "Can I take the brochure along with me?"

"Go ahead. The salesman will be back sniffing around soon enough."

"Did you get his card?"

"No, but I'll send him your way if your interested."

"I'd appreciate it," Bobby replied. "Cheerio." He headed back to the commissary to collect Primrose and tell her the bad news.

"It's alright Bobby," Primrose said. "I'd say my hand has put rather a damper on the day. We could have our picnic somewhere along the drive back." She was sitting with the paste starting to crumble off her hand. The swelling had gone down by well over half but her hand was still tender.

"Would you be game to try again tomorrow?"

"Let's try the day after tomorrow. Next time I'll keep my hand inside the car," she said with a slight grimace. "It's going to take a bit to stop hurting."

"Let's go make the reservation," Bobby said with a grin. Their next try would go a whole lot better, he just knew it.

Chapter 11

"Why the long faces?" Bobby asked. A week had gone by with Mark at his friend's and they were all missing him. Bobby would see Primrose home the next day, spend a few days in London with Dylan and Kate then head to his new school to get settled in at the dormitory. His plans to purchase a Piper were on hold until he talked to Sybil and Hans in person during the Christmas break.

"Redmond has written. Nanny Grace has passed away," Astrid replied. "It's a hard loss."

"It won't seem like a visit to Ireland without her," Bobby said sadly.

"Where's Primrose?" Bradley asked him.

"Helping out with the older class. In other words picking up a few things for herself if she can," Bobby replied.

"She's certainly got the flower arrangements looking lovely in the main hall," Astrid said distractedly. "I don't know what to do about Nanny's funeral. She had no family."

"I'll call Redmond and see what he has arranged. We can offer to pay for the flowers."

"I want her to have a proper headstone," Astrid added.

"I'll give Redmond a call. I'm sure he feels the same way," Bradley reassured her.

"I wanted to ask your opinion on something," Bobby said.

"If it's purchasing a plane you need to talk to Sybil and Hans," Bradley said.

"I know that," Bobby replied. "I'm thinking of asking Prim to come along to Vienna at Christmas. I've met her parents. It's about time she met mine."

"You don't need to rush things," Astrid said distractedly. Her mind was still on Nanny Grace's funeral.

"We've been seeing each other for a year now. I don't consider that rushing things," Bobby replied.

Bradley and Astrid both sat back and looked at Bobby.

"There is still no rush. You have four years of college yet and she isn't finished school," Bradley said. "Primrose is a very nice girl, but she's still a girl living under her father's roof. He isn't the most liberal man in the world."

"If the two of you come along for the holidays he could hardly protest," Bobby replied.

"If I can get the time," Bradley said.

"You do realize we would be bringing Mark along," Astrid commented. "We'd have to stay in a hotel."

"You know for all the times I've complained about having to care for him while the two of you are at work, I miss the little devil. You can't help but develop an attachment to him."

"Even with a dozen children here the house seems dull without him," Astrid agreed with a faint smile. "You never know what he is going to find to get into next. He has a way of worming into your heart."

"I wasn't too happy with having him foisted on us so unceremoniously," Bradley agreed. "I've always tried not to resent his presence but it was hard at first. He can't help what his parents have done. He's a good boy underneath it all now that he's settled down."

"He is learning now that he's in a secure place," Astrid said. "I'm planning to put him in a regular class this autumn. He's just about at the grade level he should be. I rather miss not sitting on his spyglass every time I turn around."

"If we take him to Vienna no spy glass or soda pop on the trip. I'm not looking forward to a repeat performance of the car ride to the Reynolds'," Bobby commented.

"Getting back to Primrose, you and she aren't…?" Bradley asked with an arched eyebrow.

"No," Bobby replied in a disgusted tone. "If we were that would be the pot calling the kettle black. I heard you two tiptoeing back and forth at night plenty of times when you thought everyone was asleep."

"We were already engaged and Astrid wasn't a school girl," Bradley said sternly.

"We weren't engaged," Astrid reminded with pink cheeks. "Not at first."

"Soon after and we always had every intention of getting married," Bradley said with a frown. "We'd already been going out for what three years? We didn't rush into anything."

"I'm not rushing, but I do think Prim should meet my parents," Bobby said. "How would you have me arrange it with them in Austria and her in England."

"You do have a point," Astrid agreed.

"Let me check if I can get the time off," Bradley said. "I haven't taken any holidays this year. I might be able to get ten days."

"We could fly. It would be easier," Bobby said hopefully.

"I'm not promising anything," Bradley reiterated.

-0-

"Any problems?" Astrid asked Mrs. Reynolds when she dropped off the boys for the beginning of the school year.

"Once Mark's tummy troubles cleared up they were so occupied they didn't have a minute for anything besides play," Mrs. Reynolds replied.

Mark was hopping from foot to foot bursting to tell Astrid his news. Astrid leaned down and whispered in Mark's ear. He stopped dancing around.

"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Reynolds," he said with a bow. "I enjoyed myself very much."

"You're most welcome. Thank you for coming," Mrs. Reynolds replied.

"Kevin you're in the same bed as last year if that suits you," Astrid said.

"Yes, Lady Astrid," Kevin replied. He headed for the stairs with his mother to help him get settled in.

"Tea in the drawing room for us," Astrid said to Mark. One of the teachers was at a small table near the door to meet any of the boys coming in. Astrid and Mark went down to the kitchen to make tea since Mr. Stokes was busy orchestrating the boys' arrival.

"We rode bicycles, and played in the garden. Mr. Reynolds took us hunting for rabbits. He let us each fire the gun one time and Kevin had a birthday party and we put up decorations and a big group of Kevin's friends came over," Mark said without taking a breath.

"Goodness you were busy," Astrid replied. "We all missed you a great deal."

"That's good. I was worried Bobby wouldn't want me to come home after I got sick on the side of the car," Mark said.

"It's all forgotten. No more spyglass when we're driving I'd say," Astrid replied. She gave Mark a hug.

Mark put the cups on the tray for her while they waited for the kettle to boil.

"I have a big decision for you to make," Astrid said. She poured the water into the pot. Mark's eyes got big with dread. "I need you to decide if you would like to stay in the room you've had for the summer or move back with the other boys."

"I don't want the other lads to get jealous," he said.

"No we wouldn't want that," Astrid agreed. They put the tea in the dumb waiter and pushed the button for it to go up. The cook was busy getting the dinner ready and wasn't paying them any mind. "We'll talk about it upstairs," Astrid said.

"Here is what you need to consider," Astrid said when they were settled with their tea. "You may move back over with a room full of boys, or you can stay where you are. It won't make you any less part of the school. If we have one more bed free in the other rooms, there is a boy who is on the waiting list who could come here for school. He's about your age and having a terrible time with school." Astrid didn't add that he would be coming in on full scholarship from the foundation. He had a severe form of dyslexia and his parents couldn't afford tutors or special education. They didn't have the education themselves to try and teach him. They were a good family who were trying and had been in contact with the foundation regularly to try and find ways to help their son.

"I like being with the others but I really like my room," Mark said thoughtfully. "OK we can help him."

"I was hoping you would say that," Astrid said. She had already made the decision but had thought it would go easier if Mark thought it was his idea. "I have another surprise for you. You'll be in a class with your friends this year."

"Really?" Mark asked in surprise. His excitement was obvious.

"Do you think you've improved enough to be in with the others?"

"I do. I won't do anything naughty unless I absolutely have to," he said making a cross over his heart with his finger.

"Why would you need to be naughty?" Astrid asked him. She was trying not to laugh.

"Sometimes you just do," Mark replied seriously. "I'm going to go up now and unpack."

Astrid presented her cheek for a kiss, which he received before Mark dashed off to unpack and play with the other boys.

-0-

The next day the new boy Matthew arrived looking lost and intimidated by the size of the house. His parents had taken time off work to come with him from Leeds. Astrid had only met them at a preliminary interview in London. His parents looked relieved that he was going to finally receive some help with his learning problems while at the same time were struggling with their pride at the thought of taking a hand out. They sat uncomfortably in the study to meet with Astrid after she sent Matthew off with the Nanny to try on uniforms and riding gear from the assortment they had of outgrown items.

"Mr. and Mrs. McGrath, you're to be congratulated pursuing help for your son to the point of diagnosis," Bradley said. He was by his wife's side to meet with the parents since this was their first student from a working class family. "Despite the public health system there are few parents who take the time to understand why their child is doing poorly at school. It's often put down to an excuse of the child not liking school."

"We want our Matt to have more school than we did," Mr. McGrath said. "The school he was at was all about the strap and beating the lessons into him."

"Matthew is a gentle soul," his mother said. "He spent most of his time in his room crying."

"In two years I have yet to administer the strap, Mr. and Mrs. McGrath," Astrid replied.

"There is discipline here but not excessive," Bradley added. "We don't let the children run wild. We did have one boy last year who went for an unexpected swim in the pond."

"May I ask what he did to deserve that?" Mrs. McGrath asked in concern.

"As I remember he spat on the floor, disobeyed our Nanny and kicked me in the shins within a matter of a few minutes," Bradley replied.

"I'd have boxed his ears for him," Mr. McGrath said sternly.

"A dunk in an ice cold pond worked wonders," Bradley replied seriously.

"As I mentioned in our interview, there are no guarantees," Astrid reiterated. "The program is designed so that we learn from the children as much as they learn from us. A technique that works for one may fail completely with the next. A great deal of what we do here is building confidence while working on problem solving and facing issues head on."

"I'm worried Matthew won't fit in," Mrs. McGrath said.

"It may be an issue," Astrid replied with a nod. "Nanny has taken him to try on riding attire and uniforms. We have quite a pile of outgrown things from the last two years of boys as you can well imagine. Exchanging clothing is quite common here as this is a boarding school and boys do grow. The foundation will provide whatever else your son needs. I am hoping for the best. There are no students at the school who don't have learning issues. There will be a period of adjustment as there is with every new boy."

"We'd like to be able to contribute something," Mr. McGrath said.

"Understanding and family support are the greatest contributions you can make," Astrid replied.

"Here's Matthew back now," Bradley said. He opened the door to Nanny's knock. Matthew came in wearing his new attire. Nanny had managed to outfit him head to foot from the stores they kept in one of the old servant rooms. The only outward sign that he wasn't from a wealthy home was his dreadful haircut. _"That will be changed when they all go to the barber in six weeks,"_ Astridcouldn't help thinking to herself.

"My goodness, aren't you a smart looking boy?" Mrs. McGrath said.

"I guess," Matthew replied looking down. He was looking uncomfortable.

"It's time to say your good byes and then explore the grounds with the other boys," Bradley told him. "We'll have one of the boys come and take you around. There are a great many things to do and learn here not just reading and writing."

Matthew nodded and leaned against his father. The tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"None of that now," Mr. McGrath said. "We'll be down to see you and Lady Astrid here says you can come home on weekend if someone comes to get you."

"Will you come soon?" Matthew asked woefully.

"I'll come to fetch you in six weeks and then again for Christmas," his mother replied. "The time will be gone before you know it."

Matthew's parents said their goodbyes while Bradley went to call one of the boys to take Matthew around. He spotted one of the boys from the previous year running down the stairs in a set of play clothes.

"Derek where are you off to?" Bradley asked him.

"We're pulling carrots and beets in the garden for cook, Dr. Branson. Mark is showing us how," Derek replied excitedly.

"We have a new boy, Matthew. Come and take him to get changed into his older clothes and help him find his way around."

"All right, Dr. Branson," Derek replied. He was trying not to run indoors but failing miserably.

"Slow down, Derek," Bradley said. He introduced Matthew to Derek. Matthew's parents were tarrying at the door.

"Come on you've got to get changed quick," Derek told Matthew. "We're digging vegetables and then we're going to collect worms for fishing later."

Matthew didn't say anything. He nodded and followed Derek to the stairs.

"I've never dug in a garden before," Derek was telling him as they climbed the stairs. "It's really fun and there are all sorts of bugs to squash."

"We have caterpillars at home," Matthew said shyly as he followed Derek. "They make a pop when you squash them."

"They're all just little boys," Astrid said to Matthew's parents as a way to shuffle them out the door.

"He's going to be just fine, Mother," Mr. McGrath said to his wife as they left. "Just fine indeed."

-0-

That night at dinner the boys sat around the table with new boys sitting next to old. The teachers and nanny lived in a section of the old servants quarters that had been modernized and took their meals separate from the students. Astrid and Bradley had the boys in the formal dining room unless they had guests. Part of the boys' learning was the table manners and dining room etiquette they had both been raised with. The whole experience was a new one for Matthew as well as some of the other boys. The boys stood behind their chairs until Lady Astrid was seated and then Dr. Branson. They quickly took their seats. Matthew reached for a slice of bread and was stopped by a quick headshake by Mark who was sitting directly across. Derek was on one side of Matthew and Kevin on the other.

Grace was said. The butler and two maids served dinner. Astrid and Bradley kept an eye on the boys to determine the level of table manners. They had both been raised in a strict environment when it came to dining etiquette and believed in correcting behavior right away. Matthew wasn't doing too badly being coached by three boys from last year. There were a few boys who didn't want to eat what was on their plates, which was nothing new.

"Who can tell my it's important to eat vegetables?" Astrid asked the group.

"Vegetables provide vitamins that help you grow," one of the boys said.

"Another reason," Bradley asked.

"You should eat everything because it might be rude to the host if you don't clean your plate," another boy answered.

"Very good. You never know whom you are dining with. No matter how lowly the table or if it is with the highest dignitaries we always want to show courtesy to our hosts," Astrid said. "I'm sure you can all think of another reason."

"Doctors think there might be a connection between learning and diet but they don't know for sure," another boy said. "Dr. Branson told us that last year."

"I'm surprised you remembered," Bradley said.

"Vegetables taste good if you try all different ones," one of the boys contributed.

"One more reason?" Bradley asked.

"Everyone should eat their vegetables because I worked hard this summer to grow them," Mark said.

"An excellent reason," Astrid said with a smile. "We don't want Mark's work to go to waste."

"If you don't like something?" Bradley asked the group.

"Put it in your mouth and swallow it anyway," Derek said with a smile. He forked a piece of boiled beet into his mouth and swallowed it to prove his point.

"Can we have a story about eating something you don't like, Dr. Branson?" Mark asked.

"As soon as all the dinner plates are clean," Bradley said. All of the returning boys cleaned their dinner plates and prodded the new boys to eat everything. Bradley usually told humorous stories about his childhood and the boys loved hearing about all of his siblings and their adventures.

"My mother is Scottish," Bradley began as soon as the dinner plates were cleared. The plates of trifle were being served. "When I was a little boy my brother wanted to play bagpipes. He asked and asked for a set, but my parents didn't want to listen to him learn to play." The boys smiled and wiggled on their seats. "One year for Christmas my uncle and grandfather bought him bagpipes and sure enough we had so much noise when he was learning my mother made him practice in the stable." There were hands over mouths trying to stop from laughing. "When we celebrated Robbie Burns my brother would pipe the haggis in. My brothers and sister and I would hold our breath and swallow the haggis because we didn't really like it but Grandpapa and Uncle did. One day we went to visit and my mother decided to take revenge on my grandfather for buying my brother bagpipes. We all got up at five in the morning and went over to his flat. We snuck into the sitting room very quietly. My brother piped the house awake at exactly five thirty in the morning. Grandpapa jumped out of bed, grabbed his ceremonial sword and ran down the stairs in his nightshirt yelling, _"Who dares to attack the home of the MacClare's."_ He was sure an entire Scottish regiment had launched an attack on his flat."

The boys all smiled and giggled at the story.

"Trifle isn't haggis," Astrid reminded the boys with a smile. "Eat up and don't lick your fingers."

Chapter 12

Bobby got off the underground in London carrying his bag. His term was finished and he was on Christmas break. He had decided to go in to London and see Dylan and Kate and their little one before he headed home to Hadley Hall. Primrose's father had given consent for her to accompany them to Vienna as long as Bradley and Astrid were along. They had all planned to stay at a hotel but Sybil had written they would borrow some collapsible beds. He and Mark would stay down in the sitting room at night, Astrid and Bradley would have the guest room and Primrose would have a temporary bedroom in the client room of the studio. Sybil wasn't due until January and Thomas' crib could be in their room for the few days. It would be a tight fit, but nicer to be with family than in a hotel Christmas morning.

Bobby walked the few blocks to the house and used his key to let himself in. He could hear muffled voices coming from the client room of Sybil of London. It was a sure sign Colleen and her assistant were busy with a client. The door was always open when there were no clients in. He would wait to check with her to see if the sweater Camilla had promised him had arrived with the last shipment from Ireland. Bobby noticed the drawing room was decorated for the holidays as he headed upstairs to drop his bag in his room. He looked around upstairs and finally located Kate with her little boy in the library on the main floor. She was pregnant again but only in the first few months. She was sitting at the desk going through a pile of correspondence while the baby played with a stack of blocks on the floor.

"How is college going?" Kate asked him.

"Rather dull actually," Bobby replied. "I already know everything they've gone over so far."

"You should have quite a pile of knowledge after all the years you've spent tagging behind the gardeners at Hadley Hall," Kate said.

"There was a bit on newer drainage techniques that I hadn't heard of before but that was about it," Bobby replied. "Never mind. Eventually I'll get on to something new. What have you planned for the holidays?"

"Dylan has a few days. We'll get over to Dublin. I'll stay on and go to my parents with my sister for a few," Kate said. "Bobby, have you talked to Bradley or Astrid in the last few days?"

"No. I was home two weeks ago. We firmed up the plans for Vienna then. We aren't leaving for five days yet. I thought I'd spend tonight and perhaps tomorrow with you and Dylan. The boys will be going on break tomorrow, I think. What's the matter?"

"Astrid's in a state. I've just come back from Horsham," Kate said. "Mark's father arrived unannounced and took him away."

"What?" Bobby exclaimed in surprise. "After all this time? He's become like their own child."

"I know. She's devastated. He showed up one afternoon while Bradley was at work. Informed Astrid he and his wife are in London to close up their house. They're moving to Geneva. He wouldn't discuss any of Mark's needs with her or his progress. He had Mark sit in the car while the nanny packed his things. There wasn't time for a proper goodbye with Astrid, let alone anything with Bradley."

"Poor little nipper," Bobby said. "The father's actions aren't really surprising though with all the things they've pulled. We were planning on taking him to Vienna. He was excited and asking me questions left and right. He's been playing Sybil's old learn to speak German records ever since they told him he'd be going."

"How could they treat the poor little thing like that? He's been ripped out of the only home he's known for over the last year."

"How's Bradley taking all this?"

"He's furious on the one hand and worried about Astrid on the other. She's missing Mark terribly. He was a big part of her life."

"He was a big part of all our lives," Bobby replied. "He was a lot more than just a student. I'll be home soon enough. Maybe I'll take the late train back tonight."

"A day or two won't make that much difference," Kate said. "Just try and get Astrid and Bradley's mind off things while you're in Vienna."

-0-

Mark snuck out the back door, ran through the small garden and took the lid off the dustbin where it was waiting to be collected by the trash collectors in the back lane. He moved the smelly, rotting garbage on the top of the can with a stick until he spotted the strap of his satchel. He caught the strap with his stick and pulled his satchel out of the can. It was covered with rotted vegetable and coffee grounds. He set it on the ground and opened the cover to check if the contents were all there.

"Blast," he exclaimed. He pushed the dustbin over as carefully as he could so as not to make a sound and searched in the contents until he found his compass, field glasses, spyglass and the other items from his collection. He'd added a pair of old opera glasses and a military medal from a trunk he had found when he'd gone exploring in a room in the house that had been his Grandmother's before he was born. He finally found all his things put them on top of the satchel and hid them under a bush in the garden.

He would come back for his things and wash them up later when his parents had company. They always had company. He hadn't had one meal with them yet in the week since he'd been at the house. He'd been playing with his things yesterday afternoon. He hadn't been able to bring his helmet or his sword with him. His father had spotted the items, declared them foolish nonsense and had the driver leave them on the step at the front of Hadley Hall. Mark had been watching the guests arrive with his field glasses from the top of the stairs. His father had spotted him and looked through the satchel.

"Useless trash not suited for a vagrant," he had declared. "Dispose of this rubbish," he'd said handing Mark's satchel to Mrs. Blackworth. Mark had started to cry and his father had told him to stop acting like a child.

"I am a child," Mark had screamed back. His mother had frowned at him then turned back to her guests. His father ignored him and headed back down. _"Probably to brag about my older brothers," _Mark had thought to himself. Mrs. Blackworth had taken the satchel under her arm, given Mark a snide look and headed off to toss his things in the trash. Mark had gone to his room and cried himself to sleep on his bed. His bag had everything he loved in it. Bradley had said his things were worn because they had been used to explore. Mark could remember the day he got the satchel clearly. He and Bradley had built a tent behind the sofa in the drawing room. Bradley had pulled the compass out of the satchel as though it were a great treasure.

"What do I want that old thing for?" Mark had asked him.

"Every mark on it is from a different place from where it has been," Bradley said. "Look at the scuff there. Maybe it got that on safari in Africa and those scratches on the cover, could it be from an encounter with a shark? Maybe it's been to the bush in Australia and been in a fight with a crocodile. If it could talk it would have a story to tell."

"Wow," Mark had exclaimed. The items all had marks and scuffs from their adventures. He was sure his spyglass had belonged to a pirate. Bradley had read him a story that night in the pretend tent about an explorer. It had been exciting and just maybe some of his things had belonged to an explorer like the one in the story.

He'd been good since he'd been home with his parents but it wasn't doing any good. They still talked about his older brothers like they were some sort of princes and Mrs. Blackworth was still as mean as ever. She was supposed to move to Geneva with them next week. Right now he had to get back into the house and have breakfast so no one would suspect anything. He hadn't even had a chance to kiss Lady Astrid goodbye. His father had made him sit in the car. He'd forced himself not to cry. He tried not to think of the look on Lady Astrid's face as they had driven away. If they wanted to take away his things and take him from his school without even letting him say goodbye to Bradley or Bobby they would find out exactly how naughty he could be.

"There you are," Mrs. Blackworth said when she spotted Mark in the hall. "Your breakfast is in the morning room. Don't make any noise. You're mother is still sleeping."

"I'd like porridge, Mrs. Blackworth," Mark said. He'd thrown up two times in a row when he had soft boiled eggs and gotten a bad rash. Dr. Branson had said it was most likely an allergy and he shouldn't eat eggs unless they were well cooked since he didn't get sick when he ate potato salad.

"You'll have what I made you," Mrs. Blackworth snapped back.

Mark went into the morning room. Sure enough the table was set with a soft-boiled egg as it had been every morning since he'd been home. Every morning they had exactly the same exchange. Mark ate the toast that was on a side plate and left the egg. There wasn't any jam or marmalade set out. He drank a cup of tea with a lot of milk in it. He thought about what he would do while he ate. Lady Astrid and the teachers at the school were always talking about how you needed to think and find a way around problems. His problem right now was being at a place where he didn't want to be. Mother and Father didn't seem to want him there. Neither of them were interested in hugs, or playing games or bedtime stories. He hated Mrs. Blackworth as much as ever maybe more.

He finished his breakfast then went to wash his hands. He smiled to himself. He wasn't going to leave any evidence of where he had been until he was completely ready.

-0-

Astrid's pale face and dark circles under her eyes were evidence of the sleepless nights she had been having. She had let herself love Mark and now she was kicking herself. She missed him so much and now the boys were all being picked up from school for the Christmas break. She turned away from the window in her study when Mr. Stokes announced Mrs. McGrath was there to pick up her son Matthew for the holidays. Astrid wanted to speak to her about having Matthew practice his reading, writing and some simple math activities over the break.

If only every set of parents were as involved and willing to do what it took to help their child, Astrid thought as she waited for Mrs. McGrath to be shown in. She had been concerned when Matthew first arrived about the class differences but he had fit in well with the other boys and had become fast friends with the others in his age group. The boys' common issues were a great equalizer within the confines of their small school.

"Mrs. McGrath, before Matthew comes down would you mind if I make a small suggestion?" Astrid asked once she had greeted Matthew's mother.

"What would that be, Lady Astrid?" Mrs. McGrath inquired worriedly.

"Would you be able to purchase an inexpensive camera for Matthew for Christmas? He doesn't have one and photography is a big part of confidence building on outings for the boys. I loaned him mine for our last few outings but it would make things easier if he had his own."

"I think we could managed that," Mrs. McGrath replied with a smile. The school and foundation were supplying so much she was finding it all a trifle overwhelming. Twenty minutes later Astrid had gone over Matthew's Christmas assignments with him and his mother, and sent them off to the train. Matthew was walking with his mother happily chatting away while she looked at a card he had made for her while they walked.

"He wasn't your little boy," Astrid said aloud as she turned away from the window. "He's theirs and they've taken him to live with them in Geneva." No matter how many times she said it, it didn't make it hurt any less.

-0-

Mark watched from the shadows near the top of the stairs for Mrs. Blackworth to go out for her morning shopping. The house had been sold and things were being systematically packed or discarded room by room. No one noticed if things were missing. He had his satchel safely hidden in the back of his closet. He had washed it and his things and put them there when no one was paying attention. He'd had a great deal of time to himself in the last two days. The entire time he'd been at home he'd had a great deal of time on his own except when he parents wanted him to sit quietly when they took a notion they wanted his presence or Mrs. Blackworth took the time to annoy him.

First his father collected his hat and coat and went out the front door. It wasn't long and his mother went out wearing her fur coat and a hat with black feathers on it that bounced like the cock's tail in the chicken pen by the stables at school. Mark had been at his post almost an hour when he spotted Mrs. Blackworth heading for the front door with her shopping basket over her arm. It was time to put his plans into action the second the door clicked shut behind her. He raced down the stairs to the laundry room. He couldn't reach the shelf, so he got the stool and stood on the second rung. Once he was high enough he had no problems unlatching the cupboard and retrieving the items he wanted. He knew exactly what each product did. The maid at school had told him not to fiddle with the bluing bottle last summer while Lady Astrid was busy with the girl's class and Bobby had gone out. Of course he had and had a blue thumb for the next six days. He'd asked a mountain of questions about everything to do with the laundry. Mark set the things he wanted on a lower shelf then pushed the stool to the side.

His first stop was the electric washing machine. He opened the box of soap flakes and dumped it all in. He tossed the empty box to the side, then ran the hot water hose from the sink into the machine to fill it up. He made sure the machine was plugged in then turned it on the first setting which should be agitate if it was the same as the one at Hadley Hall. He went to the kitchen and retrieved the soap flakes from the wash up area and added them to the machine for good measure.

"I must have got it right," he said out loud. There was already a good eight inches of foam on the top of the water and it was just about to start cascading down the sides. Mark took the rest of his bottles and headed off. His first stop was the front hall closet. He got a saw he'd found in the back shed from the back of the closet. No one noticed things if you hid things in plain sight. He went to Mrs. Blackworth's room and started working on the leg of her bed. He had one leg almost through when he started on the next.

"Lucky for me you don't sleep on a metal bed," he said. He left the saw under her bed then went into her washroom. He took her jar of hand cream and smeared a good size handful on the floor beside the bed then put the bedside rug back in place over the top. He put the pot back and got busy pouring bottles of liquid from this one to the next. He picked up her perfume bottle. It had solid glass sides.

"Why not," he thought. He took the perfume bottle to the window and poured it outside. He'd learned before if he poured perfume in the sink it made a tell tale stench. He filled the perfume bottle back up with laundry bluing then put the atomizer back on the top. He gave it a few squirts into the drain to make sure the blue liquid was coming through. His final thing was to pour just enough liquid lye onto her hairbrush hopefully she wouldn't notice before she brushed her hair.

His next stop was his mother's vanity where he did a repeat performance with her perfume bottle. She always wore a sleeping mask. He carefully coated the inside of the mask with a layer of stove blacking. The gardeners at school had told him what it was. They had let him black the stoves that were used to keep the greenhouses warm in winter.

Mark's look through his father's chest of drawers the day before had revealed where he kept a collection of jack knives. Mark got the one he thought he'd like for his own collection then went to the cupboard and carefully cut the shoelaces off of every pair of shoes. He made sure to leave the laces lying on top so it didn't look like they had been cut. He made a last stop in his parent's bathroom where he switched his father's tube of hair cream for a tube of glue. He would have liked to do more but if they were true to their regular schedules he only had about ten minutes before the housekeeper would be back. He ran back down the hall to his room and hid the packets under the bed. He got on his sweater and coat, put on his satchel that was loaded with his supplies and ran down the stairs. He was almost to the front door when he ran back to the kitchen. The suds from the agitator were part way across the room. He grabbed the toaster and took it to the breadbox. He stuffed one side full of bread then quickly stuffed the other side full. He glanced at the clock. He had to hurry. He moved the dial to the highest heat setting and plugged the toaster in on the counter.

He was out the front door and half way down the block when he spotted the housekeeper stopped chatting to another woman down the street. He ran back to the house, around the side and into the back yard. He was still running when he made it to the back lane and headed the way he wanted. He stopped long enough when he got to the end of the lane to carefully peek between some bushes on the corner to see where Mrs. Blackworth was. She was still talking. He crouched down and crept along the hedge until he was sure he was out of sight. He started to run again. He'd worked out where he was going last night. All he had to do was count the streets.

Chapter 13

The bell of the fire brigade was drawing nearer. Mrs. Blackworth and her friend were craning their necks to see where it was coming from. Another two of her gossip circle appeared on the steps in front of the houses they worked at.

"What kind of fool sets their house on fire?" Mrs. Blackworth commented waspishly.

The women turned as the brigade truck went by. It was right then Mrs. Blackworth realized there was smoke billowing from the house where she worked. One of the front windows was ajar and it was rolling out.

"The house!" she exclaimed and took off running down the street. The brigade had already knocked the door down and was inside.

"Let me pass," she snapped at the man baring her way. "My pass book is inside." She had pilfered almost everything from the attics while the family was away and pawned it. She had disposed of a fair bit of extra silver and the grandmother's things as well. She had a tidy sum in her account.

"Is there anyone inside," the brigade member asked ignoring her demand.

"No, oh, Master Mark is home," she remembered. "He'll be the one who set the fire." She pushed the man to try and get past but he wasn't budging.

"No emergency here," a member of the brigade called out as he walked out of the house carrying a still smoldering toaster. Suds were stuck all over his legs.

"There's someone inside," the man on the street called over. "How old?" he asked turning back to Mrs. Blackworth.

"I don't know, nine or ten maybe," she replied.

"Description?" the brigade member asked.

Her only reply was a shrug.

"We're looking for a boy," he called over his shoulder.

A few minutes later four men came back out of the house. They were covered with suds.

"No boy in 'ere," one of the men said. "Unless 'e's 'iding under all them suds."

"Suds!" Mrs. Blackworth exclaimed. She pushed the brigade member aside and ran in to see the suds starting to emerge from the kitchen. There was a clunking sound coming from the laundry room. She made her way through the waist deep suds and switched off the washer.

"I'm going to kill the little bastard," she swore under her breath.

Her friends had followed her into the house to see what was going on. One of them had already run back to her own house to telephone the wider gossip circle and tell them what was going on.

"This is a fine how do you do," one of the cronies said. "You didn't leave the boy here on his own, did you?"

"What if I did? He can take care of himself," Mrs. Blackworth snapped.

The constable came to the door of the kitchen and called her to answer some questions.

"Isn't this the same boy who put in a prank call about Russian parachutists a few years back?" the policeman inquired after a few minutes.

"That's him, the little whelp," Mrs. Blackworth almost spat out. She'd barely had to do any work in the last year and a half until she'd found out the Mr. and Mrs. were coming to London. Now the little brat was home making up for lost time.

"Has he run off before?" the constable inquired.

"Fairly regularly. He always comes back," Mrs. Blackworth replied. _"When he does I'm going to tan his backside,"_ she was thinking.

"Have his parents call when they get in," the constable said. He gave Mrs. Blackworth his contact information at the station house.

Mrs. Blackworth had the back door open and was attempting to sweep the suds out the door when she heard the front door open.

"Why is the door damaged?" Mr. Wright, Mark's father demanded the second Mrs. Blackworth stepped into the hall. There were suds stuck all over her dress.

"Master Mark set the toaster alight, Sir. The fire brigade thought the house was on fire and broke down the door."

"Where is my son now?" he demanded.

"I don't know, Sir."

"You are left in charge of one young boy for a few hours and you don't know where he is? Can't you even do the laundry correctly? Clean up this mess and locate him immediately."

"Constable Moore from the station wanted you to contact him, Sir," Mrs. Blackworth said. "I don't know how you expect me to locate Master Mark. I don't know where he is."

"Get this mess cleared away and don't give me your insolence. I have half a mind to sack you right now, but someone has to clean up this mess."

Mrs. Blackworth turned to go back to the kitchen. She turned back.

"I don't fancy sweeping suds your little brat decided to leave for me for the rest of the day," she retorted angrily. "Neither do I fancy learning to speak German or French or whatever it is they speak in Geneva. I quit."

She took off her apron wadded it in a ball and threw it at Mr. Wright.

"I'll be off the premises in ten minutes," she said. She stomped off through the billowing suds in the kitchen towards the back stairs.

"I won't give you a reference," Mr. Wright yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I don't care," Mrs. Blackworth yelled back.

Mark's father was just ringing off with the police constable when his wife came in the door.

"The housekeeper just quit," he said in disgust.

"She can't quit," Mrs. Wright said indignantly. "We have a soiree to attend tonight. I've a terrible headache. I'm going to go lie down."

"Mark is missing."

"Take care of it darling," she said as she breezed up the stairs.

-0-

"Gods the place is quiet," Bradley commented over dinner. "Good thing we're leaving for Vienna the day after tomorrow."

"I'll phone some friends and have Prim come down a day early," Bobby said. "We'll have a party and put some seasonal cheer in the place."

"We don't have a tree up," Astrid pointed out.

"There's garland," Bobby said nonchalantly. "What does it take to play a few records and have some drinks. Cook can put together a few nibbles. Bradley can entertain everyone on the piano. It's a wonder he isn't the musician the way he sings instead of Garret."

"I have to work a good twelve hours tomorrow maybe longer," Bradley reminded him.

"So you start celebrating the minute you get home. When did you turn into such an old man?"

"We are acting old and gloomy," Astrid agreed. "All right a party tomorrow it is. It will get our minds off other things."

"Now you're talking," Bobby replied with a grin.

They were in the drawing room later that evening planning the party. Bobby was on the telephone in the hall calling the list of friends to invite. Astrid ordered the food and drinks with the butler and cook. Bradley was going through the stack of records selecting which ones they wanted to play at the party. They had a Perry Como Christmas recording on the turntable. The Christmas music was setting the mood and the house was finally starting to feel like the holidays. Bobby had just rung off after talking to Primrose for a good twenty minutes about the party when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Bobby called from the hall. Mr. Stokes headed back down the stairs that he had climbed half way up.

Two plain-clothes police detectives showed Bobby their identification when he opened the door.

"Is Mark Wright here?" they asked.

"No, why, what's happened?" Bobby asked in alarm. "He hasn't been here since his father picked him up over a week ago."

"He's missing and presumed runaway. We're checking any location he might be," the detective said.

"You had best come in and talk to Lady Astrid and Dr. Branson," Bobby said. "They know him better than anyone."

"Mark is a bright boy," Astrid said to the detectives a few minutes later. "If he doesn't want to be found you'll have a devil of a time finding him."

"And you've no idea where he might go, Lady Astrid?" the detective inquired again.

"Other than here, I can't think of anywhere," Bradley said. "He wouldn't go to Kevin Reynolds'. They live miles out in the middle of nowhere."

"He hates that house in London," Bobby said thoughtfully. The detectives looked at him with a frown.

"What Mr. Sinclair means is that Mark has issues," Bradley said. "Mark has learning issues that are compounded by behavioral problems that stem from his feelings of frustration and feelings of isolation. He can be very naughty and quite devious when he wants to be."

"He was doing so well," Astrid said worriedly. "He hasn't been naughty other than to leave his things lying around or not pick up his room in over six months."

"You think this is one of his pranks?" the detective asked.

"It's possible, if he made a mess in the house as you claim right before he disappeared," Bradley replied.

"Exactly what did he do?" Astrid asked. The one man consulted his notes.

"Set a toaster on fire with almost a loaf of bread pushed inside it and filled the house with soap suds," he read. "The fire brigade demolished the door," he added trying to hide a grin.

"It was preplanned," Astrid stated giving Bradley a knowing look. "A toaster is one of his standard tricks when he's upset, although soap suds is a new one."

"If he turns up, let us know," the detective said.

"We'll alert the staff and have a look around the property when it's light," Bobby said. "If he's here there are a hundred and one places he could be hiding. Mark knows the grounds well."

"It's winter," Astrid said in alarm. "Mark could be cold and hurt."

"This is Mark we're talking about," Bradley reminded her. He covered her hand with his. "You know how resourceful he is. He'll have some plan and put everyone on their ears. He might already be back at his home in London."

"You don't think Mark is in London anymore than I do," Astrid said to Bradley once they had shown the detectives out and closed the door firmly behind them.

"No, I don't," Bradley replied. "When Mark is upset where does he go?"

"Vegetable garden," Bobby replied. "My old tree fort, green house to look for bugs on the tomatoes or the hayloft."

"It's too cold out for either the vegetable garden or tree fort," Bradley said. "If he's here, he's at one of the other two."

"I'll get the torches," Bobby replied.

"Astrid stay in the house incase there is a call," Bradley instructed.

An hour later both men were back in the house.

"He's not here," Bradley said despondently. "Where the devil could he be?"

"I hate to say this, but Mark could be home in bed in London," Astrid replied. "His parents don't have to notify us. The police may if they find him but they probably won't. We may have to chalk it up to the last we ever hear of him."

Bradley put his arm around Astrid and held her close.

"We'll make inquiries," he said. She nodded against him. She leaned on him as they headed upstairs. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that Mark had gotten himself into a pickle and needed their help.

-0-

Mark crawled out from between the bags in the unclaimed baggage area at Horham station. The staff at the station had all gone home for the night and turned off the main lights. There was a faint glow coming from a street lamp outside. He'd asked a lady at the station in London to purchase a ticket for him to Horsham and she'd bought one to Horham instead. He'd got on the right train for the ticket and wound up in the wrong place. It was going to take a lot longer to get home to Hadley Hall than he thought it would. He opened one of the large suitcases in the unclaimed baggage and felt around in the low light. There was a man's suit jacket. He put it on over his clothes against the cold then sat down inside the suitcase. It was a little warmer. He'd gotten cold hiding in the baggage pile on the cold floor. No one had paid any attention to a boy traveling on his own. Lots of boys were traveling home from school for the holidays. It wasn't an odd occurrence.

He wasn't quite sure where Horham was. He opened his satchel and pulled out an apple. He'd loaded up for his trip from the larder at the house. He got out his coin purse and carefully counted his money. It hadn't been hard to figure out where his father kept his key for his desk. He'd helped himself to a large pile of coins since they were easier to count and he'd put his passport in his satchel as well and a few bills just incase. He had enough left for the trip to Horsham he thought if he got it right tomorrow when the station opened again. He'd have to be careful if the police were looking for him.

"I'm on an adventure," he said quietly to himself. He waited a bit until he'd warmed up before he got up to look around. There was a large map on the wall with a star where he was. He got out his notebook and pencil from his satchel. He drew a picture on the page with three stars and connected them with two lines.

"Back to London and then to Horsham," he said. Mark looked around and spotted a brochure that looked like a train schedule. He took it back to the suitcase where he had his temporary bed set up. There wasn't very good light in the station so he put his things in his satchel and went for another look around to see if he could find a torch. He had to duck behind a desk in the office when he heard a security guard come by and rattle the lock on the door. He waited a few minutes then found a torch and a wind up clock on one of the desks. He collected the pair and went back to the suitcase. He took a bit of time to push the cases around and make himself a fort with his bed case shielded from the windows and anyone entering the station.

"_All adventurers need a torch. I'll have to get one when I get home,"_ he thought while he got out his glasses and went to work on the train schedule. An hour later the clock in the station struck twelve. Mark put the schedule and his notebook in his satchel, set the alarm clock for five and switched off the torch.

"I'm going home," he said with determination before he fell asleep.

-0-

The detective at the station in London regarded Mr. and Mrs. Wright as they sat across his desk from him. It had been almost noon before they showed up the morning after their son had gone missing. Mrs. Wright had a smattering of what he had thought at first were moles on the side of her face and neck. She was wearing a hat with netting to cover whatever it was on closer inspection looked like dots of blue paint and there was an odd black smudge across forehead and the bottom of her eyes. Her husband's hair was sticking up at an odd angle after he had taken his hat off.

The detective drummed his fingers on the file that was almost two inches thick on the desk in front of him.

"Have you had any word from your son, Mr. Wright?" he asked.

"Not a thing," Mr. Wright replied. "He's gone back to that school. Those people must know something. I'm sure of it."

"Your son is not at Hadley Hall and quite frankly Mr. Wright they were considerably more helpful than you were. Did you know your son has a habit of setting toasters on fire when he is upset?"

"How would I know something like that?" Mr. Wright retorted.

"It seems to me something most parents would know if their son did it on a regular basis. I would say you would notice the smoke in the house," the detective said sternly.

"I still think those people know something," Mr. Wright insisted.

"Other than to supply us with a list of Mark's friends and their telephone numbers, I would say not," the detective replied calmly. "Your son is not at Hadley Hall."

"Then where is he?" Mrs. Wright demanded.

"Did you check his room before you came out?" the detective inquired.

"Well, no, I hadn't time," Mrs. Wright said arrogantly.

"It's eleven in the morning and your son has been missing almost twenty four hours and you didn't have time?" the detective asked raising his eyebrows. "I have here a file on your son." He tapped the file on his desk. "He habitually plays tricks and pranks and has caused no end of trouble. He's been quiet the last year and a half. There is a warning on file if this happened again you would be held criminally negligent."

"Now see here," Mr. Wright blustered.

"No you see. I have more important things to do such as solving murders and break ins than looking for one naughty boy who's parents don't appear to be all that much interested in his whereabouts or behavior. We've made inquiries and we haven't found your son. I suggest you take a look around yourselves. He may be hiding under his bed."

"I'll summon my lawyers," Mr. Wright said.

"One more peep out of you in the next forty-eight hours and I'll put this court order into effect," the detective said shaking his finger at Mark's parents. "If your son hasn't turned up by then. We'll ask around again. I suggest you get off your high horses and do some asking yourselves."

"I'm going to the beauticians," Mrs. Wright said standing up suddenly. "Arthur you can take care of things."

"I'll see you out," the detective said ushering the pair of them out the door. He had to bite his cheek to stop from laughing when Mr. Wright's hair wouldn't bend enough for him to get his hat back on.

"Trouble with your hat?" the detective asked Mr. Wright.

"Humpf," was all Mr. Wright replied before he stormed out the door.


	49. Learning As We Go - Part Four

Learning As We Go – Part 4

Chapter 14

"We'll go out by horseback. It will be faster to cover the grounds," Bobby said. Astrid nodded sullenly. Bradley had left for work early. They had called the police station in London to inquire and been put through to the detective covering Mark's disappearance. He hadn't turned up yet. The police detective thought he was hiding to avoid punishment and would turn up when he got cold and hungry enough. He had thanked them for their concern. They had sat around and fretted for the last two hours. Going out to search on horseback was better than doing nothing.

"The police don't know Mark," Astrid said to Bobby thoughtfully as the grooms were saddling their horses. "He won't be found unless he wants to be."

"He is just a child. He's going to have to come out of hiding eventually," Bobby said to reassure her. "If we don't hear anything before the party tonight we'll go through every room in the house and the attics if that makes you feel any better."

"It would," Astrid said. "The only thing that will make me feel like celebrating is if I know he's safe and sound."

"Astrid it's up to his parents," Bobby said with a sigh. He would feel better if he knew Mark was safe as well.

"What kind of parents would let this happen?" Astrid questioned.

"You know what boys can be. Look at all the things they've all gotten into over the last two years."

"Nothing this drastic and we always keep them busy enough they don't get into much."

"You do, they don't. He'll show up just like the detective said," Bobby reassured her.

They rode around the property. Other than the tracks of the day staff coming and going in the fresh snow there was nothing to point to a little boy hiding anywhere on the grounds. They stopped by the greenhouses and asked the gardeners to keep an eye out for Mark. The two old men had a checkerboard set up by one of the stoves and were having a game in the relative warmth of the greenhouse.

"Seems an odd thing," one of them said. "Master Mark is a bright little lad and willing enough."

"Just keep an eye out," Astrid replied.

"Right you are, Lady Astrid," the other replied tipping his hat.

"I've got to get down to the station with the car to pick up Prim," Bobby said as they headed back into the house.

"I'm going to call Mark's friends and see if he's turned up at any of their homes," Astrid replied.

Bobby nodded and squeezed her hand before he went up to change.

-0-

Mark spotted Primrose at the station in London waiting to board the train. He knew he had the right train. She was going to Horsham he was sure of it. They had plans to go to Vienna and she was coming along. She must be going to join everyone. Mark waited until a luggage cart was moved down the platform before he walked past her. He stayed on the far side of the cart out of sight so she wouldn't see him. He hid behind the luggage until he saw Primrose get on the train and then got on himself. This morning he'd bought the ticket himself and got tickets straight through to Horsham so there wouldn't be any more mix-ups. He'd had some sleep but he had been cold again after he'd gotten up early and hid in a stall in the men's room until the station had started to fill up with people for the early train. He would have liked something warm to eat but he didn't want to chance leaving the station and getting lost or missing the next train. The woman at the ticket counter had made a joke out of how similar the names sounded then sold him the tickets. His stomach did an uncomfortable flip flop from hunger. The trip had taken quite a bit longer than he had thought and he'd only had an apple and a few crackers to eat that morning.

Mark reached for his spyglass then thought better of it. He didn't want to attract any attention to himself. He stuck his head out of the third class compartment where he was seated. There were two constables walking along the train checking the compartments. He scrunched down lower in his seat then risked another peek out the window after a few minutes. They were walking off escorting a man who had too much to drink. He was wobbling every which way despite the fact the constables each had a hold of an arm and were practically dragging him down the platform. The train started off with a lurch once the bags were loaded. The third class seats were hard compared to the first class he was used to but he didn't care. Soon he would be home and back in his own room.

-0-

"I'm very glad to see you," Bobby said to Primrose after he had kissed her hello.

"Bobby, what's wrong? You look worried," Primrose said with concern.

"It's Mark Wright," Bobby replied. "He went missing in London yesterday. We're all worried sick. The police think he's hiding and will show up when he gets good and hungry."

"He probably will," Primrose said reassuringly. "The police deal with this sort of thing regularly."

"It doesn't stop us from worrying," Bobby said. He took the claim check from Primrose and collected her bags. He stored them in the boot then held the door for her to get into the car.

Bobby went around and got into the driver's seat. He pulled Primrose close for another long kiss. He was quite enjoying the feel of her tongue exploring his when something rustled in the back seat.

"Ew, you lot are disgusting," Mark said. His head popped up over the seat from where he had been hiding under a blanket.

"Mark, how did you get here?" Bobby asked in surprise.

"I got in the car while you were getting Primrose's bags," Mark replied. "How can you mash your faces together like that? You're going to get germs."

"You shouldn't be spying on us and you haven't answered my question," Bobby replied. "How did you get here from London?"

"On the train," Mark said. "I wanted to come home so I came."

"I don't know whether to hug you or strangle you," Bobby said. He reached over the seat and hugged Mark as best he could. "Everyone has been worried sick."

"Everyone here has been worried," Mark said knowingly. "I fixed things at my house in London so they won't want me back."

"Mark what did you do?" Bobby asked sternly. "Actually never mind that. It's less than an hour by train from London, you've been missing for more than a day."

"I took the wrong train. Did you know there is a place called Horham?" Mark replied. "I'm hungry. Can we go home now?"

"We'll go home and then we'll let everyone know to call off the search," Bobby said.

"No one else is looking for me," Mark said with certainty. "They might not even know I'm gone."

"The police were around. Everyone knows you're gone," Bobby said. "Never mind all that. You need a meal and then you can tell us all where you've been."

"You're going to send me back," Mark said with disappointment.

"No one is going to send you back," Primrose said turning in her seat and patting his hand. "Lady Astrid will have to let the police know you're safe. You wouldn't want men out looking for you and maybe getting hurt in the snow, now would you?"

"I suppose not. I just wanted to come home," Mark said. His head was lolling on his hands where they were resting on the back of the seat.

Bobby stopped the car by the front door. He put the seat forward and tugged a now sleeping Mark out into his arms to carry to the front door.

"He's getting too big to carry," Bobby said straining with the weight.

"Bobby!" Astrid cried when she saw him. "Is Mark hurt?"

"He's sleeping, Lady Astrid," Primrose said. "We found him at the station or he found us. He's worn out."

"I've got to get him into bed before I drop him," Bobby said through gritted teeth. He climbed the stairs with Mr. Stokes going along to steady him so he didn't trip or fall.

"I'm so relieved," Astrid said taking a chair in the hall. "I don't know whether to cry or spank the little devil."

"Mark said he wanted to come home, Lady Astrid," Primrose said.

"He's home and he's safe," Astrid said in relief taking Primrose's hand. She looked up at Primrose and smiled. "My little boy is safe."

-0-

"How long does it take to get here from London?" James MacClare said checking the clock again.

"Obviously longer than it took you to arrive, Uncle James," Bradley replied.

Astrid had made a few calls before she notified the police of Mark's whereabouts. She had suggested and the detective in London had agreed it would be a better use of manpower if Mark's parents retrieved him in person although it was not procedure. Bobby's friends had started to arrive and he and Primrose were entertaining them in the drawing room. Mark had woken up long enough for a bowl of soup and a quick bath before he was back into bed in a pair of pajamas. He had worried and fretted the entire time he was up that his parents would take him to Geneva.

Bradley had managed to get someone to cover for him a few hours early. All they could do was reassure Mark they would have a proper talk with his mother and father this time around and he would be allowed to say his piece. They had asked Bradley's uncle to be there as legal representation for Mark. Astrid couldn't help going up to check on Mark every ten minutes to make sure he was asleep in his room and that he was safe. A car finally pulled up in front of the house. Bradley, Astrid and James waited for Mark's parents to be shown into the study.

Mr. Wright's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight that greeted him. A younger man with a serious countenance he surmised was Lady Astrid's husband was standing beside her. An older man with white hair and bearing a strong family resemblance was there as well. The older man had the piercing gaze of those who are accustomed to being in charge and a posture that clearly announced don't try to put anything over on me.

Mrs. Wright had a veil over her face and to what Astrid looked to be a good deal of makeup on. Mr. Wright had changed his hair from when Astrid had last seen him to a brush cut.

"Why have you inconvenienced us like this?" Mrs. Wright demanded once she was seated. "The police could have taken care of matters.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wright, let me first say Mark is safe. He is upstairs asleep," Astrid said. She ignored the woman's rude behavior. "I'd like to introduce my husband Dr. Branson and Lord Newtonmore. He is here to act as legal representation for your son."

"This is preposterous," Mr. Wright blustered.

"Not preposterous, I assure you," James replied calmly. "I'm merely here to ensure Mark's best interests are observed and that his wishes are heard."

"I thought we should have the conversation regarding Mark's behavior that we didn't have an opportunity for at our last meeting," Astrid continued.

"Yes, yes, we know he has a creative personality," Mr. Wright replied. "He'll be in a private school in Geneva as soon as we can deliver him there."

"To what end, Mr. Wright?" Bradley inquired. "Your son has learning difficulties he has only begun to address. His behavior stems from frustration, a sense of isolation and one of abandonment. Placing him in a new school with strict rules will most likely only result in an increase in naughty behavior and a worsening of his learning difficulties."

"Why should we take your word on anything? You're obviously prejudiced," Mr. Wright snapped.

"Perhaps you would like to hear Mark's views on the whole thing?" James MacClare inquired.

Bradley was grinding his teeth.

"How can you possibly represent our son? You're obviously a relation and therefore biased," Mr. Right said belligerently.

"I have no interest here either way than to see the boy is properly taken care of," James replied. He went to the door and asked the butler to bring Mark down. "Quite frankly you have placed a great imposition on my nephew, his wife and our entire family for that matter. A preferable situation would have been for you to assume responsibility for your son during vacations as most families do, but as this is not what has occurred and we must deal with what is."

Mark came in wearing pajamas and immediately scooted between Bradley and Astrid. He was staring at his parents warily.

"What do you have to say for yourself, making a mess in the house and getting into other people's things?" his father demanded immediately.

"I want to live here with Bradley and Astrid," Mark replied. "I hate the house in London."

"What did you do with the coins you pilfered from my desk?"

"I used them for train fare. I went the wrong way the first time. I bought another ticket and came here," Mark said. He was shrinking back behind Bradley's chair. He knew he had pushed things too far this time.

"They were valuable antiques and you spent them on train fare?" his father demanded raising his voice. "A thousand pounds worth of coins spent on a fare that should cost a few shillings."

"If you make me go back I'll be bad on purpose," Mark said getting agitated. He was raising his voice in return. "I'll think up something to do everyday until I never have to see you again. Why do you want me with you? You never talk to me or anything."

"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing," his mother replied.

"This is getting us no where," Astrid said. She turned and took his Mark's hands. "Mark, can you go up and get dressed? Before you do promise me you won't run off. You have to deal with your problems like a grown up. It's going to take a little while for the adults to sort things out."

"I want to stay with you and I want to go on our trip to Vienna," Mark whined. He was dancing from foot to foot in agitation. "I brought my passport and everything." He was almost ready to break out in tears.

"Don't worry. Lord Newtonmore is here to represent your interests," Astrid comforted him. "Whatever comes we'll all make the right decision for you. Now promise me you won't run away."

"I promise," Mark mumbled. Bradley patted his shoulder before he headed off to get dressed.

"We'll leave him here for school since that's what you obviously all want," Mr. Wright said somewhat angrily.

"Not so fast," Bradley replied. "You've inconvenienced us no end and caused my wife and I considerable emotional distress. What's to say you won't decide to retrieve Mark in a few weeks and we go through all of this again or worse? Mark needs a family that pays attention and spends time with him. We've put a great deal of time, effort and personal sacrifice into helping Mark. Our concern is for Mark and that he is placed in a stable environment that addresses his needs."

"We're busy and quite frankly neither of us have the time or patience for any more of his shenanigans," Mr. Wright said. "If you want him so badly you can keep him, but we're not paying."

"Mark's best interests would be served if he had regular visitation with you his natural parents," James said. "Legally you are financially responsible for your son and his welfare."

"A custody agreement where Mark's education and visitation with his family were at our discretion perhaps?" Bradley suggested. "Since you will be living in Geneva and we often visit family in Vienna, visitation with a nanny he knows and trusts for a few weeks each summer and at Christmas could easily be arranged."

"Take care of this Arthur. I've had enough of this bother and Mark's nonsense," Mrs. Wright said.

"Have the papers drawn up," Mr. Wright said. "I've had enough of the little bastard. Just remember I'm not paying."

"Hardly an endearing attitude for any child," James pointed out.

"I don't care if we ever see a penny of your money. My only concern is Mark," Astrid said trying to control to her anger.

"We will have our solicitors draw up the agreement in the morning," Bradley said. "I think we all need time to calm down. We can be flexible with visitation as long as Mark has a Nanny he is familiar with along to see to him which should resolve some issues. We will send someone around to collect Mark's things in the morning."

"Mark has destroyed property and caused personal discomfort to both my wife and I. He needs to be punished," Mr. Wright demanded.

"We will speak to him and meet out suitable consequences for what he has done I assure you, Mr. Wright," Bradley said sternly.

They got up to show Mark's parents out. Mark was dressed and sitting on a chair in the hall looking upset. Music and laughter could be heard coming from the drawing room. James MacClare gestured for Mark to stand beside him.

"It's time to say goodbye to your parents," James told Mark. "You'll be staying with Bradley and Astrid for the foreseeable future."

"I can?" Mark asked excitedly.

"Yes, you can," Bradley replied. "You will get to see your parents. We'll make arrangements for you to visit from time to time with Nanny along so you won't be lonely. Now what do you have to say to your parents?"

Mark stepped forward to say goodbye.

"Don't worry about the bluing and the stove black mother. It only lasts six days or so," Mark said. He held out his hand with something for his father. "Here are your knife, the rest of your coins and the money I took, Father. I'm sorry I spent your coin collection. I like your hair better this way."

His father took the items. His face had gone red with barely contained anger.

"You people have no idea what you've let yourself in for," he said.

"I think we do," Bradley replied with a half smile. "Go in and join Bobby and his friends Mark. We'll all be through in a moment."

"Your son will be happy and well cared for with us. You have my word," Astrid said.

"Goodbye Lady Astrid. Good luck with Mark," Mrs. Wright replied. She turned and headed for the car. Her husband nodded and headed after her.

"After that I think I need a drink," James MacClare said.

"You and I both, Uncle," Bradley replied. He turned to his uncle with a tired grin, "I think a celebration is in order."

Chapter 15

The next morning Bradley was up early and on the telephone with the solicitor before the man had a chance to leave his house. When the client was as large as the estate the principles had their representatives home number. His next call was to the butler at the house in London to have Mark's clothing collected from his room at his parent's home. By eight o'clock he was off the telephone and routing Mark out of bed.

"Are we going to Vienna today?" Mark asked excitedly.

"We are but you don't get off quite so Scott free for running away," Bradley said. "Despite your reasons, which were good ones, you worried and inconvenienced a great many people."

"I'm not sorry for what I did at the house, or to my parents or to Mrs. Blackworth one bit," Mark said looking down.

"What exactly did you do to them?" Bradley asked.

"I put laundry bluing in their perfume bottles and fixed it so my father got glue stuck in his hair," Mark replied still looking down. "I cut the laces of all of my father's shoes. I sawed the legs on Mrs. Blackworth's bed, set fire to the toaster and loaded the agitator with soap so there were suds all over and a bunch of other stuff.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," Bradley replied seriously trying to hide a smirk. "We're going to London this morning. There is someone else you need to speak to."

"What about packing?" Mark asked.

"We have staff for that. Come on, get up and make your bed. Then we'll go along and see if we have some clean clothes in the storage you can wear," Bradley said.

"I'll call if we get delayed," Bradley told Astrid as he was heading out the door with Mark.

"I'm not certain this is the best course of action," Astrid lowered her voice so Mark couldn't overhear.

"Being responsible for your actions is part of growing up. I won't have him apologize to his parents, but he does need to make amends. They deserve what they got," Bradley whispered back.

Bobby drove Mark and Bradley to the train.

"We should be back in three hours or so, plenty of time to get to the airport," Bradley told Bobby before they parted at the station.

"Where are we going?" Mark asked worriedly once they were on the train. "You're not taking me back are you? I don't want to go."

"The business with your parents is being settled by our solicitors as we speak," Bradley said. "You don't need to worry about that any more. There is someone else in all the fuss you caused who should have an apology for the inconvenience."

"Who?" Mark asked.

"You'll find out when we arrive," Bradley replied. He held Mark's hand through the station in London and on the underground so he wouldn't get lost. Mark got upset when he recognized the underground station near his parents' home.

"You said you weren't taking me back," he whined. He tried to pull free.

"I gave you my word, Mark. That's not where we're going," Bradley said taking him by the shoulders. "Men apologize when they do something wrong. It's time you learned that. Do I have to carry you?"

"No," Mark replied scuffing his feet and looking down. They walked down the street and up the stairs of the police station. Bradley asked for the detective they had been dealing with on Mark's case. Mark was looking around worriedly while the waited. It was only a few minutes and the detective came out of his office.

"Dr. Branson we can speak in my office," the detective said.

"No need," Bradley replied. "Mark has something to tell you and the Desk Sergeant and everyone else who was on duty this last few days."

The Desk Sergeant motioned to the other men working at their desks to come over. Mark was looking at his feet while still holding Bradley's hand.

"Mark what have you got to say?" Bradley asked him. "Take a big breath and say it."

Mark took a deep breath, looked at Bradley then at the room of policemen.

"I'm sorry for running off and causing you extra work when you should have been looking for bad guys," Mark said. "I won't run off anymore or set toasters on fire. I don't want anyone to get hurt because I did something naughty."

The men behind the desk looked at each other in surprise.

"You listen to what this young man has to say," the Detective said to Mark ominously. "No more nonsense or prank calls, young man. If I ever see you back I'll throw the book at you."

"I won't, I promise," Mark replied. His knees were shaking and his face had gone pale.

"Thank you for your time, Detective," Bradley said shaking the man's hand. "We won't take up any more of your day."

"Good luck, Dr. Branson," the Detective said in parting. He had a slight smile on his face in direct contrast to the serious expression he had shown Mark. He watched Bradley and Mark leave the building with Mark holding onto Bradley's hand. "Get back to work," he instructed the constables that were still standing at the desk with their mouth's open as he headed back to his office.

Bradley and Mark were making good time. They purchased two buns at a bakeshop to eat on the train back to Horsham before they stopped by the house in London to retrieve Mark's suitcases and a box Colleen was sending along for Sybil. They had fifteen minutes to wait for the train at the station after they purchased their tickets. Mark was starting to droop after the stress of the last few days and his apology at the police station. Bradley spotted a place on a bench and they sat down so Mark could have a short break and eat his bun.

"Apologizing is hard work," Mark said while he was eating his bun. He yawned.

"Harder work than making a mess in the first place," Bradley agreed. "It's part of growing up to own up to what you have done. You can have a bit of a rest on the train. It will be almost time to leave for the airport when we get back."

Mark nodded and tucked into his bun. Bradley noticed a woman glaring at them from across the concourse when the crowd parted. She was leaning on a cane and had a large blue smudge on the side of her face. The rest of her face was covered with dots and there was something odd about her hair where it stuck out from under her hat as though large chunks had been hacked off. _"It can't be,"_ Bradley thought to himself. He had never met the infamous Mrs. Blackworth. Passengers from an incoming train filled the walk heading to their holiday destinations or their jobs. The crowd was a sea of suitcases and brightly wrapped holiday parcels. When the crowd parted again the woman was gone. Mark had finished his bun. Bradley glanced at his watch and took Mark by the hand to head for their train. It was time to get on with their own holiday festivities.

-0-

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you, Uncle James," Bradley said to his uncle almost three hours later. His uncle had come to the airport to see them off along with their solicitor with the documents for their signature for Mark's custody.

"A worthy advisory and a good cause makes me feel alive," James MacClare replied with a twinkle in his eye. "That one likes his money and I enjoyed squeezing it out of him. The boy will be well provided for."

"Let's just hope they stick to their end of the visitation this time," Bradley said. "I think things will go better for Mark if he sees his parents with a nanny to provide supervision and some security along with it."

"My first charity client in a very long time," James replied. "I should do these things more often. I felt as thought I were back in the game."

"I think it's time you traveled and relaxed," Bradley replied. He glanced over to where Mark was sitting on a waiting room chair. This would be his first flight. He was excited despite his tiredness and couldn't sit still. "It looks like I need to escort a certain someone to the WC before they call the flight. Thank you again, Uncle."

"Have a good time in Vienna," James replied. He was waiting for the flight to leave to watch them take off. Air travel was still new enough it was a novelty. Watching the planes take off and land was an amazing sight.

Bobby had a hold of Primrose's hand and was trying to comfort her.

"Don't' be nervous Prim, you've been up with me before it isn't all that different," Bobby said folding her hand between his.

"What if your parents don't like me?" Primrose said worriedly. It had seemed like a great adventure when she was talking her father into sending her along on the trip. Now she was nervous and had a mountain of doubts.

"I like you, so they'll like you," Bobby replied. "They're both very open minded. Their friends come from all different backgrounds although I have to admit they're all musicians or related to musicians or something to do with Sybil's business."

"That's just it. I don't speak a second language or play music. They're all so sophisticated. How am I ever going to fit in?"

"The same way you do with my friends and family here. Just be yourself."

Primrose nodded and glanced around the airport. She was nervous to the point where the signs weren't making any sense. She was dreading going out in a strange city and not being able to find her way around, but she didn't want to tell Bobby that.

"Now Dear, have a good time," Primrose's mother said. She had been chatting with Astrid. "Do try and get me a few autographs while you're there."

"Mummy, I'm visiting not some kind of crazy fan," Primrose replied.

"I'll see what Hans can come up with," Bobby said.

"Take care of yourself and don't go out on your own," Mr. Carpenter told his daughter for the twentieth time that day. "See you mind your manners and make sure Bobby here minds his."

"I love you too, Daddy," Primrose said. A voice on the speaker was announcing their flight. Bradley returned with Mark. They headed for the gate.

"I still think we should have booked a hotel." Bradley commented once they had handed over their tickets and were through the gate. The stewardess had checked their passports as they passed through. "The flat was a tight fit last time. It's going to be worse."

"Sybil wants everyone close for Christmas," Astrid replied. "We're coming back in six days. We'll have a huge house all to ourselves until classes start in January."

The snow had been swept from the tarmac as they headed for the stairs leading to the aircraft. It was a newer model plane. They would have an inflight meal and drinks on the trip. The flight was short enough the meal and drinks would take up almost the entire flight. Mark was excited and trying to take everything in at once. Every seat on the aircraft was taken when they got on board. The stewardess came around handing out pillows and blankets. Mark didn't want to take one until Astrid insisted. He had his compass out of his pocket and was staring at it while the plane taxied out onto the runway.

"Are we going the right way?" Bradley asked him with a grin from across the aisle. Mark was in the seat beside Astrid next to the window.

"Not yet," he replied. He had his bag of toys along with a few snacks the cook had wrapped up for the trip for him. The trip was uneventful except for Astrid having to remind Mark to sit straight in his seat and not press his face against the window when the drink cart came around followed by the meals. With a full stomach Mark's earlier tiredness caught up with him and he feel asleep wrapped in his blanket while slumped against the window. Primrose had settled down slightly with the meal to occupy her time.

Hans was at the airport to meet them. Primrose didn't want to stare at the man who was on the cover of the record album her mother had been showing all her friends.

"How do you do, Mr. Meyer?" Primrose said when Bobby introduced them.

"I am well. Welcome to Vienna," Hans replied. He kissed her hand with his usual flourish. "I trust you had a good flight."

"Yes, we did thank you," Primrose managed to stammer.

Hans immediately turned to the rest of the party and greeted them.

"He does that to every woman he meets," Bobby whispered to Primrose who was standing still in shock. The man from the album cover was even more striking in person.

"I have arranged a surprise," Hans said. "Come." He led them outside the terminal where a horse drawn carriage was waiting. The horses were decked out with tassels on their bridles and bells on their harness for the season. "We have cabs these days and street cars but everyone should first see Vienna by carriage."

"Hurrah!" Mark exclaimed. He was into the carriage in a flash with his field glasses out. Primrose's eyes were huge as Bobby handed her up into the carriage and then helped Astrid while the bags were being loaded on the back.

"How is Sybil?" Astrid asked once they were all in the carriage.

"Fat," Hans replied with a grin. "Thomas has a new tooth. He is trying to eat his way through the bars on the crib."

"Are you planning on a new flat?" Bradley asked.

"No, if it is a boy this time they will share the room you will have. If it is a girl we will make two rooms from the one. I could not find a larger home so close to work," Hans replied. "Next time you come you will have to stay in the studio."

"I'm just hoping Sybil doesn't deliver while we're here," Bradley said. "Redmond doesn't mind delivering babies but it's never been my forte."

"Why?" Mark asked turning from watching the sights roll past the carriage with his field glasses.

"I study the brain not the other end," Bradley replied seriously which made everyone laugh.

The lights of the city were starting to twinkle in the early evening dusk as they pulled up to the door. Primrose felt her mouth go dry when she spotted the sign on the front of Sybil's studio with her name written in elegant script with London – Vienna neatly printed underneath. Sybil had been watching for them and waddled down the stairs with Thomas on her hip.

"Sybil you should not do the stairs," Hans scolded her. He took the baby from her.

"I'm impatient," Sybil replied. She hurried the women inside out of the cold while the men and Mark were seeing to the luggage.

"Sybil, this is Primrose Carpenter," Astrid introduced.

"Welcome, Primrose. Bobby has told me so much about you in his letters," Sybil said.

"Thank you for having me Mrs. Meyer," Primrose replied.

"Sybil, please," Sybil replied with a smile. "I go by my first name professionally. Absolutely everyone calls me Sybil. The client room is set up as a bedroom for Primrose," she said as the men came inside the house. "Bobby and Mark I'm afraid you'll have the sitting room at night and have to store your things in the guest room."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Mrs… Sybil," she replied shyly.

"Come through and I'll give you the tour downstairs," Sybil said.

"I am to cook. Again," Hans said with a long-suffering sigh, Bradley laughed and followed him up the stairs with the cases.

"I don't have any appointments booked over the holidays," Sybil said as she led the way into the client room. "Primrose, you are in here." A folding cot had been set up as a bed and the room rearranged to make a bedroom with a bit of a sitting area. The curtains were drawn making the room look every bit a cozy bedroom. "There's a powder room through here," Sybil said showing her the door. "The rest is my work area and there is a laundry area at the very back."

"I don't want to do laundry," Mark said seriously. "The police might come."

"Not if you use the correct amount of soap flakes," Bobby said with a grin while ruffling his hair.

"It's a long story," Astrid told Sybil.

"We have a private stair," Sybil said. "The flats on the other side have a separate entrance so this is no different than a normal downstairs bedroom for the time being."

Bobby was close behind Sybil as she walked up the stairs. She was so roly-poly he didn't know how she made it up the stairs.

"This is where you'll sleep, Mark," Sybil continued as she entered the sitting room. Primrose stopped and stared in awe. Hadley Hall was grand and gracious but she had never been anywhere that had the kind of view from the windows of the flat.

"Your home is lovely," Primrose said.

"Thank you," Sybil replied.

Mark dashed over and got his spyglass out so he could look at the buildings in the distance. Hans and Bradley were chatting in the kitchen. Everyone else went to stand by the windows once Sybil had pointed out the other rooms off the sitting room.

"That's the top of the Musikverein," Sybil said. "If you ever get lost in Vienna, find your way there. Everyone knows where it is. Once you're there absolutely everyone knows Hans and you're only a few blocks away."

"That's a relief to know," Primrose replied. It made her feel a great deal better to know there was an easy way back if she did get lost. Mark was busy with his satchel of toys at the window and didn't reply.

"Dinner," Bradley called. They all left the window and went to have their first meal in Vienna at the dining room table.

Chapter 16

The first three days of the visit to Vienna were busy. Hans had to go into work the first day they were there and returned with albums for Primrose's mother with autographs covering the jackets from the various orchestra members. Sybil was due in four weeks and wasn't moving around much. The task of showing everyone around Vienna fell to Bobby, as he knew his way around the best. Neither Bradley nor Astrid remembered any of the landmarks from their previous visit. The city looked completely different under a blanket of snow. The hot topic of conversation so far on the visit had been whether or not Bobby should buy a plane.

"I'm still not convinced," Sybil said while they were discussing the matter. Thomas was down for a nap. She was seated in the sitting area with her feet on a stool.

"I'm not asking for a car. I don't need one since there is one available at both houses and Dylan and Kate will be moving back to Dublin sometime next year," Bobby replied. "It would be foolish with one sitting in London to buy another. I've had enough of getting to the airport only to find someone else has damaged a plane and I'm the one having to wait for parts. I'm not happy going up with blokes at the flight club near school either."

"What has happened to make you unhappy?" Hans asked.

"I went up with a bloke a few weeks ago," Bobby said. "He seemed an upstanding chap when I met him. He wanted a copilot to fly to Edinburgh with him. That was a mistake. He loaded the plane with cases of Scotch whiskey and two tarts for the trip back. He'd been helping himself to the Scotch as well. I wound up refusing to fly back with him. The plane was clearly overloaded on top of his drinking. I finally talked my way into a very uncomfortable trip back in the back of a cargo plane with a load of prize pigs going to a breeding program. That was a lovely weekend, let me tell you."

"You were wise not to fly with him," Hans said seriously.

"You did the right thing," Sybil agreed.

"You didn't say anything about it," Bradley commented.

"What good would saying anything have done? If I'd had my own plane two of my friends that I went to school with and are at the same college would have flown to Wales with me to see Reggie Watson. You remember him don't you, Sybil?"

"His family has orchards and grows hops don't they," Sybil replied. "The two of you were always out fishing."

"That's him. He's taking a horticultural course at a college not far from his home. We would have gone over and gone fishing if I had my own plane, instead I wound up stuck in Edinburgh with a drunk."

"I would like to go with when you go to look at a Piper," Hans said thoughtfully.

"I'd like to have your opinion," Bobby said. "I want something reliable I can use to get around and for skipping over to see the family in Ireland."

"I wonder if there is a sales person here for these planes," Hans commented. "I could possibly get to England next spring for a few days."

"If your convinced then, I'm convinced," Sybil said. "What do you think Bradley?"

"This is Bobby's interest and his passion. I think he's flown enough to know whether or not he would get his use out of the machine and what he'd like to do with it."

"I've got a good mechanic lined up," Bobby said.

"The two of you go for a test flight," Sybil said. "If it's still what you want, then you can make arrangements for the purchase. I would like to get over sometime in the New Year to visit our parents."

"It's going to be hard with two little ones," Bradley said. "It would be easier if Mummy and Da came here but they won't budge with the six younger ones."

"Daddy has worked so long and hard raising first us now this younger group," Sybil commented. "He deserves some time off but he won't take it."

"They might make the trip if someone from the family went to stay with the brood," Bobby commented. The brood was the family name given to Tom and Rose's six adopted children. They were so close in age it was akin to a flock of chicks growing up together.

"I'll talk to Dylan when we get back," Bradley said. "If all six of us put the pressure on Da to finally take a bit of time for himself after all these years, he might just take a week and come for a visit."

"Maybe if we all chip in and buy the tickets they won't be able to say no," Sybil suggested.

"You might have something there," Bradley agreed.

-0-

"Bradley," Hans said quietly. He was shaking Bradley's shoulder to wake him up. It took Bradley a minute to realize where he was. A faint light was coming through the curtains otherwise the flat was dark.

"What is it?" Bradley asked coming awake finally.

"I think it is time for the baby," Hans replied.

Bradley got up quickly and passed through the sitting room as quietly as he could where Bobby and Mark were on their fold out cots.

"The baby isn't due for another four weeks is it? Bradley asked.

"We think," Hans replied. "Sybil was not sure of the days. Last time we left for the hospital as soon as there was a small pain."

The bedside light was on. Sybil was in bed trying to breath through a contraction.

"Did you ring for an ambulance?" Bradley asked.

"They will not come. They asked what it was for. When I said a baby, they answered they do not come for babies unless there is a problem. The doctor cannot come either he is at another baby."

"Lovely," Bradley replied. "I don't have my bag with me. We'll have to make do. How far apart are the contractions?" He sat on the side of the bed and palpated his sister's abdomen.

"About half a minute," Sybil said trying to catch her breath.

"I'll go wash my hands and we'll take a look," Bradley said. "Hans I need a clean towel and boil some water with a piece of string and the sharpest scissors you've got."

"I want to go to the hospital," Sybil gritted out during her next contraction.

"Let me take a look. I'll be able to tell if you have time to get to a hospital or not," Bradley replied.

"Wait," Sybil said once Bradley was back after washing his hands. He was about to pull the covers back and the sheet. "I don't want Thomas to see me like this."

"He is asleep," Hans said with a shrug. Sybil glared at him.

"Never disagree with a woman in labor," Bradley said.

Hans took ahold of the end of his son's crib and started pulling it carefully towards the door. Bradley waited until Hans had the crib in the dining area of the main room and had come back into the bedroom closing the door so it was only a crack. Sybil started into the next contraction.

"Hans get behind her and support her weight," Bradley instructed. "Press your hand into the small of Sybil's back during each contraction."

Bradley checked his sister to see where she was in labor as soon as the contraction subsided.

"You're too late to go to the hospital," Bradley confirmed. "You're almost ready to start pushing."

"How would you know? You're a neurologist," Sybil griped.

"I have done this before," Bradley said. "I'll have you know I got top marks in medical school for my stint in obstetrics. It wasn't my preferred line of study. Things would be a bit easier if I had a stethoscope and a few other instruments, but we'll make do."

"Easier for who?" Sybil grimaced as she went into her next contraction.

"Breathe," Bradley said. He instructed Sybil to exhale and inhale during the pain. As soon as it subsided he had her out of bed and pacing back and forth. "Best check if the water is boiling," he said to Hans.

"This isn't how babies are born," Sybil complained when the next contraction hit and Bradley kept her moving and breathing.

"It is when I'm in charge," he replied. They walked back and forth through the next five contractions.

"I can't anymore," Sybil said.

"Rest time," Bradley decreed. He got her back on the bed but wouldn't let her lie flat. He motioned Hans as soon as he was back to get behind Sybil again. "Almost there," Bradley said when he checked the progress. He spread out a towel for a receiving blanket then had Sybil lie on her side. He sent Hans for the pot with the string and scissors. He was back in a few seconds. Bradley had Hans hold her top leg with one arm while continuing to rub on her lower back with his other hand. Bradley quickly retrieved the string and scissors from the boiling water. Sybil was in a deep contraction that had her starting to rip at the sheets.

"Breath through it, Sybil," Bradley coached her. "The next one you're going to push." He placed a hand on the baby's head as it emerged guiding the baby slowly until the shoulders were delivered to prevent tearing. "Almost done Sybil," Bradley encouraged her. "Last push."

The baby emerged. Bradley quickly wiped the mouth and nose with the corner of a towel and used his finger to tap on the bottom of the foot to make him cry. The baby let out a short squawk then settled down. "Another boy," he said. He laid the baby and towel beside Sybil and placed another towel for the afterbirth. It was only two contractions later and everything was over. Sybil lay back exhausted. Bradley got busy tying the cord.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Bradley asked Hans. He held up the scissors.

"No," Hans replied wild-eyed and pale.

"Is the baby healthy?" Sybil asked. She pushed herself up on her elbow.

"He appears to be," Bradley replied with a smile. "His color is good and he's responding as he should. I haven't got a stethoscope to listen to his heart or breathing. You'll need to get him checked over by your family doctor, but I would say for the moment mother and child are perfectly healthy." He wrapped the baby and handed him to Sybil. She took the baby and held him with Hans holding the pair of them.

Bradley went to the washroom and came back with a cloth for Sybil to wipe her face with. He began folding up the sheets. "Fresh sheets will be more comfortable," he said. "Then we'll get to the business of cleaning up baby. I think that might be a job for a new father."

"Thank you, Bradley," Sybil said reaching a hand out to her brother. "That was the easiest deliver I've ever had. You could have been an obstetrician. You are very good at it despite what you say."

"I'm a much better neurologist," he replied. He put out his finger for the baby to grasp. "He's another Branson. You can see it already."

"Branson is a good name," Hans said.

"I thought we would name the baby Ernst if it was a boy," Sybil said. "After your father."

"No, I think I like Branson better," Hans replied with a smile. "Branson makes me think of good times and good friends."

"Branson," Sybil whispered to the baby. "You'll be the only one of the boys who bears the family resemblance with dark hair. My baby boy, Branson Hans Meyer." She kissed the baby on the forehead.

"Time to change the sheets and get baby cleaned up," Bradley said. "We can all do with some rest before the new arrival decides to announce he's ready for his first meal."

-0-

"New babies cry a lot," Mark said the next day. He, Primrose and Astrid were out sight seeing. Bobby was doing laundry and Bradley was busy registering the details of the birth with Sybil's doctor when he arrived for a house call. Hans the ever proud father was busy running back and forth between his two children checking to make sure they were taken care of and clucking to the point of driving Sybil mad.

"All babies start out tiny and crying to let you know they need something, then they grow and find things to get into," Astrid teased.

"I'm very glad my teachers are allowing me to do a report on Vienna with picture slides," Primrose said. She had her camera out and was taking pictures of the sights they were seeing. "It's much easier to do a report talking about picture slides than trying to write something."

"It is supposed to be harder, but I find it much easier," Astrid agreed.

"Everything is easier if you don't have to read it," Mark said. "May we go in that shop over there?" He pointed to a store that was open and looked to be selling military surplus."

"We won't be able to speak to the proprietor," Astrid said uncertainly. "It's not the type of shop that caters to tourists."

"We can still look," Mark replied. "Please, Astrid."

"Yes, we can look," Astrid relented.

The shop held little interest for Astrid or Primrose but to Mark it was a treasure trove of interest.

"I've seen some things I would like to get with the spending money Bradley gave me," Mark said after ten minutes in the shop.

"It's your spending money. You may purchase what you like with it, but once it's gone you're done spending," Astrid cautioned him.

"I really want some of the things I've seen," Mark replied.

"Do you know how much money you have?" Astrid asked him.

"I counted before we left," Mark replied.

"Go ahead then," Astrid told him. Mark went to the counter and pointed to a jack knife, flashlight, wristwatch and an old pair of pilot's goggles that looked like they were from the First World War.

Astrid thought Mark was going to be disappointed when he didn't have enough money. This was part of learning and not something she needed to protect him from. The clerk behind the counter said something to her in German that she couldn't understand. Her eyes opened wide when Mark replied calmly in German and began a conversation with the man. Mark's speech wasn't fast but he seemed to be holding his own. After a few minutes he dug around in his satchel that went absolutely everywhere with him and pulled out an old pair of opera glasses and a military medal. He laid them on the counter along with his coins. The clerk picked up the medal and looked it over carefully. He sorted Mark's stack of coins and put well over half to the side along with the opera glasses. Mark shook his hand, said something to him in German and deposited his pile of new things along with the coins and opera glasses in his satchel. He waited while Primrose fastened his new wristwatch for him.

"Mark, where ever did you learn to speak German?" Astrid asked him.

"The records in the library," he said as though it were the most common thing in the world. "I listen to the people here when they speak too. Some things they say don't make any sense."

"You won't understand everything at first," Astrid said reassuringly.

"I understood the words but not what they meant," Mark replied.

"What did you hear?" Astrid asked him. They were about to go into a bakeshop to look for some things to take back to the flat for afternoon tea.

"When he was on the telephone, Mr. Meyer said , "_if you eat fire, you shit sparks_," Mark said seriously. "I don't know what he meant."

Astrid's mouth dropped open in shock. Primrose had her hand over her mouth trying to stifle a giggle.

"You shouldn't have been eavesdropping," Astrid scolded.

"It's what he said," Mark insisted. "He was right beside me. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Mark you know the difference between polite words and rude ones. You shouldn't repeat something like that even if you hear an adult say it," Astrid scolded.

"I was only saying," Mark replied. "I heard someone say something about a sausage having two ends, but I didn't get that either."

"I think you had better not repeat any of that until you can ask Mr. Meyer what it all means," Astrid said sternly.

"All right. Do you think they have those biscuits Anna baked in this shop?" Mark asked already onto a new topic. "They were really good."

"We'll have to take a look and find out," Astrid replied.

Chapter 17

Bradley was holding Thomas on his lap reading to him from a counting book when he heard Astrid, Primrose and Mark on the stairs. Hans was downstairs in Sybil's workroom practicing. Sybil and the new baby were fast asleep. Bobby had gone out to the do the household shopping and pick up a few things Sybil needed around the flat with the new arrival.

Holding his nephew on his knee with his downy hair brushing his cheek he wondered if he and Astrid weren't being too cautious. Maybe it was time to start a family. He liked children and they responded well to him. Children were easy to love. Mark was proof of that. It only took a moment for his practical side to take over. Mark needed time to settle down. The last thing they needed at the moment was to throw a pregnancy into the mix. They were still young and there was plenty of time to have a family.

Hans came upstairs with everyone.

"How was the sight seeing?" Bradley asked. He stood up holding Thomas on his hip. Thomas squirmed to get down and took off crawling across the floor to his father.

"Enlightening," Astrid replied.

Bradley raised his eyebrows. Sybil came out from the bedroom to join everyone.

"Should you be up?" Hans questioned Sybil.

"I feel fine," Sybil replied.

"There is nothing wrong with being up and around after childbirth as long as you don't overdo things," Bradley said. "It's actually healthier for the mother to be up."

"You have a very different view on things," Sybil commented.

"I find in my line of work often holding on to traditional beliefs doesn't work too well," Bradley answered. "What did you find so enlightening on your excursion?" he asked his wife. His curiosity was peeked.

"Mark has learned to speak German," Astrid replied.

"You have?" Bradley asked him in surprise.

"Yes, I bought some new things. Do you want to see?"

"Of course," Bradley replied going to the table with Mark so Thomas wouldn't get into something he possibly shouldn't.

"Mark speaks German quite well," Hans commented. He came to the table to see Mark's new items.

"You knew?" Astrid asked in surprise.

"Yes. Didn't you know?" he replied.

"I got a new watch," Mark said proudly showing his wristwatch to Bradley.

"It is a German pilot's watch from the war," Hans commented. "You see, mine is the same. They last a long time."

"Were you a pilot in the war?" Mark asked. His eyes got large.

"Yes, I was," Hans replied calmly. "What else have you brought?"

Mark pulled his other items from his satchel for the men to admire.

"That is a Swiss officer's knife," Hans commented. "You must be careful with it. They are very sharp. Don't leave it where Thomas can find it."

"I won't," Mark replied seriously. "I'll put my satchel up high so he won't get into my things."

"Good boy," Hans praised him patting his shoulder.

"I bought a flashlight and some goggles for riding on the motorcycle," Mark said trying the goggles on. Bradley adjusted the strap for him so they would stay on.

"So you're speaking German?" Bradley asked Mark contemplatively once he had the goggles adjusted.

"I don't know why everyone is so surprised," Mark replied. He was still examining his new things. "You knew I was playing those records."

Bradley and Astrid exchanged a look.

"Could it be?" he asked her.

"We would have to test it," Astrid replied.

"It's worth a try," Bradley said.

They're cryptic conversation was lost on everyone else.

"What's got your two's curiosity up?" Sybil asked them.

They all moved to sit in the sitting room. Primrose had ahold of Thomas' hands and was helping him walk across the floor.

"As you know much of what Astrid does at the school is considered highly experimental," Bradley said once they were all seated. "From a medical perspective I look for commonalities. What are the things that unify a condition? Much of neurology is about brain chemistry and a great deal of things are a mystery." Bradley paused. "We have found a unifier with every single student that has passed through the school. When Dyslexics are in a state of emotional turmoil the condition worsens."

"That's true," Primrose said in surprised agreement. "If I'm upset the letters don't just jumble themselves more they seem to almost jump."

"Medically that is happening because the body releases chemicals, hormones actually when a person is upset, that trigger reactions within the brain. I have a paper coming out about the effect and what it means for Dyslexia. My findings are only preliminary at this point."

"Bradley has found research indicating vitamin A may nourish the synapsis in the brain and may help learning," Astrid commented. "We're going to increase fish in the diet at the school and see if it makes a difference."

"Mark being able to learn a second language by sound may be another break through," Bradley added. "If it can be repeated with other students, it may be a finding that can be passed on to the larger community of neurologists and educators studying the problem and lead to more answers."

"But I have always struggled with French," Primrose commented.

"As I did in grade school," Astrid said. "Consider your lessons are most likely based on written exercises not oral as mine were."

Primrose thought about it for a moment.

"They are," she confirmed.

"So you think learning a language completely by sound may be a breakthrough?" Sybil questioned in confusion.

"We can try adding a second language to the curriculum and see what happens," Astrid said. "We wouldn't use written exercises or reading at all with it. If it works and we have good success it would mean a new learning technique that would be a common unifier."

"Medically it could prove a new line of research, or add to someone's existing research. Why would someone with a learning difficulty have a heightened learning experience when the incoming signals are completely auditory? Our work with Dyslexia is experimental. It's why we want to have the symposium. If everyone working on these problems puts their minds together in one place, who knows what we'll come up with."

"Your ideas are very different," Sybil commented to her brother. "You certainly have different ideas about child birthing."

"I believe in some old methods mixed with new," Bradley replied. "Modern medicine is about regimenting everything. They're trying to make everything and everyone the same. I don't think it works. We know that with the success we've had with some of the boys."

Mark came over and sat beside Bradley once he'd put his satchel on a high shelf in the kitchen so Thomas couldn't reach. Bradley put his arm around him.

"We've had at least four boys come through the school and two girls traditional medicine would write off as lost causes and institutionalize them," Bradley said. "We're using an approach with of lots of fresh air, a diet high in vegetables with very little sweets and allowing the children to take part in solving problems and finding answers. We're learning as we go from the children as much as they're learning from us."

"Do you think I discovered something by listening to recordings?" Mark asked Bradley. He was rubbed the material on Bradley's trouser leg nervously with his fingertips.

"You may have or it may be you have a talent for languages," Bradley replied giving him a reassuring hug. "Whatever it means for others with the same learning problems you have, you've done very well learning a language so quickly. Every explorer needs to speak foreign languages for his travels."

"What does eating fire mean Mr. Meyer?" Mark asked.

"I am not sure what you mean," Hans replied.

"You said it the other day on the telephone. Wer Feuer frißt, scheißt Funken," Mark said.

"It is an expression," Hans said. His cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. He hadn't meant it to be understood by their guests. "It means the same as sleeping in your bed in English, in other words if you take a risk you might get burned. It is not an expression for children."

"You've made your bed, now lie in it," Sybil clarified. "Colloquial expressions don't translate well from one language to the other."

"Mark mentioned something he had overheard about a sausage having two ends," Astrid commented.

"Another expression in German but not so colorful," Hans said with a smirk. "Translated it would mean all things have an end, except the sausage that has two."

Everyone started to laugh. Bradley laughed until he was almost sick.

"I will have to remember that one," Bradley said while he dried the tears from his eyes.

"What did I miss?" Bobby asked coming in the door from the market.

"Hans was enlightening us on some German expressions," Astrid replied.

"I bought sausages for our dinner," Bobby said.

Everyone started to laugh all over again.

"I didn't know sausages were that humorous," Bobby said with a shrug then heading to the icebox with his purchases.

-0-

"What did you think of Primrose," Bobby asked Sybil and Hans. He had seen Bradley, Astrid, Mark and Primrose off at the airport. Bradley had only been able to get limited time off and Primrose's parents had only wanted her to stay in Austria as long as Bradley and Astrid were there. Bobby would return to England right after New Years.

"She seemed shy and quiet," Sybil said. "She's a bit young to be thinking of anything more permanent at the point."

"She is polite and very quiet if that is your type," Hans added. "You are concerned about something?" Hans had noticed Bobby lost in thought about something over the last day. He was waiting for the flat to be quieter to ask him about it.

"It's probably nothing," Bobby replied.

"Are you concerned about something?" Sybil asked. "You can tell us."

"It's just," Bobby moved about restlessly and took a seat at the kitchen table across from Sybil. She was feeding Thomas his lunch. The baby was asleep in a basinet in the bedroom. "We went over to Lukas and Johanna's the other night. Greta and her new husband Jacob were there and one other couple. Anna's in Switzerland with her skiing."

"A good group of friends," Hans said. "Greta's father mentioned Jacob has a job interview coming after the first of the year."

"That's just it," Bobby said. "We were playing rummoli. It's a new card game from the States. Johanna brought it back when she was over to New York with her university last spring. Everything was going along well. We were having a good time until Jacob mentioned he had a job interview coming up in January for a job in Israel. He's just graduated from university as a librarian. He's hoping the job works out because it's for a university library and comes with a flat."

"It may be a good post," Hans commented.

"What happened?" Sybil asked.

"After he was talking about it Prim got really quiet. I asked her what was wrong and she said her stomach was upset from eating all the unfamiliar foods."

"It may have been the case," Sybil said. "I had quite a time at first with all the dough balls everyone kept trying to feed me."

"Beer, pretzels, crisps, some kind of Jewish shortbread Greta made and an assortment of left over Christmas biscuits Lukas and Johanna's parents had on hand is not exactly foreign food," Bobby replied.

"You think it was because Greta and Jacob are Jews?" Hans asked.

"I'd like to think not, but it did cross my mind," Bobby replied. "Bradley had to square her father off once about his attitudes towards Ireland. I'm sure it didn't change his mind but he's been silent on the subject ever since."

"Bradley is very like Daddy in his politics," Sybil commented. "He loved living in Ireland."

"I really like Prim," Bobby said. "We have loads in common but if she can't accept my friends because of religion I don't see a future in it."

"Are you sure it was because of that?" Sybil asked.

"I'm not sure at all," Bobby replied. "It's made me have doubts though. What if she has her father's attitude towards Ireland?"

"That is why everyone has told you to take your time," Hans said. "At first everything is sparkles and sunshine, later comes the parts you do not like so much."

"All the lectures over the years on taking my time when I meet a girl are starting to make a lot of sense," Bobby commented.

"Give things enough time and it will come clear in the end," Sybil said. "You're young. If Primrose is the right girl and you've misunderstood, you'll find out sooner or later. If your suspicions are confirmed you haven't made any promises."

"Dylan says Primrose is too young to really know what she wants yet," Bobby said thoughtfully.

"He's right," Sybil replied. She wiped Thomas' mouth before Hans lifted him down to the floor. Thomas promptly pulled himself up to stand holding onto the seat of a chair and smiled at Bobby. He lost his balance and landed on his bottom with a plop. He was no sooner down than tearing off into the other room on all fours to find his toys. "No one is saying you need to be a womanizer like Dylan was before he got married and no one is saying you need to pick one then think it to death like Bradley did. All we're saying is time reveals the good and the bad along with it. No relationship is ever perfect but you need to know if the things you don't like about the other person are things you can live with."

"I thought the two of you had the perfect relationship," Bobby replied.

"She is too bossy and she doesn't like to do the washing up," Hans said.

"Mr. Distraction here gets lost in music and forgets appointments," Sybil said. "He missed a dental appointment it took two months to get."

"It was for Bach," Hans said sheepishly.

"Then I had to listen to him complain about a sore tooth for another two weeks," Sybil said shaking her head.

"That's another thing," Bobby said. "I don't know if Prim has ever done her own laundry or washed up. She helped a bit while she was here but she doesn't seem to know much about it. You and I always did the chores together when we lived in cottage and later in London. I still do my own laundry and throw in some extras when I'm home on weekend."

"Things you need to find out," Sybil confirmed. "Mummy had to learn a great deal of that type of thing after she and Daddy married, but she was willing. Is Primrose willing to do things around the house or is she expecting to have a maid if you do decide to tie the knot. These are all the questions you need to answer before you make anything permanent."

"Things always seem so much clearer when I'm here with you," Bobby said.

"I will be free the day after tomorrow. We can go to the airport and see if there is a Piper to look at," Hans said.

"You're going to leave me here with two babies?" Sybil asked.

"That is why we have the number for the girl to come in for help," Hans said. "This is one thing I do not mind your money for."

"You are getting spoiled," Sybil said.

"I have just washed the dishes and prepared the meal for later. I am not spoiled," Hans said sticking his nose in the air.

Just then the baby started to cry. Sybil got up to go and see to his feeding.

"Time to shuffle the rooms yet again," Bobby said. "I think I should stay downstairs and let Thomas get back to his own room."

"It would not be a bad thing," Hans replied tiredly. "Two babies one year apart cry a great deal at night."

"So this girl who's coming over for housework or whatever is she young and pretty?" Bobby asked.

"She is a girl like any other," Hans replied indifferently.

"You're no help," Bobby said.

"I have a good wife. Do I care if the maid is pretty?"

"It doesn't hurt to look," Bobby said.

"It does if you are married to a woman like Sybil," Hans replied. "She is a boss like her mother. I need to practice." He collected his violin and headed downstairs.

"I guess that leaves you and me to shuffle my cases," Bobby said to Thomas. Thomas waved a toy at him then stuffed it in his mouth.

"Somehow I think we just got stuck with washing all the sheets from the departing guests." Bobby went over to pick him up and realized he needed a diaper change.

"That I'm not dealing with your stinky mess," Bobby said to Thomas. "I wonder where the number is for that maid."


End file.
